International Social Work & Society Conference 2006
October 12 - 14, Bielefeld/Germany

Why Social Work?

Perspectives of Public Welfare

International Bielefeld Conference 12 - 14 October 2006

Social work has since its inception in the nineteenth century been devised as an institutional manifestation of what can be described as the welfare state arrangement. Social work was conceived as a collective public good in providing assistance and help for people in situations of human need and vulnerability.

Towards the end of the twentieth century public welfare and state sponsored social services came increasingly under attack from all shades of political colour. The role of state funded social work was no longer regarded as a universal given. On the left, social work was regarded as an agency of “normalization” and social workers were cast as “agents of the State”. On the right, neo-liberals have challenged the principles of centralized state planning and regulation. The dependency culture nourished by public welfare is seen to militate against natural individual dispositions of freedom, choice, responsibility and motivation.

Consumer’s expectations are higher than ever before. This has led to greater demands on social services to be more efficient, effective and accountable. The “what works”, evidence-based, risk management and effectiveness movements in social work can be understood as a rational response to these ever increasing
demands. Social workers are held ever more accountable for their decisions in a litigation driven consumer culture.

If the public welfare role of social work is not accepted by society at large or by powerful groups such as politicians and social movements then a crisis of legitimation occurs. The legitimacy of social work as a public good is more sharply questioned today than ever before. The International Bielefeld Social Work & Society Conference will ask whether it’s realistic to speak of a legitimation crisis in social work:

Why (any more) Social Work?

Key issues relating to this key question will be addressed. The conference will address what perspectives on public welfare are available to social work regarding to the necessities of daily life conduct.

Program

Speakers and Contributors

Mimi Abramovitz (New York), Micha Brumlik (Frankfurt a.M.), Annamaria Campanini (Calabria), Norbert Cyrus (Oldenburg), Lena Dominelli (Durham), Brid Featherstone (Bradford), Neil Gilbert (Berkeley), Chris Grover (Lancaster), Björn Halleröd (Umeå), Roberta Iversen (Philadelphia), Hakan Johansson (Växjö), Bill Jordan (Plymouth), Karin Jurczyk (München), Harry Kunneman (Utrecht), Jørgen Elm Larsen (Copenhagen), Walter Lorenz (Bolzano), Greg Marston (Queensland), Susanne Maurer (Marburg), Gisela Notz (Bonn), Thomas Olk (Halle), Mark Olssen (Surrey), Michael Reisch (Ann Arbor), Irene Somm (Frankfurt a.M.), Hans Thiersch (Tübingen), Stephen Webb (Sussex), Michael Winkler (Jena), Darja Zavirsek (Ljubljana) u.a.

Registration

Contact (Yvette Lietzau):
BielefeldConference2006@uni-bielefeld.de

Unfortunately registration already closed.

Location: Ringlockschuppen, Stadtheider Str. 11, 33609 Bielefeld, Germany

The conference fees of € 50 is including all conference documents and catering (including the dinner at the first Conference day). Reduced fees are € 30 (students and recipients of transfer incomes).

We regret that it is not possible to refund fees in case of non-attendance after September 30, 2006.

All contributions to the conference will be simultaneously translated from German to English (and from English to German).

Downloads

	Program
	Location plan (main station - conference venue)

Supported by the

Ministry for Generation, Family, Women
and Integration Nordrhein-Westfalen

Organiser

Social Work & Society -
Online-Journal for Social Work & Social Policy

University of Bielefeld
Faculty for Educational Sciences
AG 8: Center of Social Service Studies