33rd World Congress of Social Work Schools:

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1 Asociación Internacional de Escuelas de Trabajo Social Association Internationale des Ecoles de Travail Social International Association of Schools of Social Work 33rd World Congress of Social Work Schools: Evaluation of the Organizing Committee The activities began in the Extension Center of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and finished also in an adequate form, having the presence in the Congress opening of the President of the Republic, Mrs. Michelle Bachelet. IASSW President Abye Tasse, Malvina Ponce de Leon, and President Michelle Bachelet at the opening. First of all, we are grateful to the world organizing committee for choosing Chile as the Congress see, a fact that has meant for us trust and recognition for the Chilean organization and the development of Social Work in our country. The organization of the task undertaken was not easy, and even some other unexpected facts such as the fire that destroyed the center for the event represented an important loss for us. However, the interest in showing that the conditions in our country were ready to make this congress result in an effective space for academic discussion was stronger. We are convinced that this was a great opportunity for Latin America, which had been excluded from the last congresses due to financial reasons.this exclusion meant difficulties to establish academic contact with countries in other continents, difficulties to access academic discussions or possibility for enrichment and impact in professional formation.this Congress has opened such possibilities; it has integrated an absent continent in the world organization and has generated interest to remain linked to academic discussions. The 755 papers, which correspond to the workshop total, come from 61 countries. It is worth highlighting the massive presence of some countries unknown in other world congressessuch as Brazil, with 323 papers. Other Latin American countries have relevant numbers, such as Argentina (53), Mexico (23), Colombia (21), Puerto Rico (17) and Venezuela (12). From other continents, important numbers from United States with 73 papers, United Kingdom (38), Canada (24), Australia (22), Spain (20), South Africa (18), Israel (11), Japan 8, New Zealand (5), Norway (4). We ve gone Electronic Welcome to the first edition of the all new electronic IASSW Newsletter. We hope that you enjoy it and use the opportunities of this format to share it with your colleagues, and members of school /faculty. In this format we hope the Newsletter can reach more people, more quickly, and more accurately. Just click and send. If you have any problems receiving the Newsletter, please contact me at the address below. Those who do not have electronic access can continue to receive hard copies by contacting Adamnesh Atnafu at the office of the President in Ethiopia, address below. Our aim is to offer members; a quality Newsletter, reporting key issues in the As the chart shows, relevant participation from South and Central America, who had the possibility of participating in the Congress, which had not happened in previous events due to costs. Amount of papers per continent We especially thank the participation of professors from countries very far from Chile (Finland, Denmark, India, Kenya, Korea, Japan, Lesotho, Lithuania, Malta, Nepal and Taiwan, among others), as well as the huge effort of those who came from countries with serious social conflict situations (Bangladesh, Iran, Israel, Palestine). Continents No. of papers Continents No. of papers North America 97 Central America 31 South America 511 Europe 89 Asia 17 Africa 19 Oceania 28 Total 755 Opening and Closure The opening was held at the Extension Center of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and had more than a thousand participants. The act began with a speech of the President of the Republic of Chile,Mrs. Michelle Bachelet.The National Hymn was sung by 30 children of the Rodelillo Foundation, which attends to families in social risk. It ended with a complimentary wine served in the Plaza of the Event Center. Our best wishes go to our colleagues in South Africa as they prepare for their Conference in 2008,we look forward to seeing you there. Professor Malvina Ponce de Leon - President of Organizing Committee association, in 3 languages. We believe the format will allow us to achieve these aims. As ever we would love to hear from you and include your thoughts, articles, news in future editions, just contact me at the address below. Ralph Firth (Editor): ralphfirth@aol.com Office of President : adamne6@yahoo.com

