EXPANDING THE PROFESSION OF SOCIAL WORK IN THE CARIBBEAN: INTEGRATING INDIGENOUS THEORIES AND PRACTICE

Completed Registration (as of July 5, 2001)(in Adobe Acrobat)

CALL FOR PAPERS (in Adobe Acrobat)

CONFERENCE AND HOTEL REGISTRATION FORM (in Adobe Acrobat)

Abstracts

Travel Information

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HISTORY

Since 1993 the institutions that teach Social Work in the Caribbean have hosted a conference for social work educators.  These biennial events have served to bring together academics, practitioners, students, researchers and policy makers in the field of social work.  The occasion provides a unique opportunity for exchanging ideas on social work education for Caribbean populations.  Previous conferences have taken place in Barbados (1993), Guyana (1995), Trinidad and Tobago (1997) and Jamaica (1999).  

In keeping with the expansion of the teaching of the social work profession in the Caribbean, the theme of the conference for the year 2001 is Expanding the Social Work Profession for Caribbean Peoples: Towards Integrating Indigenous Theory & Practice.  This theme has been selected in response to the continuing development of the social work profession in the region.  The year 2001 will mark twenty-one years of existence for the College of the Bahamas Social Work Education Programme and forty years for the UWI Mona Programme in Jamaica.  This year (2000) was the tenth for the UWI St. Augustine Programme in Trinidad & Tobago.  

The Fifth Biennial Conference will be convened in the Bahamas in Nassau, the capital city, August 6 – 9, 2001 (venue will be indicated on registration forms).  

Conference Co-chairs/Coordinators   

Conference Theme & Sub-Themes

From humble beginnings that provided only short courses of a few months in duration, Social Work Education in the Caribbean has expanded to offer both undergraduate degrees and postgraduate studies.  

The process of evolution of specialist areas such as Child Welfare, Youth and Community Work, Policy and Evaluation, Employee Assistance Programmes and Social Development, emphasizes the need for promoting theory and practice relevant to the Caribbean.  Responding to environmental and health issues such as the AIDS epidemic, domestic violence, urban renewal and rural development in agricultural and fishing communities requires culturally relevant practice intervention tools.  

This Conference will pose questions such as:  

·        What are the implications for people in small island economies with significant populations in the diaspora?  

·        How does the profession continue to be relevant to migrating populations, the marginalized of the region and across language differences?

The sub-themes of the conference are:  

Sub-Theme 1 – Our Global Environment  

Migration  
Privatization  
Sustainable development  
Tourism  
Crossing cultural differences  
North-South Relations  
Small island development  
International Social Work

Sub-Theme 2– Improving the knowledge Base for Social Work

Mental Health  
Family and Child Welfare
Race and Ethnicity  
Inter-generational issues among families and communities  
Parenting/ and the role of the father  
Drug abuse prevention and treatment  
Community development  
Health Interventions, for example, in AIDS
Gender and development  
Sexuality, including impact of homophobia  
Poverty alleviation  
Participation and governance  
Crime reduction

Sub-Theme 3 – Innovative Interventions

Technology  
Social Work Evaluation  
Peace Education  
Employee Assistance Programmes  
The social worker in private practice  
Conflict Resolution and Mediation  
Social development  
Role of faith based institutions  
Innovative programmes in any area of practice

Sub-Theme 4 – Social Work Education and professional development in the Caribbean Context

Social work curriculum  
Professional organizations  
Placements/internships  
Accreditation  
Indigenising social work in the region

For further information about the conference contact:

Mrs. Janice Miller
The College of the Bahamas  
School of Social Sciences  
P. O. Box N-4912
Nassau, Bahamas  
Tel: (242) 302-4489/91  Fax: (242) 326-7834  
Email: miljan@cob.edu.bs or miljan4@yahoo.com

Maintained by Chris Monsma Last Updated: July 23, 2001 This page copyright © 2000,  The University of South Carolina.

http://www.cosw.sc.edu/intl/caribbean/index.htm