IFSW Newsletter
ASIA & PACIFIC REGION

This issue includes:
Editorial
News from round-about
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Report from the President of IFSW Asia Pacific
The Quest for a Definition of Social Work
Australian Social Workers for Stockholm
Development of Narrative Therapy in Australia
Report on Activities of the Korea Association ofSocial Workers
Stepping into a New Era – Hong Kong World Social
Work Day 2012
Podsocs, the Podcast for Social Workers on the Run– Be a Part of it!
Malaysia – Gearing up for Competency-based Child
Protection Practice
A Report on World Social Work Day from Japan

Upcoming EventsInternational Conferences
Regional Conferences

Editorial
It is six months since the last newsletter of December
2011 and this is the first issue for 2012, just in time
for circulation before the 2nd World Social Work
Conference on Social Work and Social Development
to be held in Stockholm, Sweden from the 8th – 12th
July 2012. Staff and officials of the International
Association of Schools of Social Work, theInternational Council on Social Welfare andInternational Federation of Social Workers which arejointly organising the Conference, have no doubt beenvery busy preparing for the last leg of this event in
the past six months. Expectantly, many of those who
participated in the 1st Joint Conference in Hong Kongin 2010 will be in Stockholm to follow through and to
be updated on the strategies to implement the Global
Agenda. According to Guardian Professional(www.ifsw.org) the Conference has already attracted
more than 2,000 participants from among social work
practitioners, managers, educators and researchers,

Issue 1, June 2012social policy planners and analysts, social scientists
and social development professionals from all over
the world. The Conference will certainly generatemuch discourse and sharing on its three relevant
themes of human rights and social equality,
environmental change and sustainable social
development, and global social transformation andsocial action. Members of the IFSW-Asia Pacific
Executive Committee extend their wishes to theorganisers for another exciting, stimulating andsuccessful Conference.
In this issue, John Ang, as President, shares his
Report for the Regional Meeting on 9 July 2012 andhis thoughts on developing a new Definition ofSocial Work to be presented during the Stockholm
Conference. The Australian Association of Social
Workers has posted some information on their
preparations for the Stockholm Conference while
the national associations of Korea, Hong Kong andJapan provide some news of their activities. We
have also included interesting items from the
Griffith University of Australia and the Malaysian
Association of Social Workers.
As Publications Secretary, I wish to thank everyone
who contributed articles for this issue and made my
job easier! Let’s keep them coming – the next issue
will be in December 2012. Happy Conferencing toeveryone who are making tracks for Stockholm!
Please send items, stories and articles preferably in
MS word format as well as photos to the Editor, Elsie
Lee at elsilee@gmail.com.

IFSW- Newsletter – June 2012- 1

Report from the Regional President for
IFSW Asia PacificAt the Tokyo Regional meeting in 2011, we had thepleasure of being the first IFSW region to welcome ourthen in-coming Secretary General, Rory Truell who, in
response, pledged to respond to the felt need to takethe Federation through the process of change and to
apply his experience as a bicultural social work
professional to good use in guiding the work of theFederation across the globe. We were particularly
thrilled to welcome him as someone who has comefrom our region.
We set off with the desire to invite more participative
involvement among member countries so that social
workers in the region could increase their awarenessof the social issues in each other’s country, learn fromeach other and engage in collaborative practice. I am
happy to report that recently the Japan Association ofSocial Workers has set up a sister organisation
relationship with the Singapore Association of Social
Workers. This augurs well for the deepening offriendship and understanding between social workers
from these two countries but I hope that this initiative
will catch on so that there will be more exchanges
within our region and across other regions of IFSW as
well. The world is a shrinking place and unless we takea world perspective to many of the contemporary
problems that plague us, it would not be possible tofind solutions to them.
I am also happy about this initiative for another reason.
As I have mentioned in other contexts, as a Federation,
IFSW’s direct contact with social workers is throughthe social work leadership in member countries. The
Federation has no possibility to engage with the vast
majority of social workers across the world, to know
the work that they do, to empathise with theirprofessional struggles, to support them and to honour
them for the personal sacrifices that they make thathas defined our profession as one which suffuses with
the noblest aspirations of the human spirit. With more
person-to-person exchanges, many of the lifetime
contributions that our members have made will cometo light in the international community and I would
hope that the Federation would find some way of
honouring more of these giants in our midst.
The task of appointing the 2013 host of the Asia PacificRegional Conference has been difficult and slow
because of the requirement for countries to submit
joint bids to IFSW and APASWE and at the same time,to allow for consultations to resolve the many issues
involved. I am happy that we have accepted the bid
from Philippines and look forward to hearing about
their plans to host us in Makati City from 15 to 17 May,
2013.

