Revitalizing radical social work in 21st
century: practical opportunities for
social change
Ana Miljenović, prof. Nino Žganec
Study Centre for Social Work,
Faculty of Law, Zagreb, Croatia
Radical ideas in social work
•
•
•
•
Existing since beginnings of social work
Further conceptualization in 70’s
Ideology, not reality of social work?
Revitalizing now days as a part of critical
paradigm
concerning
global
and
multidimensional inequalities
• How can social work promote, enhance
and be involved in social change?
Practical opportunities for social work to
be involved in social change
1.
• Demonstrative
activities
2.
• Cooperative
activities
3.
• Formative
activities
4
• Transformative
activities
1.
Demonstrative activities
Aim: to raise public conscious on:
- issue: its’ range, resource distribution,
structural factors that influence
- and action: promoting that change is
possible, people have capacity and
responsibility to act
˝public˝ includes politicians, experts, media,
various stakeholders, population in general…
Demonstrative activities (II)
•e.g. Festival for equal opportunities:
•Organised every year by alliance of NGO’s for
people with
disability
•In centre of
Croatia capital city
promote various
aspects of their
creative life and
rights
Cooperative activities
AIM: Finding partners,
exchanging resources and creating pressure
- Widening and strengthening social partnership at all
levels
- Partners can be found among co-workers, social
work clients, other professionals, media
representatives, public agencies, scientist…
- Various forms of collaboration: networks, alliances,
coalitions, pressure groups
- E.g. NGO’s in Croatia interested in gender issues
built alliance and made significant public pressure
Formative activities
AIM: have impact on social work
students to profile themselves as social
activists
• transfer of specific knowledge and
experiences about radical approach to social
work students.
• Stronger binding of social work education
with the „real life“ of social work clients as
an alternative to prevailing evidence based
epistemology in social sciences
Transformative activities
• Direct impact on
a) Available resources and services
b) Changing legislative frameworkSocial workers have to be familiar with national
and international legislative processes as well
as possibilities to be actively involved
- The most challenging activity?
e.g. In Croatia, engagement of NGO’s for people
with disability’ rights contributed to entering
and ombudsman for people with disability
institute
Conclusion
• Social change is complex assignment of
social work
• Its complexity can influence on resistance of
social worker to get involved
• Thus, proposed set of activities can be useful
guide
• Social work has capacity to be initiating and
coordinating force and develop sustainable
platform for further social activism
For further discussion:
1. Do you find radical paradigm relevant
in today’s social work?
2. What are the real
aims/possibilities/barriers for social
workers in implementing radical ideas
in their everyday practice?
3. Are there concrete examples of radical
practice in your practical settings?
Thank you for your attention