Crossing borders: key features of migrant social workers in New Zealand

Abstract

The emergence of a mobile, professional social work workforce, successfully managing the demands of service-users, policy makers and the public at large in different countries across the globe, provides unprecedented opportunities for professional border-crossing. It is timely to generate New Zealand-specific data on professionals employed in the social services workforce in New Zealand so as to inform educational and institutional responses to this complex phenomenon. A study that seeks to develop a profile of migrant social workers in New Zealand and key issues experienced by these professionals, is underway. This article reports on the first phase of the project, comprising an examination of the key features of registered social workers in New Zealand with an overseas social work qualification and a review of issues and challenges faced by migrant professionals more generally, and by migrant social workers in particular.

The Challenges Experienced by Zimbabwean Social Workers Practising in Gauteng Townships

“…The fact that unemployment is high in South Africa might also impact on skilled foreigners' work experience (Kalitanyi & Visser, 2010;Mamabolo, 2015;Di Paola, 2012). The findings in this study support those of a previous study in New Zealand by Bartley et al (2011), which shows that workplace discrimination, exclusion and the economic exploitation of immigrants is a worldwide phenomenon that is not peculiar to South Africa. The violation of rights of skilled professionals outside their countries of origin is a negative phenomenon worldwide despite the contributions that they might be making to the economy of the country of resettlement.…”

“…Studies in South Africa have focused on the experiences of unskilled migrants and the challenges that they face (Crush & William, 2003;Everett, 2011;Neocosmos, 2010). However, studies on skilled migrants by Bartley et al (2011), Evans et al (2006) and Castles and Miller (2003) indicate that migrants make positive contributions to the economies of countries of resettlement, yet this rarely gets recognition and their contributions are mostly perceived negatively.…”

Reviewing the benefits and challenges of overseas practice: Reflections upon coming home

“…A social worker mobility research team based at the University of Auckland has conducted prior mixed methods studies of the overseas qualified workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand (Bartley, Beddoe, Fouch é, & Harington, 2012), experiences of migrant social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand (Bartley & Beddoe, 2018;Bartley et al, 2011;Fouché, Beddoe, Bartley, & de Haan, 2013; Fouch é, Bartley, Beddoe, & Brenton, 2013;Fouché, Beddoe, Bartley, & Parkes, 2015) and a small qualitative study of Aotearoa New Zealand social workers currently practising in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland (Beddoe & Fouché, 2014). Findings of the previous research have concluded that practising social work in a new context creates challenges and opportunities.…”

“…Findings of the previous research have concluded that practising social work in a new context creates challenges and opportunities. Given the breadth of approaches and models of employment in social work across the globe and its accordingly distinctive shape in specific national settings, many elements of professional practice -for example supervision, pre-and post-qualifying education -are likely to be very different across these diverse contexts (Bartley et al, 2011;Beddoe et al, 2011).…”

Opportunities and challenges of a global profession: an international perspective

“…into the motivations and experiences of internationally recruited doctors, teachers and nurses (and 2 others in allied health and care professions), as well as social workers (Lyons and Littlechild, 2006;Walsh et al, 2010;Bartley et al, 2011). Indications from some of this literature are that transnational social workers may share similarities, in both motivation and experiences, with these other occupational groups (for example, Winkleman Gleed, 2006;Williams and Balaz, 2008;Guo and Singh, 2009).…”