Going forward, we will work out a process of
consultationwith
ourcounterpart
regionalorganisation, the APASWE, so that we take on, within ashared time frame, all the anticipated issues oforganising such a joint-bid. I would like to place on
record my esteem and thanks to the President of
APASWE for his understanding collaborative spirit.
I have indicated in the last report the need for us towork in cooperation across the region on projects thathave a regional dimension. One such is the increase ofsocial work capacity to contribute to disasterprevention, mitigation, response and recovery. We
have received a modest grant from the Federation and
I am glad to report that this agenda will be deliberated
at the Makati Conference. Japan has agreed to provide
leadership to this project and has been requested to
involve other interested countries and to provide an
implementation plan for the project.
We continue our search for indications of interest andresources for other projects such as collaborating
across borders on ensuring that guest workers receive
the necessary support and legal protection in their
host countries even as they make personal sacrifices toseek a better future for their families and at the sametime, the welfare of their family, especially that ofyoung children, are attended to back home.
We issued a call among member countries in theregion, for donation towards supporting Japanesesocial workers who may be personally affected by the
recent triple disaster. I hope that you will consider
donating generously towards this cause in solidarity
with our colleagues, which I hope could be extended tothose in other countries who have suffered personal
misfortune. The extension of such a scheme would besomething worth further thought.
Much support was extended to a country in the region
for developing the necessary instruments towards
forming a national association and for it to secure
membership in IFSW and with other countries on
payment of dues and other issues on membership
application.
We have worked hard to extend the membership in
the region and I am happy to report that several
countries will be recommended for membership at theGeneral Meeting arising from this effort.
I would like to commend our Publications Secretary,with support from Griffiths University in Australia, for
putting up two issues of the Regional Newsletter in the
short space of time that she has served in theCommittee and each of the other members of theRegional Committee for the work and support given tome. The work has been made lighter and more
fulfilling because of this.
IFSW- Newsletter – June 2012- 1

As we look forward to support the IFSW in its Agenda
for Action and other fresh initiatives as well as its
work on deriving a fresh definition of social work
pertinent to the times, I urge your active participation.
John Ang
President
IFSW Asia Pacific

