Listening to International Social Workers: Implications for Social Work Education

Background

Despite growing interest in international social work, few empirical studies explore international social workers’ perceptions of the fit between educational training and the knowledge, skills, and values essential for international practice.

This qualitative study asks the research questions: i) what knowledge, skills, and values are expected of social workers seeking employment in international contexts?;  ii) how well does social work graduate study prepare workers for international careers? Ultimately this study aims to provide directions for schools of social work and accrediting bodies to improve social workers’ readiness and competitiveness in the international arena.     

Methods

Purposive sampling was used to recruit 10 social workers with MSW degrees from accredited graduate schools in either the US or Canada, and a minimum of four years of relevant international experience.  Participants, recruited via email listservs, conference presentations, and word of mouth, were all Caucasian females between ages of 28 and 52. Semi-structured interviews spanned 90-100 minutes each and were conducted via Skype, audiotaped, and later transcribed, in accordance with the authors' Research Ethics Board.

Transcripts were co-coded by the authors and analyzed according to grounded theory methods: i) examination of transcripts for initial ideas or observations; ii) line-by-line coding; iii) focused coding through constant comparison; and, iv) development of themes.

Qualitative results were triangulated with data culled from a final sample of 52 job postings from two online job databases, ReliefWeb and NGO Jobs Online, seeking candidates with a range of backgrounds including social work and/or related disciplines.  Data from job postings were analyzed in three stages: (1) recording all skills, knowledge bases required or sought per posting; (2) analyzing frequency of skills and knowledge bases across postings; (3) triangulating findings with qualitative interview transcripts. 

 

Findings

The skills and knowledge bases mentioned in the majority of advertisements (e.g. team-building, grant and report writing, program monitoring and evaluation, and expertise communicating with media and high level officials, budgeting/financial management and knowledge of international treaties) were consistent with those participants identified as expected of them in their work, but were outside of their social work curricula.  Both cultural sensitivity and human rights perspectives mentioned frequently in job advertisements were also valued by participants, suggesting a match between training and demand in these areas. 

Analysis also revealed that de-valuing of social work among international players, lack of macro skills-based training within schools of social work, and ambiguous placement of international work within the profession, hindered some participants’ sense of professional identity.  Facilitators to sustaining a strong social work identity included  perceived quality of their international social work programs, location of role models in other cultural contexts, and access to respected social work mentors.

Implications

Implications include strengthening the social work skill-base to fit occupational realities through curriculum and training; improving the social work ‘brand’ in international spheres; and re-assessing the current trend in the profession to privilege clinical practice.  Further research should explore the extent to which these preliminary findings may be present in larger swaths of social workers from the US and Canada working in international settings.