2 IASSW Members: Reflecting the Global Standards for the Education and Training of the Social Work Profession Angeline Barretta-Herman, PhDChair, IASSW World Census Committee University of St. Thomas St. Paul, MN USA This survey of IA membership builds upon the work of the 2000 census (Garber, 2000; Barretta-Herman, 2005) and on the Global Standards for Social Work Education and Training adopted by IASSW and the International Federation of Social Workers (Sewpaul, 2004). This analysis asked if the member schools reflect the principles delineated in the 2004 Global Standards. The 35-item questionnaire (translated from English into Spanish, French, and Japanese) was initially distributed by in 2005 and subsequently in hard copy. The 147 responses from 28 countries represent a 36% response rate based on the 410 schools and programs listed as IA members in Because only one response was received from the Latin American Region, this region is not included when analysis of the data is by region. This sample of member schools is decisively more established then the schools in the 2000 World Census. Over 33% of the 127 schools that responded to this question were started prior to 1970 compared with only 14% in the 2000 World Census. The upsurge in programs since 1980s is evident particularly in the Asian Region where 22 of the 42 schools were established since As in the 2000 Census, the majority of these respondents identified their affiliation as public institutions (60%). Nearly a third of the member schools indicated they are part of a university campus, demonstrating a level of support and recognition from the state of social work s academic and professional standing. The data from these member schools provides evidence of approach or achievement in six of the nine Global Standards. Almost 75% of all member schools reported having mission statement (Standard 1) and an equal number provide orientation for fieldwork instructors (Standard 3.8). As illustrated in the attached chart, the schools offer required courses in human behavior and development, history of social work, theory and methods of social work, and ethics (Standard 4). Although 40% of the schools report 10 or fewer staff/faculty, a majority is degreed in social work (Standard 5) and has previous social work practice experience. However, only a third report their staff/faculty to be regularly engaged in social work practice, consulting or research (See attached table). All schools report articulation of admission criteria (Standard 6), and confirm their school administrators have a high level of responsibility in ten of eleven administrative functions (Standard 7). The data confirms that the number of doctorate graduates is not keeping pace with the exponential growth in social work programs. Although nearly 40% of respondents indicated they offered doctoral programs, they reported only 128 graduates during the academic year ending in This, coupled with the age cohort of current professional staff/teaching faculty, is a serious concern for the educational establishment. Over 50% of staff/faculty are over 45 with 11% over 60. With retirement age between 62 & 65, this means that 1 of every 2 professors currently in our schools could leave in the next 20 years and at least 1 in 10 in the next 2-5 years. Either schools will have to shrink their student enrollment or professionals from related disciplines, if available, will have to be hired. Further analysis of the data will generate implications for the structure and staffing of social work programs, required curriculum trends and elective course development, and evidence of international activity among member schools. Election Results Congratulations to Gavin Rennie, on his election to the role of Treasurer, and to Shirley Cox as a Board member and Tatsuru Akimoto as a Member at Large.We thank them for their work and commitment to the association and wish them well in their new roles. Our thanks and appreciation also to those who stood and were not elected. The health of any association is dependent upon the willingness of members to put themselves forward for such roles and we are indeed lucky to have their involvement and support. 2

3 3 IASSWAIETS Newsletter Professor Sven Hessle, University of Stockholm, received the Katherine Kendall Award. Professor Sven Hessle received the Katherine Kendall 2006 award at the IASSW Congress in Santiago, Chile in August. He received it for his extraordinary contribution to the development of social work education internationally. Katherine Kendall Award is the only existing international prize for social work educators. It was introduced in 1992 to honour the IASSW Honorary President, Dr. Katherine A. Kendall, who served as a voluntary secretary from 1954 to 1971, and Secretary-General of IASSW from 1971 to Sven Hessle was especially rewarded for his contribution in social work education in Ex- Jugoslavia, China and Africa. He became early engaged in the development of global standards for social work education and in 1991 edited International Standard Setting of Higher Social Work Education. He was a member of the joint IASSW/IFSW committee on the development of Global standards for Social Work Education, that was accepted by both General Assemblies at the joint conference in Adelaide Gurid Askeland Helle Strauss Diakonhjemmet University College Copenhagen College of Social Work, Copenhagen Oslo Board member of IASSW Chair of Nordic Committee of Schools of Social Work Member of the Executive Board member of IASSW Committee of IASSW Chair of IASSW Project Funding Committee In accepting the award Sven Hessle quoted Zygmund Bauman, Social Workers are the frontline soldiers of solidarity. He shared examples of the role that Social Work involvement plays in international development, and in creating a life of dignity for the people of the recipient countries. This work, he said, showed that Social Work can be seen as an agency for peace, vital in