5 September 2015

IASSW CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIVITIESAimIASSW aims to offer and organise capacity building activities to support the development of social work
education in different parts of the world, with special attention to countries and regions where social
work is an emerging profession. IASSW will work in partnership with local universities, governments andwith the Regional Associations of Schools of Social Work. IASSW will develop capacity building
programmes with a view to enhancing the social work knowledge and expertise of local social work
educators and professionals so that they can take up leadership in the development of culturally
appropriate social work education programmes in their respective countries and regions.

Our strengths

Ability to engage experienced social work educators with varying expertise from different partsof the world through IASSW’s extensive global networks of schools of social work.
Mutual support and partnerships with Regional Associations of Schools of Social Work
Expertise in applying the globally agreed standards and guidelines on educational practices
Strong tradition of honouring diversity and facilitating the development of culturally appropriatesocial work education programmes and practices
International networks which can be approached by organisations needing funding for capacity
building activities and a small annual budget.

In addition IASSW has Developed policies and experience in Curriculum Consultations
 A programme and funds to promote regional capacity building initiatives e.g. Regional Resource
Centres, in partnership with Regional Associations

Eligibility for consideration
All institutional members and national associations of IASSW are eligible to apply to IASSW for
support in providing capacity building activities.

Special consideration will be given to those countries and regions where the social work
profession is emerging.

With the support of the Capacity Building sub-committee, the advice of the relevant RegionalAssociation, the IASSW President will make decisions to accept invitation from institutions,countries and regions to offer capacity building activities.

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Guiding principles
The following principles will guide IASSW in providing capacity building programmes for institutions/countries/regions, thus priority will usually be given when:
The requested capacity building activity will play a pivotal role in the future development ofsocial work and social work education in the countries or regions making the requestThere is an identifiable critical mass of committed social work educators who are willing to workin partnership with IASSW and the Regional Association to develop programmes, structures oractivities and where there is a willingness to take up leadership roles in the development ofsocial work education.

The nature and scope of the proposed capacity building programmes is in line with the visionand mission of IASSW and is within the capacity of IASSW to offer.

While IASSW will not usually be generating profits from the programmes, and the IASSW
trainers will not be fee-charging, the local institution/government will normally have to raise thefunds to cover the travel, accommodation and subsistence costs of the trainers when the
proposed activity is not linked to a Board meeting. In most cases there will be a nominal fee toIASSW to cover administration. Some activities, e.g. Programme Consultations have a fee
structure that reflects the GDP of the country. When revenue is generated it is used for further
capacity building activity.

The ProcessRequests for capacity building support should come from an educational institution, national orregional organisation. All requests will be considered by the Capacity Building Committee(Education) and the President.

 When necessary an ad hoc Task Force will be formed by the Capacity Building Committee andPresident, in partnership with the Regional Association, to study the needs and assess thesuitability of IASSW to provide support, using the criteria above. The duration of the support
would be discussed and agreed with the Board taking into account sustainability for IASSW andother priorities. The Task Force would plan and deliver the capacity building activities inpartnership with the applicant.

 The ad hoc Task Force would report back to the Capacity Building Committee and the IASSW
and the Regional Association’s Boards on a regular basis. The developments will be reported
in various IASSW media including the website, newsletter and Social Dialogue magazine.
Evaluations of the whole programme will be conducted during and at the end of the process.

 The IASSW would wish to receive feedback on the processes undertaken and will require
projects to be monitored and evaluated by the participating organisations.

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Types of Capacity Building Activities
The following are examples of the types of activities supported by the IASSW:
Capacity building training workshops on different topics: curriculum development insocial work, fieldwork teaching, teaching and learning in social work, social work ethics,
social work theory and practice, social welfare and social policy, social work research,and social work relating to different areas of practice. Others can be provided based on
identified needs and requests.

Supervised practice: IASSW may provide supervised practice for social work educatorsfor intensive blocks of fieldwork placements in the county/region concerned.

Attachment and Exchange Programmes: through partnerships with Regional
Associations, attachment and exchange programmes in other countries can be arranged
in order to offer identifiable mutual learning opportunities.

E-learning programmes: e-learning programmes supplemented with face-to-facetraining and tutorials may be organised through the IASSW website for social work
educators.

IASSW Programme Consultations: where support and guidance in developing or revisingsocial work curricula is required from an international IASSW team. IASSW does notaccredit or validate courses or programmes.

Regional Resource Centres: IASSW provides small sums as seed money to support
universities, with established networks and a history of capacity building and raisingfunds, to be a nominated as an IASSW Regional Resource Centre.

Conferences linked to Board meetings. Capacity building events are usually arranged forthe beginning or end of Board meetings with the aim of mutual learning between theinternational board members, regional, national and local educators and practitioners.
IASSW responds to the host’s and Region’s priorities so the events range from one toseveral days. The priorities outlined above inform decisions about the location of Board
meetings and associated conferences. In some circumstances financial support isavailable for these events from the capacity building committee.

Application
Applications should be submitted to the President of IASSW for consideration by the IASSW Capacity
Building committee and members in the relevant Regional Association. Following a recommendationfrom the Capacity Building committee and the Regional Association the IASSW President will make thefinal decision about accepting the application. The Task Force, which will do an initial assessment and5 September 2015

where necessary recruit a team of international experts, will be made up of representatives from theCapacity Building committee and Regional Association members.
Costs
Where possible activities will be funded by the organisation requesting help. In order to do this theIASSW can provide access to funders and help with the preparation of bids in which, after formal
agreement, IASSW may be cited. The priorities outlined above mean that some organisations will beeligible for a one off subsidy from the IASSW Capacity Building committee, subject to the committee’spriorities and budget. The costs of providing capacity building events should be kept to a minimum andinternational representatives should provide their services free of charge while the direct costs such as
travel, accommodation and meals should be borne by the organisation, region or country. A fee isusually charged to cover administrative support, as outlined for example in the IASSW Programme
Consultations Policy. Activities linked to Board meetings where members are expected to attend would
not usually incur a charge.

Chair of the Capacity Building Committee
September 2015