Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Global-ANSWER (Global social work and human mobility: comparative studies on local government and good social work practices in the euro-mediterranean region)
Berichtszeitraum: 2020-03-01 bis 2023-12-31
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 will exchange skills and knowledge which will allow 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.
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 will exchange skills and knowledge which will allow 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.
The Global-ANSWER Project started in March 2020, was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic and reactivated in January 2021. Since then, important work has been carried out and is distributed in the following different work packages:
Work package 2: Coordination and management. The first objective of the work package is to coordinate the implementation of activities within the network.
The tasks foreseen in the period covered by the first biennium have been:
1. Task 2.1: Kick off meeting.
2. Task 2.2: Development of a Global-ANSWER management guide.
3. Mid-term meeting: On April 13, 2023, the leaders and representatives of the 15 entities and universities that are part of the Global-ANSWER Network met with their REA representative to hold the Mid-term Meeting.
Work Package 3: Training: Building the Common Framework of Reference for Global-ANSWER Collaborative Action Research.
This work package runs from month 1 to month 44 so it has concluded.
The tasks foreseen in the period covered by the progress report have been:
- Task 3.1: International Launch Workshop: Defining good practices in the field of social work and was scheduled for month 32 in Granada.
- Task 3.2: Two international workshops to be held in Florence. The month foreseen in the project for its celebration was the 33rd (November 2022)
- Task 3.3: Elaboration of the Global-ANSWER metohological toolkit and the guide on conceptual and methodological issues.
- Task 3.4 The Summer School held at the Lund University in June 2023 has allowed us to agree on some starting premises for approaching the case studies, on what and how we should observe and where and when the case studies should be carried out.
A second phase of the Global-ANSWER Project is now beginning in which case studies will be carried out to allow an open observation of the components of the definition of good practices on the ground. To this end, this guide provides a didactic overview of the tools for detecting and identifying these good practices.
Work package 2: Coordination and management. The first objective of the work package is to coordinate the implementation of activities within the network.
The tasks foreseen in the period covered by the first biennium have been:
1. Task 2.1: Kick off meeting.
2. Task 2.2: Development of a Global-ANSWER management guide.
3. Mid-term meeting: On April 13, 2023, the leaders and representatives of the 15 entities and universities that are part of the Global-ANSWER Network met with their REA representative to hold the Mid-term Meeting.
Work Package 3: Training: Building the Common Framework of Reference for Global-ANSWER Collaborative Action Research.
This work package runs from month 1 to month 44 so it has concluded.
The tasks foreseen in the period covered by the progress report have been:
- Task 3.1: International Launch Workshop: Defining good practices in the field of social work and was scheduled for month 32 in Granada.
- Task 3.2: Two international workshops to be held in Florence. The month foreseen in the project for its celebration was the 33rd (November 2022)
- Task 3.3: Elaboration of the Global-ANSWER metohological toolkit and the guide on conceptual and methodological issues.
- Task 3.4 The Summer School held at the Lund University in June 2023 has allowed us to agree on some starting premises for approaching the case studies, on what and how we should observe and where and when the case studies should be carried out.
A second phase of the Global-ANSWER Project is now beginning in which case studies will be carried out to allow an open observation of the components of the definition of good practices on the ground. To this end, this guide provides a didactic overview of the tools for detecting and identifying these good practices.
Spain, Italy and Sweden represent interesting observation points from which it is possible to look at the social and political implications generated by immigration movements in the understanding of contemporary migration phenomena. The three countries have experienced a strategic and central role in the challenge of migration flow, even with significant differences among them, due to their different geopolitical situation, and their economic, social, and territorial peculiarities.
The project research actions favour the cooperative and collaborative development of methods and approaches to improve the social work response to the human mobility challenge, by observing and reflecting on the realities of social work and social services in the three countries, to extract from the field new perspectives and strategies for the future. The research plan aims to permit all researchers and professionals working in the field in the three countries to collate studies and practices significant for social work in the field of migration and thus also for social work educational practice, and so to specifically address, in the coming years, the path for transforming services and educational practices of social work in the field of human mobility.
In the end, what prevails is the desire of the Global-ANSWER Network that can show good practices for the reception and inclusion of migrants. More than an exercise of empirical detection of what we mean by good practice in the case studies, our wish is to show how professional intervention ensures the social rights of migrants in host societies with professional practices that are consistent, aware, conscious and sustainable.
The project research actions favour the cooperative and collaborative development of methods and approaches to improve the social work response to the human mobility challenge, by observing and reflecting on the realities of social work and social services in the three countries, to extract from the field new perspectives and strategies for the future. The research plan aims to permit all researchers and professionals working in the field in the three countries to collate studies and practices significant for social work in the field of migration and thus also for social work educational practice, and so to specifically address, in the coming years, the path for transforming services and educational practices of social work in the field of human mobility.
In the end, what prevails is the desire of the Global-ANSWER Network that can show good practices for the reception and inclusion of migrants. More than an exercise of empirical detection of what we mean by good practice in the case studies, our wish is to show how professional intervention ensures the social rights of migrants in host societies with professional practices that are consistent, aware, conscious and sustainable.