The Quest for a Definition of Social WorkIn this issue, I would like to draw your attention to thecall at IFSW to participate in the ongoing project tocraft a definition of social work that will reflect current
realities. The definition has to apply equally wellacross the globe yet recognize particular variations incountries and regions. A good definition must be clear,concise and hopefully elegant. This will help people toremember and to use it.
Most of what I have to say here about the differencesin the existing and proposed definitions has been
abstracted from a recent keynote address that I gave at
a conference organized by the Japan Association ofSocial Work in Okinawa on 26 May.
Social work stands in the gap of many divides.
Between the rich and poor, between rich countries andpoor countries and between giant corporations andthe poor labourer, social work must plead the cause ofredistributive justice. Between governments and thegoverned, social work must play more effective
advocacy roles to secure enlightened policies that will
narrow the education, wealth and opportunity gaps.
Between people of different creeds, ethnicity andnational backgrounds who today co-mingle at work inmany cities, social work must confront prejudice in theworkplace as it must in school, where children
perceived as different from others are subjected tobullying and in public life, where minority people
suffer abuse and discrimination. Between genderdivides, social work must address structural
impediments, empower women and promote
non-discriminatory practices. Between the young andold, social work must foster intergenerational ties sothat the young are not decried for their impetuosityand age appreciated from a whole-of-life perspective
and not at the diminishing end.
How shall we live up to the ideals of humanity thatunite social workers and yet in each country reflect thediversity of aspirations and way of life that give
humanity its rich hues? What is the core that
distinguishes us as a profession and what are theparticulars that must be encouraged to flourish so thatsocial work remains relevant to society?
These are questions that should occupy us if we are toclaim that social work is relevant to a multifaceted andchanging world. Challenges and change are inevitable.
Even prior to our becoming recognized as a profession,
there were debates in the early years of the twentiethcentury on the proper response to the poor, between
those representing the ‘scientific’ Social Darwinist
approach and others favouring a more immediate
understanding of the poor in their circumstance.
(Parker-Oliver and Demiris, 2006). As the profession
developed, there were other controversies, such as
those in the 1950s between the ‘functional’ and the‘diagnostic’ schools (Apteka, 1954). More recently,
Lena Dominelli observed in 1996 that the‘competency-based’ approach to social work threatens
anti-oppressive practice (Dominelli, 1996). I am happy
that scholars and social work educators in our region
are participating in this debate.
Social work is dynamic, accommodative andassimilative so that the controversial may even in time
become commonplace. Besides, practitioners withdifferent skills and experience may find different
modes, levels and settings of practice more fruitfulthan others, different theoretical perspectives moresalient and different strategies more appropriate withwhich to engage the social problems and issues of theday. These issues can also be framed differently fromdifferent socio-historical perspectives. Differences in
the approach to social work are therefore to be
expected and serve to underline the dynamism of theprofession in the world.
The world bodies representing social workers andsocial work educators are currently in consultation
with their respective members to review the definitionof social work, which was adopted in Montreal, Canada
at the IASSW– IFSW Social Work Conference in 2000.
That definition is as follows:“The social work profession promotes social change,
problem solving in human relationships and theempowerment and liberation of people to enhancewell-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour andsocial systems, social work intervenes at the points
where people interact with their environments.
Principles of human rights and social justice arefundamental to social work.”
In a recently concluded meeting with African member
countries of IFSW, the definition was felt to be still
applicable although there were dissenting views, someof which went something like this, as reported by the
Secretary General: I work with a nomadic tribe so we have to get people
to support each other, for example, asking one person to
give a poor person two goats for milk
andbreeding. And in a year he gives the goats back but has
his own. (A young Somali male social worker sayingthat this is typical of his practice).
 We are capacity building.
(A female Kenyan social worker).
IFSW- Newsletter – June 2012- 1