reconstructing civil society after conflict. Project Committee-Update Helle Strauss, chair of committee The following projects were approved in August Best Practices for community Preparedness for Indonesian Street Children in Times of Disaster: A curriculum and Manual Development Project. ( Contact William S. Rowe, University of South Florida) Studying a Community Focused model of disease Prevention in Brazil: The role of Social Workers in the National Program for Family Health ( Contact Rogério M. Pinto, Columbia University School of Social Work, New York) Modelling Developmental Social Work Education in SADC ( Contact Tessa Hochfeld, University of Johannesburg) Global Group Work. Ross- National and Cross Cultural Examination and e nhancement of Professional Education for Social Work with Groups We have received two proposals for this round: Developing Curriculum for Community Practice with Socially Disadvantaged Migrant and Immigrant Populations Different models of Social Assessment for Families and Children among Countries These projects have been circulated for evaluation among committee members. In September 2006 we announced the next round for proposals on the website and the information was also sent to all IASSW contact persons. A reminder was sent out in December We have taken action to have announcements in the four iassw languages plus Chinese. Unfortunately the translation into Japanese is not yet on the website, hopefully these translations will improve the number of proposals by the next round. We received a very interesting final report from the project on: Innovations on Schools of Social Work (Contact Julie Cwikel, Israel) A summery of this report has been sent to the IASSW journal and it is also sent for publication on the website. We have also received a final report in October 2006 on Disseminating Research Based Knowledge through Network Development and a Data Base from Mariusz Granosik, Poland). In October we received an interim report of a project: Development of a Module on Disaster Management for Social Works of which Ralph Firth, UK is contact person. Helle Strauss

4 The first regional meeting of the Network of the school of social work from south east Europe : Ethnicity and Education in Social Work conference The conference was organized by and held at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana (December 2-4, 2006). It intended to establish and promote the network of schools of social work of south east Europe in order to give a framework for long-term cooperation and mutual exchange of ideas, research and best practice in the region. The conference was focused on the antiracist and intercultural perspectives in social work and has challenged the fact that in former communist countries the category of ethnicity was subsumed under the only socially and analytically acceptable category, which was class. Therefore, ethnically sensitive social work has not been developed. The generic universalism and political censorship prevented to develop curricula which would include theories and methods of social work recognizing multiethnic societies and particular needs of individuals and groups. At the conference teachers and researchers of the schools of social work from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Czech Republic, Austria, Macedonia, Slovenia, Germany, USA and UK critically examined issues pertaining to ethnically sensitive social work education and research in South East Europe. Concepts such as ethnicity, borders, gender, race, culture, and citizenship had been discussed. Ethnicity was examined within the contexts of gender, age, and disability.the approach also brought discussions of power, domination, anti-racist values, and similar topics, which have yet to be fully integrated into social work research and curricula in international social work.the link between ethnicity and welfare systems was also addressed, as well as racism's role in current policies. Examples of good practice and plans for further cooperation had been shared. Beside ethnicity the gender and historical perspective was discussed as an indispensable issue in all academic and practical social work settings. Special guests of the conference were the president of the EASSW Christine Labonte Roset and former president of the IASSW Lena Dominelli. Their contribution gave the conference a global dimension and a strong analytical-reflexive approach. Julia M. Watkins from the IASSW and the US Council on Social Work Education supported the network with her expertise and previous experiences from the region. The participants of the conference agreed to further development of the regional network activities such as: to exchange good practice examples in social work on the regional level in order to strengthen the regionalisation, Europeanization and internationalisation of social work knowledge, practice and social work as a critical profession; to develop a comparative research project that focus at social work universalism and its cultural specificities; to develop a comparative research work on the history of social work education in east Europe before the communist takeover and during the communist leadership; to develop a critical curricula which include ethnicity and intercultural practice as the core body of knowledge of the schools