INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION
OF SOCIAL WORKERS
International Social Work History:
Report of the International Federation
of Social Workers’ Archives Project
1928 to the present day
Fiona Robertson 1, Nigel Hall 2, Rory Truell3 Suzanne Dworak-Peck4
1Consultant,
Christchurch, New Zealand
2Course Director, Kingston University, London, UK & IFSW Sage
Representative
3IFSW Secretary-General, Basel, Switzerland
4IFSW Ambassador, Los Angeles, USA
• Rory Truell, IFSW Secretary-General, Fiona Robertson & René
Schegg examining material
IFSW develops its Archives…
• In 2013 IFSW started a project to
make the Federation’s archives
accessible to all social workers and
researchers around the world. The
archives contain information dating
back to 1847…
IFSW develops its Archives…
History from early C19th…
• In 1847 the International Penitentiary Congress
of Brussels proclaimed the necessity of
‘establishing contact between persons engaged, in
different countries, in improving the lot of the
working classes and the indigent poor’.
• It was not until 1889 in Paris that a more social
work-specific event was held with the First
International Congress (Conference) on
Statutory and Voluntary Assistance.
• This was followed by Conferences in Geneva in
1896, Paris in 1900, Milan in 1906, Copenhagen in
1920 and Paris in 1928.
History …
• The First International Conference of Social
Work was held in Paris in July 1928. With strong
patronage this brought together over 5000
delegates, 2481 of these representing 42
countries.
• Despite the times of crisis in Europe the Second
International Conference was held in 1932 in
Frankfurt and was attended by 1200 delegates
from 34 countries.
• This Conference provided the foundation to
setting up the International Permanent
Secretariat of Social Workers.
IFSW History discovered…
• The period 1932 to 1956 is the era of the
IPSSW with further International
Conferences in London and Paris.
• Included in the Minutes of the Meeting of
13th July 1932 is a proposal for a ‘loose
federation’ with the membership, aims,
names, proposal for a secretariat and a
series of tasks to be carried out.
• The current IFSW was constitutionally
incorporated in 1956 in Munich, Germany.
• IPSSW Secretariat renewing contacts after the Second World War
with the American Association of Social Workers in New York City
1956 IFSW History
IFSW History goes digital
• http://ifsw.org/news/exciting-discovery-ofhistorical-documents/
• http://ifsw.org/
Newsletters uploaded
• In addition to sorting through all the
records, IFSW Newsletters have been
uploaded on to the web (presently from
1962 – 2002)
• We also plan to upload many years of
photos from Conference and project
activities…
• Early IFSW Newsletter – Vol V. No. 1 March 1962
• Later IFSW Newsletter – Issue 2-3 / 2002
Links to Archives sites
•
1932: IFSW Meeting: Minutes in German:
http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/ifsw_95158-6.pdf
•
1932: In the archives is the signed attendance list of those participating in
this meeting on Hotel paper: http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/ifsw_95250-6.pdf
•
1932: Included in the Minutes of the Meeting the idea of the foundation of a
loose co-operation of international associations of social workers:
http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/ifsw_95058-9.pdf
•
1947: Letter of the Secretary to the American Association regarding the
Netherlands International Preparatory Conference:
http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/ifsw_73256-6.pdf
Links to Archives sites
•
1948 Letter to the American Red Cross informing about the status of
interest in joining the Permanent Secretariat by France, Belgium, United
Kingdom, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Hungary, Austria,
Australia, Italy and Luxemburg: http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/ifsw_73913-2.jpg
•
1954: IFSW Toronto meeting: http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/ifsw_74827-2.pdf
•
1960: A Short History of the IFSW M.L. Ginet, President IFSW:
http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/ifsw_15713-3.pdf
Further steps…
• Conserve the remaining papers
• Place the most critical and useful information
online
• Encourage research of material
• Write up the ‘story’ of the archives
• To develop a comprehensive funding plan
• To ensure recording history of IFSW stalwarts
Further steps…
• Consideration of request to hold Social Workers
papers
• To identify people in photographs
• Celebrate our achievements