 We do community empowerment and education to
help people to comprehend their rights because in
Africa there is a lot of ignorance. For example, people
can apply for a loan as is their right and once the loan
is paid back, they can get a bigger loan – social
workers need to tell them this through education.
(A female Kenyan social worker).
 We go through the elders – if you don't get theirsupport, nothing will happen. Getting the elders
involved means it will happen.
(An Ugandan female social worker).
Here in these examples, social workers act as
mediators, enablers, educators and intermediaries.
These dissenting voices felt the need for African
perspectives – “We need to bring in our people andenvironment into the picture, our land with floods anddisplacement; we need African life in the definition."
This awareness may in time lead to an African modelof social work but for the meantime, they highlight therange of practice at the local level and reflect social
work as multifaceted and diverse.
A consultation draft by the IFSW Task Force on Social
Work Definition is currently in circulation as well as
another one representing the views of Latin Americancountries. The Taskforce definition defines social work
thus:“Social work promotes socially just and inclusive
systems based on capacity building, human rights,
responsible citizenship and fair societies forindividuals, families, groups, communities and beyond.
The social work body of knowledge enables
practitioners to work alongside people andcommunities
tosupporttheirsustainableinterdependence. The profession is guided by theunderstandingthat
resourced,
informedinterdependent people and communities make thebest decisions on their own wellbeing.”
The Latin American version reads as follows:“Social Work is a profession that falls within the realmof relations among social subjects and their relations
with the State in the different socio-historical settingsof the professional activity. It develops a social praxis
and a set of socio-educational actions that fall uponlife’s material and social reproduction from theperspective of social transformation. It is committed(to) democracy and the fight against social inequalities,
by strengthening autonomy, participation and thesafeguard of citizenship for the achievement of humanrights and social justice.”
The three definitions differ in certain important ways.
The first definition makes clear that social work is
about working with people, as individuals and infamilies, groups and communities. The principal foci ofsocial work are ‘problem solving’ and ‘change’,‘empowerment’ and ‘liberation’. Problem solving isdirected at the ‘transactions between people and theirenvironments’. Change is directed at enabling ‘allpeople to develop their full potential, enrich their lives,and prevent dysfunction’.
The language of‘empowerment and liberation’ is muted and expressed
as being ‘in solidarity’ with disadvantaged people ‘toalleviate poverty and to liberate vulnerable andoppressed people in order to promote social inclusion’.
Implied in the idea of social inclusion is the broad
acceptance of society and its institutions althoughhuman rights and social justice are recognized as
primary motivations and justification for social work
practice. The definition recognizes both the universal‘holistic focus’ of social work and the context-specificpractices arising from differences in the cultural,socio-historical and economic circumstance.
The second Taskforce definition plunges directly into
the promotion of systems and institutions withinsociety that is fair, just and inclusive. This systemic
focus at institutions downplays social work’s
traditional concerns with individuals, families andgroups. Partnership is forged with community
members
to‘support’
theirsustainableinterdependence. The choice of the word ‘support’suggestsa
co-participatory
andegalitarian
relationship between social workers and people in thecommunity that they are working with. It has also
been pointed out that the first sentence in thedefinition underlines the universal set of values andprinciples of social work whilst the last sentence pays
respects to the contextual differences in different
countries, which produce different life options.
The Latin American proposal identifies clearly the
relations between subjects and the State as the key
emphasis and promotes a social praxis andsocio-education role for social work aimed at socialtransformation. According to this formulation social
workers, by their training and theoretical reflection,
are aware of the inequities in society and of thepolicies and regulatory practices, that perpetuate them.
Thus, they take culturally appropriate social action tofight all forms of discrimination, injustice andoppression for the ‘promotion, protection, restitution
and enforceability of human and social rights and themeans to access them’.
Each definition champions a viewpoint, from client
work to institution building to anti-oppressive
practices. How do we relate to the intellectual currents
that are shaping social work it in the world today?
Traditional social work theory has been enriched byradical critiques and the development of critical andfeminist theories. These provide us with conceptual
tools to analyse the oppression masked in everyday
life – those powers of control that are structural andinstitutional, even in welfare policies and schemes, aswell as those in the personal and interpersonal
IFSW- Newsletter – June 2012- 1

spheres that keep the poor in their place. Meanwhile,feminist critique has opened our eyes to systematic
discriminatory practices and mindsets that confine
women to the home and kitchen. We are challenged by
global trends that question held beliefs about families,
sex and procreation. How do we contribute to thedebate about human rights with sensitivity, humanityand dialectical understanding of the deep roots of ourculture in its interface with this global tide?
How can we in the Asia Pacific region contribute tothis co-creation of a definition at IFSW that will reflect
our understanding of what the profession is? We havesocial workers working in conflict zones, in remotevillages, in desert communities, city slums and island
enclaves. Many work on survival issues with the very
poor, with children in the streets and woman and girls
in red light districts. Each is involved with the daily
struggles of our clients. In indirect practice, social
workers are also employed as government servantsand consultants doing research, designing services,
influencing policies or participate directly in crafting
policies and directives on health care, education,
housing, urban and rural development and social
service provision.
We should find a definition that will embrace all thatthey do and yet point to areas that are legitimate
concerns for social workers and which our colleagues
in other parts of the world struggle with. Some of theseconcerns may touch on the quality and honesty of
governments but we should be sensitive in our
language so as not to threaten the possibility ofpracticing social work in those countries. We should
also be aware that even as the nature society changes
and new issues of living come to light, social workers
must redefine their roles and act.
It is in this light that I offer the following definition,
which I think, is closer to our traditions to seek yourparticipation:“Social work is a world profession dedicated towards
improving the quality of life of people everywhere.
Recognising that people are affected in theircircumstance by individual, relational, cultural,
historical, socio-economic and environmental factors,social workers pledge themselves to the highest
ethical standards in the promotion of peace, social
justice, human rights and dignity without losing sightof the goals of meeting personal, livelihood andaspirational needs.”
John Ang
President
IFSW Asia Pacific