of social work in eastern Europe; to support the development of new schools of social work in the region, one of them in Kosovo. Besides searching for best practice examples in the field of minorities internationalism and networking are today important also as a strategy for fighting against the neo-liberal welfare regimes, the de-montage of state welfare services in eastern Europe as well as globally, desecularization of nation states, neo-liberalization of universities, and the masculinization of social work in some east European countries. The book of conference papers will be published in spring The Conference was supported by Austrian Science Foundation and International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) and directed by Darja Zavirsek, European representative in the board of directors of the IASSW. More about the project see: Prof. Darja Zavisrek 4

5 Transcending Global Local Divides SOUTH AFRICA th Biannual Congress of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) Transcending Global-Local Divides Challenges for Social Work Education and Practice July 2008 International Convention Centre, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, SOUTH AFRICA CALL FOR PAPERS/REGISTRATION Welcome Address by Chair of Local Organising Committee We invite you to join us in celebrating the 80th anniversary of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW). The Association of South African Social Work Education Institutions (ASASWI) is hosting the 34th Global Social Work Congress at the International Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa from July 2008 when IASSW turns 80. South Africa promises to be an exciting congress destination a social laboratory with untold opportunities for education, reflection, research, networking and broadening one s horizons. Experience the pulsating life of freedom made possible by our global example of transition from apartheid to a peaceful democracy. Home to our World Icon, Nelson Mandela, prisoner turned President, who is the very embodiment of all that social work stands for on a global level peace, reconciliation, non-racism, human rights and social justice. Affordable South Africa offers sights to woo the senses fabulous fast Books cities, exotic wildlife and nightlife, blue-green seas and a cosmopolitan world of cultural and ethnic diversities with vibrant colour, dress, rhythm and cuisine for all tastes. Yet, it is a land of paradoxes in the unenviable position of having about the highest rate of inequality in the world with high rates of poverty, unemployment and HIV/AIDS. The hope and despair born out of such paradoxes provide fertile ground for innovation in social work education, research and practice. We ask you to join us in celebrating our hope and our achievements and to engage with us in addressing the enormous challenges both in South Africa and across the globe. Join us at the ICC, a safe, secure and world class Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa from July 2008 as we attempt to transcend global-local divides and address the challenges that this poses for social work education and practice. Vishanthie Sewpaul, School of Social Work and Community Development, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban. IASSW Publication: Editor s Report Global standards, Ethics, International Definition of Social Work documents The fruition of several years of detailed and hard work by members of both by IASSW, and IFSW, came about in 2006 with the publication of these documents. IASSW undertook to translate the Global cat standards into Spanish and French. Professor Karen Lyons, and Sue Williams from London Metropolitan University, delivered a book, Social work in Europe: Education for Change, to Venture Press which was published in This has been advertised in flyers, and also via the address list of IASSW. Also in the Venture Press IASSW series, Idit Weiss of Bob Schappell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University, and Penelope Welbourne, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of Plymouth, now have all of their chapters, and plan to deliver this to us : The book is entitled Social Work as a Profession- A comparative Cross-national perspective. Iain Ferguson, Michael Lavalette and Darja Zavir have a contract for a book, Towards a Social Work of Resistance: International Social Work and the radical tradition, the final proofs of which have just been delivered. In addition, Vishanthie Sewpaul will be proposing a book on historical ideas in social work, with the provisional title "Our pastour present: the influence of history on contemporary Social Work Education", which would be ready for the 2008 conference. 5 Brian Littlechild and Gavin Rennie in Barbados. This is a very encouraging boost to the series. In addition, with the agreement of the Board, I am proposing that myself and Professor Karen Lyons, Visiting Professor at the University of Hertfordshire, co-edit this series and also act as commissioning editors. We are inviting further proposals for the series in the coming year via the website. I have now developed criteria for proposals in conjunction with Venture Press, and guidelines for submission, which will also be placed on the Website. Brian Littlechild, Publication Editor, IASSW

