El trabajo social en Europa

Abstract Social Work in Europe This chapter will explore social work in Europe under different angles. The origin of social work in Europe will be presented, describing how this activity grew progressively from the beginning of Twentieth-century in many different countries, reflecting specific cultural and contextual dimensions. Some social work pioneers will be mentioned in relation to the professionalisation of this activity. Specific attention will be given to the fluidity of the boundaries of Europe in different historical periods and the definition of what is meant for Europe will be problematized , discussing which countries are included nowadays, with reference to the Council of Europe and the European Union. The state of the art in social work education will be analysed in relation to the implication of local historical backgrounds, social policy trends, pedagogical and disciplinary relationships and European policy development for the way in which training in social work has been established in different countries. The influence of the so called Bologna process, which started with the Bologna Declaration signed by 29 Ministers of Education of different European countries in 1999, and aimed to create the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) for the evolution of social work education,in terms of structure, curricula and pedagogical issues, will be presented. The effects produced by the requests to harmonise the higher education in Europe will be highlighted in relation to the focus on competences on one side and to the lights and shadows of the academisation process on the other side, underlining strengths and weaknesses. The development of the Bachelors and Master courses in Europe, and how the international and european dimension of social work are integrated in the curricula will be examined, exploring the way n which social work education is preparing students to respond to the challenges that social workers are facing in the current situation. Also, an analysis of the active use of the Erasmus exchange programmes with the impact on students and teachers, but also with some difficulties that are still present in improving these activities will be discussed. A consideration of the PhD development in Europe and the relation with social work research activities will be pointed out. A short analysis of the different welfare state regimes that have been present in Europe, with reference to the categorisation of the most relevant scholars, will be offered and the process of withdrawal of the states of their responsibilities will be discussed. New challenges are being faced in Europe such as ageing, migration, and family changes among others. These will be examined taking into consideration the increasing trans-national dimensions. In this context, characterized by the effects of globalization and the neo liberal politics, and with the presence of new actors in the social scene, we will explore how the social workers role is challenged, and how to prepare professionals to be able to take an active role in the process of restructuring the national welfare systems, and to tackle the increasing power of the neoliberistic policy and public management requirements, Finally a discussion about the possibility of defining “european social work” will be presented.