Australian Social Workers for Stockholm
Many Australian social workers are coming to the
Stockholm conference. Eyes and ears will be open in
preparation for the next IFSW Conference which will
be held in Melbourne, Australia in 2014. You are all
invited to come and be involved.
In Stockholm Professor Karen Healy, AASW President,
will be giving a keynote speech on Social Work
Education. We are delighted to have a new President
for the AASW. She has a long association with Sweden.
Others from the International Social Work (ISW)
Committee, including the convenor, Professor Lesley
Chenoweth and committee members, Naomi Spencer
and Dayle Foreman, are also presenting at theConference. Professor Richard Hugman has been
involved with the Ethics Committee review for the
IFSW and is standing again as a representative on
behalf of the AASW.
Naomi’s subject is Rejuvenating the Commonwealth –feedback from the Commonwealth People's Forum(CPF) and Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting (CHOGM) which was held in Perth in October
2011. The Commonwealth is a network of a third of
the world’s people with common political, educational,
legal, governance and trading infrastructures. The
Commonwealth is an important vehicle for training,
capacity building and dispute resolution. Exchange,
mentoring, training and development possibilities
exist, including ongoing grants which are available forprojects. Preparing for this was a major activity of the
ISW Committee last year.
Australian social workers are happy to assist the IFSWAsia Pacific chapter in a variety of ways. We are
involved with advocacy on behalf of neighbours whose
lives are impacted by climate change. Another concern
is human trafficking. Australia is a destination country
and many Asian countries provide crucibles.
Australians are keen to showcase and invite students
to our fine education facilities.
With our wellestablished social services, there is also interest in
exchanges and sharing information with ourcolleagues. The ISW Committee is keen to promoteexchange and educational opportunities for social
workers internationally. You are welcome to let us
know of your ‘pet’ projects.
While here (in Sweden), keep an eye out for Friends of
the Commonwealth, Friends of IFSW, COSW (theCommonwealth Organisation of Social Workers), theAntipodeans’ gathering and other networking andcollegial support opportunities. Enjoy Stockholm andplan to be in Melbourne in two years’ time…!
Naomi Spencer
International Social Work Committee
Australian Association of Social Workers
IFSW- Newsletter – June 2012- 1

Development of Narrative Therapy inAustralia
Australia’s Michael White, a social worker,
co-developed narrative therapy which is proving to beeffective. The Dulwich Centre is one of a myriad ofcommunity service organisations which has
opportunities which may interest you.
Dulwich Centre Foundation International is looking forexperienced narrative therapists/community workers/teachers who wish to volunteer their time to teach incontexts of social suffering, and in communities inwhich there are very few resources and often incircumstances of considerable hardship. If you are an
experienced narrative practitioner and are in theposition to volunteer your time (and to fund your own
airfares) and would like to participate in challenging,rewarding and inspiring assignments, please contact
us at: dulwich@dulwichcentre.com.au. There is aconsiderable emphasis on teamwork and support in
relation to these projects.

The Act includes the following: first, the central
government and autonomous local governments
should act to make a contribution to the improvementin the social welfare of social workers and others bystrengthening and improving their treatment andstatus. Second, the central government andautonomous local governments should act to improve
the treatment of social workers and others, enhanceand improve their welfare and status. Third, thecentralgovernment
andautonomous
local
governments should act to increase the pay of social
workers and others to the level of that of public
officials in charge of social welfare. Fourth, theMinister of Health and Welfare and the governors ofautonomous local governments should check the levelof pay and the realities of payment to social workers
and others every three years. Fifth, in order to stabilize
the lives of social workers and others and improvetheir welfare, an individual or organization canestablish a social welfare credit by receiving approval
from the Minister of Health and Welfare.

