An emerging global consciousness and rising attention given to international social work development has seen the recognition of comparative research within the profession. Understanding the functioning and organisation of social work within various country contexts is critical in order to formulate knowledge around its overall impact, successes and challenges, allowing social workers to learn from one another and build professional consolidation. The profession is mapped out in 10 countries, reflecting on its structure, identity and development. Although the profession is developing globally, it is also experiencing significant challenges. Key insights, conclusions and recommendations for future research are presented.

No abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a violation of human rights and one form of discrimination compounded by other discrimination factors as migration. The risk of violence can increase among immigrant women because of the legal and economic situation and the barriers they encounter to accessing information and support services. This qualitative study explores in-depth the perspective of experienced social workers about challenges faced by immigrant women suffering from IPV in Spain. This study may help professional social workers, others professionals, and public policy makers to design effective strategies for meeting the demands and needs of this population.

A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This paper stems from a Marie Curie EU-FP7-International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES) [295203], concerning ten EU and non-EU countries, which sought to examine the role of social work and its engagement with civil society in supporting vulnerable members of the community. The project is being undertaken under the auspices of an EU Framework 7Marie Curie, IRSES; project no: 318938; project acronym: NL_CIVIL. ABSTRACTIn Portugal, Spain and South Africa, there has been a noted anti-neoliberal resistance, marked by the significant participation of the older generation in protest movements. Changing demographics, the global financial crisis, unemployment, poverty, and the reliance of the family nucleus on the pensioner, coupled with neoliberal and austerity-based reductions to welfare programmes, pensions, health, and social care, has caused the "silver revolution". As a population group that is often considered to be less politically active and robust members of society, such resistance is a noteworthy moment in society that needs to be considered and responded to.

No abstract