The reception, socioeconomic and socio-cultural inclusion of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are key issues for contemporary Europe, particularly in the Euro-Mediterranean region, where the magnitude of the flow of new arrivals has raised great concerns in relation to human rights. Social work professionals and other social professions are on the front line of this challenge, playing a key role in local government responses and professional practices of non-governmental organizations in the reception and inclusion of newcomers and the defense of human rights and, with them, the construction of the European project.
This project main objective is to consolidate an international and inter-sectorial network of comparative and collaborative research and training on the identification, analysis and dissemination of good practices in the field of social work and human mobility in the European countries involved in the project, including universities, local town halls and third sector organizations. The participants of this project have exchanged skills and knowledge which have allowed them to progress towards key advances in the identification, transfer and promotion of good practices on local government and social work interventions with migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and other groups in conditions of vulnerability as a result of human mobility (non-accompanied children and youth, the elderly, victims of human trafficking, the disabled, transnational families, victims of ethnic, religious and sexual orientation discrimination, etc).
This general purpose is embodied in the following specific objectives:
1. Carry out comparative studies on social policies at the local level, service provision models, programme and project management models, and initiatives developed by public institutions and non-governmental organisations in the field of social work and social intervention with migrants, in order to facilitate mutual transfer and public dissemination of good practices.
2. To generate new knowledge based on an innovative collaborative action-research approach, focused on the identification and transfer of good practices in the field of social work and social intervention with migrants, developed by both public institutions and non-governmental organizations, in different phases of the migration process, including both the reception of new arrivals and professional intervention aimed at facilitating the socio-economic and socio-cultural inclusion.
3. Propose and transfer a model of social innovation for the practice of social work, the provision of social services and social intervention with migrants, based on collaborative multidisciplinary social research in the field of global mobility.
4. Consolidate the Global-ANSWER network through new joint research proposals, in both national and international calls.
5. Contribute to the objectives and strategies of the European Union (EU) aimed at promoting inclusive societies, solidly based on values of solidarity, non-discrimination, social justice, human dignity, democracy, equality and human rights, as values of the EU in line with the principles and values of Social Work as an academic discipline and profession.