6 NEWS FROM THE REGIONS EASSW Report In September 2006 we had our Executive Committee meeting in Hungary connected with a very successful Regional Seminar for the Hungarian Schools of social work, on which I reported on the global standards of social work education. In the beginning of November the members of ENQASP European Network for Quality Assurance in Social Professions EASSW, FESET, FICE, AIEJI met in Copenhagen in order to decide about awarding the European quality label on the social work education program of the university of Iceland on the basis of a self report and 2 reports of experts, who visited the university and to plan the next ENQASP activities. We connected this meeting with a meeting of representatives of the already named ENQASP member organisations plus representatives of IFSW and ICSW. At this meeting the 6 associations founded on the basis of an already approved paper of common understanding the roof organisation ENSACT European Social Action Network. ENSACT shall strengthen the voices of our associations on the European level and give us more common power in policy making processes, organize joint conferences and expert meetings, publish common statements and papers and provide our associations with more reciprocal informations (see the attached website). We think this is a big step to gain more importance and to make our associations more visible in the European policy process.we will have regular meetings, prepare common statements on social and higher education policy and doing common consultations at the Council of Europe, the European Union and the European Parliament. In March 2007 EASSW, FESET, IFSW-Europe and the Italian associations of social workers and social work lecturers will have our European joint conference in Parma, Italy. For the next conference in 2009 also FICE, AIEJI and ICSW will join us. Christine Labonté-Roset Report from the African Region The Association of Schools of Social Work in Africa is still moving on notwithstanding several challenges here and there. Some of the challenges we have experienced since our launch in April 2005 include: efficient and cost-effective tool for the distribution of academic articles and other relevant documents even though we are aware of the difficulties experienced previously by some of our members in accessing reliable communication. The issue of language has not been adequately dealt with as we currently rely on volunteers to help with English-French translations so that our requests have to be limited to absolutely essential communications. Unreliable communication affecting specifically the executive members in the West African region, Difficulties in bridging the language gap between Francophone and Anglophone countries, Establishing comprehensive lists of Schools of Social Work in the regions and Identifying a representative in the Northern Africa region. These difficulties have slowed down our progress in organising the continent, with the Southern and East African regions now considerably better networked and established than others. I am happy to report that the Constitution of ASSWA is now complete and duly adopted by the Association.The president - ASSWA, had during the London meeting specified that a copy of the ASSWA constitution will be presented to the IASSW board sometimes this year. This has been done. The ASSWA executive committee managed to meet on the 7th and 8th May 2006 in Nairobi, Kenya where we deliberated on several issues geared towards strengthening the association. Key in this are the strategies that we can adopt to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of the executive committee, our partnership with the IFSW - African Region, the United Nations and the African Union.To this end, the association has been able to get a representative in each of the said organizations. We have also set up a list server with a view to encouraging debate and dialogue across all ASSWA members and affiliates. The list server will serve as a democratic, 6 The ASSWA partnership with IFSW - African Region has particularly been emphasized. ASSWA will therefore network with IFSW (African Region) and assist where it can on several issues including the planning for the 7th Pan African Conference scheduled for 15th 19th July 2007 in Kampala, Uganda. ASSWA will also strive to ensure that quality training in social work is prioritized and adhered to in the region in order to have social work personnel who are fully trained in line with international standards The Association s major drawback has been inadequate resources for effective execution of its mandate. ASSWA has nonetheless been making efforts to fundraise though we have not yet fully succeeded. The President - Prof. Mwansa, though on sabbatical, has been very instrumental on this. Thank You. Dr. Gidraph Wairire, Acting President, ASSWA

