Europe: social practice, social policy and social education

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Europe social practice, social policy and social
education

• Dr. Nol Reverda, lector CESRT/Hogeschool Zuyd

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1. The concept of Europe
2. Europe and the rest some statistics
3. Social practice in Europe
4. Social policy in Europe
5. Social education in Europe

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Europe how many countries?
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1. The Concept of Europe (1)

• Geography (space)
• What are the borders?
• Russia, Turkey, Israel, Ceuta and Mellila,
  Canaric Islands, Caraibics?
• Border problems and asylum seekers

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Saint Martin (Caraibics)
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The Concept of Europe (2)

• History (time)
• What are the main events?
• Greek democracy, Roman Empire, Christianity,
  Humanism, Enlightenment
• Very selective/biased Viking, Ottoman, Islam
  roots of history

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Islam in Europe
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Both European history/culture?
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The Concept of Europe (3)

• Institutions
• European Union, Council of Europe, European Court
  of Justice, Organisation of Security and
  Co-operation in Europe

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The Council of Europe

• Sited in Strasbourg, France
• 46 members, representing 800 million people
• Intergovernmental body
• Objective
• Promotion of human rights and democracy

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The European Union

• Sited in Brussels
• 25 member states (out of 47 European countries),
  representing 450 million people
• Supranational body
• Objective
• Economic integration internal market and EMU
• Political integration Constitution and Parliament

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The Concept of Europe (4)

• A Europe of Nation-States (47)
• or
• A Europe of cultures/regions (226)?
• What are the dimensions of political, economic
  and social development?
• Us and them single versus plural identities
  (Beck e.o.)

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2. Europe and the rest

• Some statistics

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EU and the rest Surface area
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EU and the rest Population
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EU and the rest GDP
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EU and US/Russia
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3. Social practice in Europe

• Same problems
• Poverty
• Homelessness
• Disabled
• Abuse
• Etc.
• Different answers
• The need for cross-border exchange and learning
• No immitation social practice is contextual

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Social practice in Europe some common trends

• Mobility and migration
• Multiculturality versus etnocentrism/racism
• Single versus plural identities
• Need for differentiated provision/methods
• Heterogeneous composition of social professional
  staff
• Related, but specific topic
• Forced mobility human trade (illegal labour,
  women and children)

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Social practice in Europe

• Triple ageing of poputation
• More people of 65 (25 of EU population in 2035)
• Longer life expectations of people of 65
• Less children and youngsters (declining birth
  rate in Europe 1,6 child per family)
• Crisis of the nationstate
• Globalisation of politics, economy, culture and
  society McWorld
• Localisation of politics, economy,culture and
  society traditions, language/dialects, cultural
  heritage)

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Social practice in Europe

• Transition from rural to industrial to
  knowledge-based society
• Declining role of traditional institutions
  (religion, trade unions, political parties and
  ideological isms) and development of network
  society
• Professional interaction international transfer
  of methods (homestart, hometraining)

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4. Social Policy in Europe
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Three EUs

• Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) the Euro
• European Political Union (EPU) the Constitution
  and the European Parliament
• European Social Union (ESU)
• Role of state in relation to responsibility for
  social exclusion investing in social security
  and social cohesion leads towards higher economic
  productivity
• Not one, but five European Models of Welfare
  Provision

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Five Models of the European Welfare State

• Core question what welfare mix (state, market
  and civil society) is responsible for welfare
  delivery?
• Identification of models/regimes
• Social democratic (state nordic countries)
• Liberal (market - UK)
• Conservative (civil society - Germany)
• Rudimentary (Portugal)
• Countries/societies in transistion former
  communist countries (Hungary, Slovakia, etc.)

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Common European Trends

• Neo-liberalism
• Less state (less taxation), more market, less
  solidarity
• The principles of self-reliance and
  responsibilities of individual citizens/clients
• Commodification of social services
• Citizen as (critical) consumer
• De-institutionalisation
• Individualised care

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5. Social Work Education in Europe
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Social Work Education in Europe

• European Social Work or Social Work in Europa?
• Discussions about
• Generic versus specific
• Voluntarism and professionalism
• Managerialism and value-based social work

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Social Work Education in Europe

• Various programmes
• Social Work
• Social Pedagogy
• Community Work
• Social Education (Denmark)
• Special Education (Poland)
• Advocacy/legal Work

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Social Work Education in Europe

• Various levels
• Vocational training (no degree)
• (University) Colleges/Polytechnics (BA)
• Universities (MA)

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Social Work Education in Europe

• European Associations
• EASSW
• FESET
• European Region of IFSW
• AIEJI (social educators)
• European Region of ICSW
• Thematic Network Socrates
• European Social Work commonalities and
  differences
• Publication Campanini, A. en Frost, E. ed.(2004)
  European Social Work. Roma, Carocci Editore.
  ISBN 88-430-2967-330

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Social Work Education in Europe the Bologna
Declaration

• Objective
• the most competitive knowledge based continent
  of the world
• Introduction of a system of easily readable,
  compatible and comparable degrees BA/MA
• Introduction of a European Credit Transfer
  System ECTS

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Social Work Education in Europe the Bologna
Declaration

• Promotion of student and staff mobility
• Promotion of European co-operation of quality
  assurance
• Promotion of the European dimension in higher
  education

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Social Work Education in Europe the Bologna
Declaration

• Academisation of education
• BaMa structure
• Ba 180 240 ECTS
• Ma 60 120 ECTS
• Generic Ba (starting certificate for labour
  market) and specific MA
• Promotion of research
• Development of European/international dimension
  of curriculum
• Development of European system of quality
  control ENQASP

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• Two recent publications
• Lyons, K. and Lawrence, S. (eds) (2006) Social
  work in Europe Educating for change. Birmingham,
  Venture Press.
• Lorenz, W. (2006) Perspectives on European social
  work. Leverkusen, Verlag Barbara Budrich
• Thanks for your attention