Report on Activities of the KASW
1. The Korea Association of Social Workers ismaking a pivotal contribution to the Establishmentof the “Act for the Improvement of Treatment andStatus of Social Workers and Others”
The Republic of Korea has experienced a remarkableeconomic growth for the past 60 years even in theruins of the Korean War (195~1953). The country is
the only one that has developed from an economicallyassisted country to an economically assisting country
in terms of OECD DAC (Development AssistanceCommittee). Clearly, social workers who have taken
the side of the socially weak and stood out for theirwelfare, rights and interests have played a key role inthis significant economic and societal development.
However, social workers who have played a leadingrole as a bridge for social welfare services in bothpublic and private sectors, have been themselves inrelatively poor condition, compared with those ofother social welfare experts. The KASW has sincemade a strenuous effort to improve their treatment
and status. As a result of such an effort, the KASW saw
the “Act for the Improvement of Treatment and Status
of Social Workers and Others” established on March 30,
2011. This Act is to legally regulate the improvementof the welfare of social workers and others. So, thetime has come when the state or government should
be responsible for the improvement of treatment andstatus of social workers and others. The establishmentof the Act is enormously significant in the history of
Korean social work in that the importance of social
workers’ role has been accepted by the state and the
public.

Mr. Sung-Chul Cho, KASW President talking about the Act for the
Improvement of Treatment and Status of Social Workers andOthers”

2. KASW Seminar: “Discussion on the Development
Effectiveness of ODA Development and Challenges
for Korean Social Workers”
The 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF-4),
the largest general meeting in its history, was held in
Busan, Republic of Korea from November 29 to
December 1, 2011. The general meeting, attended by
Minister-class persons from about 160 nations aroundthe world, was an arena for discussion about how toeffectively cooperate for development. The 3-day
discussion led to the declaration of ‘A Busan
Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation’ or‘The Busan Manifesto’, a resulting document. The coreof the Manifesto is to turn the paradigm of assistancepolicy from ‘effectiveness of assistance’ to‘effectiveness of development’ and construct a new
global partnership that helps link a variety ofassistance partners like developed countries, emerging
countries, and private sectors.
The KASW and the Korean Academy of International
Social Work used this HLF-4 as the momentum todraw the Korean social workers’ attention to the third
world nations at the level of international social work.
And they used it as another momentum for social work
IFSW- Newsletter – June 2012- 1

professionals in South Korea to take an active part in
the fields of international development cooperation.
For this purpose, the two organizations worked
together to hold a seminar titled ‘Discussion on theDevelopment Effectiveness of ODA and Challenges for
Korean Social Workers—Through the Opportunity
Given by the HLF in Busan’. The seminar checked thepresent state of assistance development cooperation
conducted at the global level and took a look at what
direction Korean social workers should take in thefield with presentations given on what direction to go
in the future. Furthermore, it addressed a variety ofchallenges to be resolved—and roles to be played—by
the social work educators and practitioners.
The seminar served as a starting point for social
workers in Korea to take an active part in the field ofinternational development cooperation and actively
cope with a number of challenges facing internationalsocieties. The KASW, with a continuous interest in
development cooperation, intends to make an effort todraw social workers’ attention to it and encouragethem to be involved in it. In November 2012, under the
support of the Korea International Cooperation
Agency (KOICA) and the Korea Association ofInternational Development and Cooperation (KAIDEC),
the KASW will hold a forum titled ‘2012 Social Workand Social Development: the Role of Social Workers
and the Challenges Faced’. Its purpose is to search forsocial workers’ roles and future directions responding
to the challenges faced in the field of international
development cooperation.