7 Asian and Pacific Association of Schools of Social Work Report to International Association of Schools of Social Work From August 2006 to November 2006/11/25 Prepared by Rajendran Muthu, President and Joseph Kwok, Hon. Secretary 26 November Membership drive: APASWE enjoys a bountiful period in welcoming new members from many schools of social work from New Zealand, and is in active dialogue with a number of interested schools of social work in China and India. The applications for membership from St. Xaviers College, Nepal and Royal Phnom Penh University, Cambodia, University of the Philippines and Thammastart University, Thailand are being actively processed. 2. APASWE Conference in Penang, Malaysia, Aug The Conference under the leadership of the Organizing Committee has made impressive progress in spite of the limited time for organizing and preparation. The APASWE Board will be meeting on 4 January 2007 in Penang in connection with a APASWE Symposium to offer further support to the Conference. Promotion of the Conference to the Region and the world is now being actively pursued. 3. APASWE Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, 6-7 December 2007 Upon the request of the Head of Training in the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs, Dr. Marjuki who is also the President of the Indonesian Association of Social Work Education, APASWE will co-organize the conference with the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs, Indonesian Association of Social work Education and Bandung School of Social Work. The theme of the conference will be on Asian Families. APASWE will recommend key speakers and also a number of coordinators. APASWE considers this as a good opportunity to promote membership in Indonesia. 4. APASWE s collaboration with Japan College of Social Work (JCSW) APASWE is actively pursuing collaborations with Japan College of Social Work, including the following possibilities: 4.1 Joint organization of the International Seminar on Social Welfare and the Pacific, 2007, which has been held for more than 10 years on an annual basis. Usually overseas participants from a range of countries in Asian Pacific are invited to present papers at the College. 4.2 APASWE- JCSW Book Project (in English and Japanese) 5. 15th International Consortium for Social Development (ICSD) Symposium APASWE is pleased to have become a supporting organization for the above symposium which will be jointly organized by ICSD and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong from 16 to 20 July The theme of the Conference is Seeking Harmony and Promoting Social Development in a World of Conflict. 6. APASWE's Book Projects: The APASWE Board is working on two book projects. The first one is already mentioned in point 4.2 above, to be co-edited by Joseph Kwok of APASWE and Uemura of JCSW. The second one will be co-edited by Carolyn Noble. 7. Setting up of a Social Work Department at Royal Phnom Penh University, Cambodia: APASWE Board has been requested to support the above university for the planning of a Department of Social Work. Professor Naroeun Thy, is the key person from the University in liaising with APASWE. 7

8 IASSW United Nations NGO Representatives Report UN IASSW Representatives The current NGO representatives for are Janice Wood Wetzel, Main Representative (former Dean and Professor Emerita of Social Work at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York), M.C. Terry Hokenstad, Jr. (Professor of International Health at Case Western Reserve University School of Social Work in Ohio), Evelina Pangalangan (former Dean and retired Professor of Social Work at the University of the Philippines), Moira Curtain (Columbia University School of Social Work Field Coordinator for International students), and Charles L. Robbins (Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the State University of New York at Stony Brook). Rosa Perla Resnick (Professor Emerita of Social Work at Seton Hall in New Jersey) will continue to represent IASSW on the NGO Education Committee, but will receive her UN ECOSOC pass through her affiliation with the NGO Committee on Human Rights, thus providing a fifth slot for an IASSW representative. IASSW Student Interns Kelly Gigante, second year MSW student at the University of Connecticut serves as the IASSW UN intern for , supervised by Janice. She is currently writing her first article for the IASSW Newsletter. Her Educational Contract calls for three articles. UN Committee Assignments The IASSW representatives continue to be active participants on a number of UN Committees in New York City, all of which have multifaceted working sub-committees. Currently, they include the Committee on Migration (Resnick, Interim Chair), the Committee on Ageing (Resnick, Intergenerational subcommittee); Human Rights (Resnick, Immigrants and Refugees subcommittee Chair); and Education Committees (Resnick); the Commission on the Status of Women (Wetzel); UNICEF (Curtain), Environment (Pangalangan); the Committee on Social Development (to be represented by Lynne Healy in the Spring of 2007), and the NGO Committee on Mental Health (Wetzel, Chair). Rosa has been named Interim Chair of the NGO Committee on Migration which recently received NGO status with CONGO (Committee on Non Governmental Organizations). Janice has been elected to serve on the Nominating Committee to select the CONGO President. She is the only US representative. Selected Program Involvement The International Association of Schools of Social Work co-sponsored a workshop in September of 2006 at the United Nations 59th Annual NGO/Department of Public Information conference on Unfinished Business: Effective Partnerships for Human Security and Sustainable Development.The seminar was titled Model Partnerships for Youth: