Grand Challenges for Social Work and Society

Grand Challenges for Social Work and Society
Author: Richard P. Barth
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 513
Release: 2022
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0197608043

"Grand challenges" represent a focused method of attacking the most deeply significant problems of a discipline, organization, or society itself. Since the concept was first introduced over a century ago, more than 600 governments, foundations, and professions subsequently adopted this language and approach, often to excellent effect. In 2012, the social work profession launched its own national initiative, with aim of using science, innovation, and new forms of collaboration to accelerate progress toward critically needed social solutions. There was also strong corollary interest in changing the profession itself, introducing new forms of practice and problem-solving. The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare served as the first home of the Grand Challenges initiative in social work; in 2017, as the initiative grew more complex, it became an independent organization"--

Smart Decarceration

Smart Decarceration
Author: Matthew Epperson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2017
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0190653094

Smart Decarceration is a forward-thinking, practical volume that provides concrete strategies for an era of decarceration. This timely work consists of chapters written from multiple perspectives and disciplines including scholars, practitioners, and persons with incarceration histories. The text grapples with tough questions and builds a foundation for the decarceration field.

Global Climate Change, Population Displacement, and Public Health

Global Climate Change, Population Displacement, and Public Health
Author: Lawrence A. Palinkas
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 239
Release: 2020-05-07
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3030418901

This timely text examines the causes and consequences of population displacement related to climate change in the recent past, the present, and the near future. First and foremost, this book includes an examination of patterns of population displacement that have occurred or are currently underway. Second, the book introduces a three-tier framework for both understanding and responding to the public health impacts of climate-related population displacement. It illustrates the interrelations between impacts on the larger physical and social environment that precipitates and results from population displacement and the social and health impacts of climate-related migration. Third, the book contains first-hand accounts of climate-related population displacement and its consequences, in addition to reviews of demographic data and reviews of existing literature on the subject. Topics explored among the chapters include: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans Hurricane Maria and Puerto Rico The California Wildfires Fleeing Drought: The Great Migration to Europe Fleeing Flooding: Asia and the Pacific Fleeing Coastal Erosion: Kivalina and Isle de Jean Charles Although the book is largely written from the perspective of a researcher, it reflects the perspectives of practitioners and policymakers on the need for developing policies, programs, and interventions to address the growing numbers of individuals, families, and communities that have been displaced as a result of short- and long-term environmental disasters. Global Climate Change, Population Displacement, and Public Health is a vital resource for an international audience of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers representing a variety of disciplines, including public health, public policy, social work, urban development, climate and environmental science, engineering, and medicine.

The Sustainability Grand Challenge

The Sustainability Grand Challenge
Author: Michael Gibbert
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 174
Release: 2020-11-26
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0429516274

How do universities tackle wicked sustainability challenges faced by society? The Wicked Learning Workbook is a toolkit for setting up and running an interdisciplinary master-level course in the context of real-world problems such as food waste and loss. The book offers a new pedagogical approach that we call 'wicked' because it is unorthodox, ambitious, and tackles complex problems that won’t go away. The pedagogy is also international at the course level rather than the conventional exchange semester, enabling institutions to embed international approaches to their core teaching. The Wicked Learning Workbook speaks directly to academics who are looking for solutions that provide stimuli for research and teaching while giving students an innovative, international learning experience. The approach develops student understanding of the UN Sustainable Development Goals as broad-scale societal issues which are difficult, if not impossible, to ‘solve’. An important outcome of this approach is the laboratory-style classroom that creates opportunities for faculty, students and companies to co-create solutions that are immediately implementable. The resulting methodology is based on industry–university collaboration (such as IKEA and Nestlé). The methodology is of interest to corporate leaders pursuing sustainability goals and business transformation. Achieving sustainability requires cross-boundary, cross-disciplinary, experimental approaches that allow for scalability. Wicked problems can only be tackled with wicked solution approaches.

Shaping a Science of Social Work

Shaping a Science of Social Work
Author: John S. Brekke
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2019-01-09
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 019088066X

Shaping a Science of Social Work provides a basic framework for a social work science within the context of academic disciplinarity and professional identity. Drawn from discussions at the annual IslandWood retreats for social work scholars, this book centers on a realist/critical-realist perspective by outlining the basic constructs, domains, and characteristics of a science that will inform the way social work is studied and practiced for years to come. Chapters written by leaders of the field offer detailed and rigorous analyses of essential issues such as values and value-based assumptions, philosophy of mind, importance of theory, challenges of rigor and relevance in social work science, and implications for the future of the profession. The book serves as an invaluable resource for academics and organizational leaders in social work practice and education.