On the basis of its continuous efforts, in December
2011, the KASW joined the UN Global Compact to raisetransparency in operating institutes and lay thefoundations for sustainable management andanti-corruption in the field of social welfare. Joining it,in order to spread the values of human rights, labor,
the environment, and anti-corruption, which are the
UN Global Compact’s four values - and to make a fairer
and more transparent society, in May 2012, the KASW
started in earnest to campaign anti-corruption under
the slogan: ‘Campaign for the National Promise to
Make a Society without Corruption’. On May 24 in thesame year, it banded with the Anti-Corruption Civil
Movement Association to hold a declaration ceremony,‘Campaign for the National Promise to Make a Society
without Corruption’ and it has since been passionate
about the campaign.
Faced with challenges like poverty and climate change,
globally and domestically, with challenges likeeconomical polarization and societal conflict, the
KASW, as a professional organization of social workers,
will observe the UN Global Compact’s 10 principles,and continuously pursue and come up with new
directions for social unification based on a sense ofsocial responsibility.

At the declaration ceremony for the ‘Campaign for the National
Promise to Make a Society without Corruption’4. Commemorative Ceremony - “2012 World Social
Work Day”

Discussions at the Seminar

3. KASW Joining the UN Global Compact andConstructing the Basis for Transparency Raise andAnti-Corruption Campaign
Since it signed an agreement with the Council for the
Korean Pact on Anti-Corruption and Transparency inMarch 2006, the KASW has played a leading role in the
ethical management by social welfare institutes. In
October 2006, it opened the Social Work Ethics
Counseling Center and the Social Work Human Rights
Counseling Center, doing its best to encourage social
workers’ ethical practice. A project, ‘The Education
Project for Strengthening Social Workers’ Capacities
and Raising Transparency in Practice’ implemented
from 2007 to 2009 under the support of theCommunity Chest of Korea, played a key role in the
introduction of ethical management by Korea’s social
welfare institutes.

The KASW, as a member organization of the IFSW, hascelebrated World Social Work Day with other national
associations to commemorate the achievements social
workers. Since 2007 the KASW has held acommemorative ceremony on April 22, that is, Social
Workers Day (Korea) every year. This year, however,it changed the day from April 22 to March 30, on which
the “Act for the Improvement of Treatment and Status
of Social Workers and Others” was passed, to celebrate
our achievement.
In addition to a commemorative ceremony of theSocial Workers Day, the KASW has held an athletic
event for social workers around the country every
year. This year, it celebrated the 6th anniversary of theSocial Workers Day on April 13, and rewarded social
workers who have contributed to the development ofsocial work with the Award of Minister of Health andWelfare, Award of the President of KASW, andHanmaek Grand Social Worker Award. And it held the‘6th Athletic Event for Social Workers’ in order to
IFSW- Newsletter – June 2012- 1

pursue unity among social workers and encourage
pride as a social worker. It was attended by more than
1,000 social workers who enjoyed soccer, relay, andrope skipping in groups. In spite of a rainy day, it wasvery successful. The Gangwon Association of Social
Workers won the flag and prize money in the Soccer
Event for the Flag of Minister of Health and Welfare,which is the highlight of this event.
Furthermore, it held a workshop as a special programof this year, with the theme: “2012 Current Issues andChallenges of International Social Work” which wasattended by social workers working in the field ofinternational cooperation and people who areinterested in international social work. The workshop
was designed to introduce the “Global Agenda on
Social Work and Social Development” which has beenpromoted since 2010, and to encourage Korean social
workers to participate in it. The workshop, held on
March 20, on “World Social Work” was a good
opportunity to report to social workers in Korea theprogress on the promotion of the “Global Agenda on
Social Work and Social Development”, and the trends
and activities of international social work.

