Social work is confronted with many complex and urgent societal issues. These challenges are not unique to Flanders and Belgium, they are of importance throughout Europe. We have selected three urgent issues as leading themes to the conference: climate change, migration, and digitalisation.
Our conference programme contains separate tracks for each theme . That means that, should you want to, you can fill your programme with workshops, keynotes and debates on one single theme. Of course, a full overview of our programme by day is also available.
Read more about each theme below.
Climate change
Climate change is a fact. In the past few years, Europe has been confronted by many natural disasters. Forest fires in Greece, floods in Belgium and Germany, storms in Slovenia, and persisting heat waves and drought in Spain and Italy. Climate change and the ecological transition are high on the European political agenda.
By choosing climate change as one of the themes in this conference, we hope to strengthen the support for eco-social work and increase the sense of urgency. We want to show, using specific practices as examples, how social work can understand, adapt and have a positive climate impact.
First and foremost, social work should tackle climate injustice. The most vulnerable people, those who live in the poorest neighbourhoods, are most affected by the consequences of climate change. They don’t have the funds to insulate their houses, they live in flood areas, and they don’t have access to green spaces, … Their voice needs to be heard in the public debate.
Current climate policy often focuses on individuals and consumers. They are motivated to invest in solar panels, heat pumps or electric vehicles. However, not everyone has the means to make these investments. Climate policy makers need to be critical of the inequality that these climate measures create.
Social workers’ proximity to people in vulnerable positions, allows them to shed light on this inequality. Together they can propose solutions to the climate issue that also serve those who are most vulnerable. Social workers can strengthen the social dimension of climate policy.
Furthermore, there are many social work practices that have created answers to the challenges of climate change. Social workers promote re-use of goods, create new forms of mobility, set up collaborations with energy cooperatives, …
Finally, social workers can play an important role in the management of climate disasters. When a disaster occurs, there is an urgent need for practical help and psychological support. However, a disaster also calls for long-term support. Communities need to be rebuilt, people need help in navigating their social and financial rights, and their voice needs to be heard by the government. Social work can play an important role here.
Discover Climate Change in the conference programme. >>
Digitalisation
We live in a digital world. Digitalisation comes with opportunities, but also poses threats. We want to reveal both realities.
For instance, digitalisation has a strong impact on the accessibility of basic services and social rights. A resolute commitment to the digitalisation of services comes with risks. Basic services reduce their front-office, appointments must be made digitally, … Social work can contribute to raising these issues and is an important partner in creating e-inclusion and strengthening the accessibility of basic services.
On the other hand, digitalisation offers opportunities. The life of children and young adults, as well as adults, largely takes place online. Within youth work, social-cultural work, and community work, we see interesting experiments emerging that focus on connection. Social workers can quickly connect to people via social media or messaging apps. Digitalisation requires new skills from social workers, but when used right, digital tools can be powerful.
Moreover, digitalisation and automation can be important levers for the active recognition and automatic allocation of rights. Data is also becoming increasingly important. How does social work look at a data-driven policy? What are the advantages and weaknesses there?
Migration
Refugees from war zones, future climate refugees, migrant workers… Migration is an urgent societal issue. How does migration affect our society? How can social work deal with polarisation, increase social cohesion, and help newcomers to access their social and human rights? Which good practices from Flanders, Belgium and Europe can inspire us?
Social work not only works with newcomers, it also works with and for travelling groups. How can European social workers cooperate when it comes to working with groups, such as Roma, in precarious situations?
Another aspect of social work and migration are the many social work practices created by culturally diverse groups. Founded through mutual solidarity, these practices act as a supplement to and fill the gaps of formal social work.
Migration also calls for self-reflection. How do social work organisations and schools adapt to increasingly diverse employees, students, and clients? How can they work in a more culturally sensitive way?
Finally, we want to focus on the connecting role of social work. How do social workers deal with polarisation and controversial global issues? How do they bring together people with differing opinions? How do they help migrants find their footing in their new local communities? How can they create solidarity?