Education, Business and Technology Projects to further Peace,Wellbeing and Community Action and Resilience. Model programs for youth were presented based on partnerships between educational institutions, corporations and NGOs.The panel included college initiatives with an Alliance for Indigenous Nations in the Amazon supporting lifestyles consistent with UN-defined sustainability; MIT students teaching computer science to high school students in the Middle East; a multimedia project; and peace projects for Moslem and Christian youth in the Philippines. Under the aegis of the World Health Organization and NGO Committee on Mental Health, a major UN program commemorating World Mental Health Day was held in October 2006.The theme was Suicide Prevention. In November, panel presentations addressed International Approaches to Alternative Healing. December 2006 commemorated the UN Disability Convention; the subject was Human Rights and Mental Health, featuring consumers and Mental Disabilites Rights International of Washington DC, that has done so much in exposing abuses and changing policies in contries like Turkey and Romania. Statements and Reports IASSW has written and co-sponsored official statements that were due in 2006 to be presented in 2007 at two major conferences in three languages: the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Social Development.They will be included in reports during the appropriate timeframe. Terry Hokenstad submitted a major report on Older Persons in a Changing Society to the Division for Policy and Development of the Dept of Economic and Social Affairs. Social Work Day at the UN Planning The 24th Annual Social Work Day at the United Nations is being planned jointly by IASSW and IFSW. It will be held on March 23rd, Janice Wetzel and Robin Mama of IFSW co-chair the event. The planning committee also includes other members of the IASSW and IFSW UN teams and interns.the 2007 theme is Women and Development: Best Practices. It was selected based on requests on exit evaluation surveys at the 2006 event. Six hundred people are expected. Janice Wood Wetzel, IASSW Main UN Representative, January 2007 Disaster Planning, Management and Relief: New Responsibilities for Social Work Education. The Katherine A. Kendall Institute for International Social Work Education of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)in conjunction with the IASSW and North American and the Caribbean Schools of Social Work (NACASSW) organised a Seminar on Disaster Planning and the role of Social Work. The Seminar Goals were: To gain a broader understanding of disaster planning, management and response. To raise awareness of the diverse global interests of the Social Work Profession in this topic To define regional action for shared agenda regarding disaster and social work education. To promote the integration of disaster response into social work curriculum. 8 To develop curriculum modules for Social Work Education. The Seminar was opened by Julia Watkins, (picture) and received support from the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados. Summaries of all presentations are available from Kofi Danso, International Programme Co ordinator Katherine A. Kendall Institute. kdanso@cswe.org or the web site,

9 Elections CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Nominations are called for the three vacancies on the IASSW Board of Directors that occur in July They are for: President [currently filled by Abye Tasse (Ethiopia)] Secretary [currently filled by Lynne Healy (USA)] Two members at large [currently filled by Malvina Ponce de León(Chile) & Gurid Aga Askeland (Norway)] The Nominating Committee is seeking nominations for four positions. Elections will be held in accordance with IASSW procedures prior to the General Assembly meeting in Durban, South Africa, Functions of positions, nomination procedures and necessary documents and schedules of the election are as follows: Functions The President is the official representative of the Association, and shall (a) preside at meetings of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, (b) act as head of the Association in the direction of its business and in the enforcement of the By-Laws, (c) sign and execute in the name of the Association necessary contracts and other instruments and (d) be responsible for their implementation. The secretary shall have duties related to the official record of the Association s Board Directors, General Assembly, By-Laws, and Letters of Incorporation, and shall (a) have official co-siging authority with the President and the Treasurer for all official documents, (b) be responsible for the conduct of election, and (c) be the Registrar responsible for certifying membership in all of the categories. Members at large are members of the Board representing the global membership. Procedures A proposer and seconder must support the nominee. Only current members of IASSW can nominate or be nominated. Nominations should be sent to Professor Tatsuru Akimoto, Chair: IASSW Nominating Committee, Department of Social Welfare, Faculty of Integrated Arts and Social Sciences, Japan Women s University, 1-1-1, Nishi-ikuta, Tama-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa, JAPAN. Fax: +81(44) , takimoto@fc.jwu.ac.jp Closing date for nomination by members 15 June