Teaching Social Work and Social work Education in time of Crisis

In times of deep economic, ecological and social crisis such as the one Europe is currently experiencing it could seem that the promotion of social and economic equalities and the dignity and worth of peoples hopelessly clash against the reality of a lack of resources resulting from austerity and neoliberal policies.

• How should social work education promote social change, social development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people even in hard times?
• What should the role of social work educators be in the development of critical consciousness through reflecting on structural sources of oppression and privilege?
• What should we teach students to be better prepared as social workers in times of crisis?
• What methods, approaches and theories are developing in Europe in the education and research of social work in order to reflect upon environmental issues and social work’s own role as a part of the nature-exploiting industrial model of modern society?