Social Work Education, Research and Practice

Social Work Education, Research and Practice
Author: Ilango Ponnuswami
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 302
Release: 2021-01-13
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9811597979

This book addresses a range of key issues concerning social work education, research and practice in India and Australia from a cross-cultural perspective. The respective chapters focus on specific areas of social work regarding e.g. the status and recognition of the profession, regulatory mechanisms, roles and functions of social workers in different settings, and issues and challenges faced by the social work community. The book shares valuable perspectives to help understand the culturally sensitive practice of social work in various socio-cultural, economic and political contexts in both countries. Given the scope of its coverage, the book is of interest to scholars, students and professionals working in the areas of social work, social development and social policy practice.

Social Work Education and the Grand Challenges

Social Work Education and the Grand Challenges
Author: R. Paul Maiden
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 318
Release: 2023-04-04
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000861813

The Grand Challenges for Social Work (GCSW) provides an agenda for society, and for the social work profession. The 13 GCSW have been codified by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and are emerging as a significant underpinning in the education of undergraduate and graduate social work students throughout the USA. This volume serves as a guide as to how this can best be achieved in alignment with the 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) from the Council of Social Work Education. Divided into four parts: Individual and Family Well-Being Stronger Social Fabric A Just Society The Grand Challenges in the Field Each chapter introduces a Grand Challenge, situates it within the curricula, and provides teaching practices in one of the targeted domains as well as learning objectives, class exercises, and discussions. By showing how to facilitate class discussion, manage difficult conversations, and address diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of teaching the topic, this book will be of interest to all faculty teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels. It should be noted that there are additional supplementary chapters beyond the 13 GCSW that provide further context for the reader.

Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century

Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 125
Release: 2019-03-08
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309476550

Environmental engineers support the well-being of people and the planet in areas where the two intersect. Over the decades the field has improved countless lives through innovative systems for delivering water, treating waste, and preventing and remediating pollution in air, water, and soil. These achievements are a testament to the multidisciplinary, pragmatic, systems-oriented approach that characterizes environmental engineering. Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century: Addressing Grand Challenges outlines the crucial role for environmental engineers in this period of dramatic growth and change. The report identifies five pressing challenges of the 21st century that environmental engineers are uniquely poised to help advance: sustainably supply food, water, and energy; curb climate change and adapt to its impacts; design a future without pollution and waste; create efficient, healthy, resilient cities; and foster informed decisions and actions.

Political Social Work

Political Social Work
Author: Shannon R. Lane
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 512
Release: 2017-12-16
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3319685880

This social work book is the first of its kind, describing practical steps that social workers can take to shape and influence both policy and politics. It prepares social workers and social work students to impact political action and subsequent policy, with a detailed real-world framework for turning ideas into concrete goals and strategies for effecting change. Tracing the roots of social work in response to systemic social inequality, it clearly relates the tenets of social work to the challenges and opportunities of modern social change. The book identifies the core domains of political social work, including engaging individuals and communities in voting, influencing policy agendas, and seeking and holding elected office. Chapters elaborate on the necessary skills for political social work, featuring discussion, examples, and critical thinking exercises in such vital areas as: Power, empowerment, and conflict: engaging effectively with power in political settings. Getting on the agenda: assessing the political context and developing political strategy. Planning the political intervention: advocacy and electoral campaigns. Empowering voters Persuasive political communication. Budgeting and allocating resources. Evaluating political social work efforts. Making ethical decisions in political social work. Political Social Work is a potent reference for social work professionals, practitioners, and students seeking core political knowledge and skills to practically advance their work. For specialists and generalists alike, it solidifies political action as vital for the evolution of the field.

Grand Challenges for Engineering

Grand Challenges for Engineering
Author: National Academy of Engineering
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 43
Release: 2016-05-22
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309438969

Engineering has long gravitated toward great human ambitions: navigation of the oceans, travel to the moon and back, Earth exploration, national security, industrial and agricultural revolutions, communications, and transportation. Some ambitions have been realized, some remain unfulfilled, and some are yet to be determined. In 2008 a committee of distinguished engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and visionaries set out to identify the most important, tractable engineering system challenges that must be met in this century for human life as we know it to continue on this planet. For the forum at the National Academy of Engineering's 2015 annual meeting, 7 of the 18 committee members who formulated the Grand Challenges for Engineering in 2008 reflected on what has happened in the seven year since. Grand Challenges for Engineering: Imperatives, Prospects, and Priorities summarizes the discussions and presentations from this forum.