Award Recipients of 2012 Social Workers’ Day

6th Athletic Event for Social Workers

Support from KASW Members

Kim, Soo-Jung
Korea Association of Social Workers

Stepping into a New Era - Hong Kong
World Social Work Day 2012
March 20, 2012 marked the fifth year Hong Kong
commemorating World Social Work Day. In addition toorganizing a Forum on the Day, the Organising
Committee also organized a Pre-Forum Conference on
March 3 and a Walkathon on the first day of 2012. In
addition, representative of the Hong Kong Social
Workers Association presented the Local Agenda for
Social Work and Social Development (the Local Agenda)
to the Chief-Executive-Designate of Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, Mr. C Y
Leung, on June 14.
The Local Agenda was jointly prepared by the local
co-organizers of the 2010 Joint World Conference on
Social Work and Social Development in 2010, whenclose to 3000 people from the global social workcommunity came together in Hong Kong to participate
in the first ever Joint World Conference and prepare
the draft Global Agenda.
The Local Agenda reaffirms the inherent value anddignity of human beings, and that social workers are
pioneers and advocates of social development. It
contains the priority actions proposed by more than
300 social workers in areas related to population
ageing, poverty, disability, ethnic diversity, social
protection, community health, family functioning,youth development, sustainable development, user
participation, social work education, social work
professional autonomy, and social welfare services
financing.
Participants at the Pre-Forum Conference prepared alist of recommendations for the incoming HKSAR
Government, building on the Local Agenda and Global
Agenda.
The main theme of the Social Work Day 2012 Forumwas “Social Welfare Planning”. The Director of Social
Welfare officiated at the Forum and then 5 invited
panelists and 250 participants discussed the vision andphilosophy of social welfare development, roles of social
workers and social welfare organizations, and themechanism for planning social welfare services. The
panelists included the heads of Hong Kong Social
Workers Association, Hong Kong Social Workers’
General Union, Hong Kong Council of Social Welfare
and Department of Applied Social Studies of the City
University of Hong Kong. The participants included
representatives of local social work training institutes,
social services organizations, social work students aswell as service user groups.
The efforts of the social work community have seensomeencouraging
achievement.
The
Chief-Executive-Designate, Mr C Y Leung, hascommitted to reinstate a medium and long term social
IFSW- Newsletter – June 2012- 1

welfare planning mechanism, which was suspended
about 15 years ago.
Last but not least, more than 300 people participated in
the 2012 New Year marathon to kick start the Social
Work Day. If you want to know more about thecommemorating events, see the photos and share thespirits, please visit www.socialworkday.org.hk.
Irene Leung Piu YuiHong Kong Association of Social Workers

Podsocs, the Podcast for Social Workers on
the Run – Be a Part of it!
The School of Human Services and Social Work at
Griffith University in Australia is about to launch
Podsocs. The Podsocs initiative, designed for social
workers, practitioners, policy makers, students,
researchers and educators, provides a forum for the
dissemination of the latest research and exploration ofpractice issues across the globe. Podsocs is built on theassertion that social workers are influential andprovides a unique way for this influence to be
expressed. Framed by social justice principles and thevalues of social work, contemporary and sometimes
controversial issues and perspectives are presented by
the Podsocs team.
Podsocs will launch with fifteen podcasts showcasing
the work of researchers and practitioners from
Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Americas and the U.K.
Over time, the Podsocs tendrils will extend to whereversocial work is practised and will include the voices ofthe people with whom we work. The first fifteen
podcasts present conversations on topics such missing
people, adoption, surrogacy, equality, the Social
Workers Act in Malaysia, supervision, street vending
children in Nigeria, and the experiences of people withintellectual disabilities in prison to name a few. New
podcasts on diverse topics will be released at regularintervals.
Podsocs will be launched within the next few weeks
and podcasts will be available at www.podsocs.com
and downloadable via itunes. You’ll also find Podsocs
via Twitter and Facebook. Do you have a topic you
would like to hear about? Would you like to share yourresearch or practice experiences? Need student
resources? If so, check out Podsocs and email the team.
Podsocs will grow and develop with your support andwith contributions from social workers across theglobe. Australian social workers have an added bonus
as listening to Podsocs will attract continuing
professional development points for AASW
accreditation. Bookmark, download and become a
Podsocser!

Malaysia – Gearing up forCompetency-based Child Protection
Practice
The Ministry of Women, Family and Community
Development (MWFCD), the Department of Social
Welfare (DSW), the Malaysian Association of Social
Workers (MASW) and the United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF) are working in partnership to capacity
build social workers for child protection practice, andas supervisors and trainers. UNICEF commissioned Dr
Pauline Meemeduma, Australian Social Work
Consultant with years of experience in child protection
work and expertise in competency-based educationand training, to conduct a series of workshops to train
trainers (TOT) from among social welfare officers,
medical social workers, social work educators andpractitioners
fromnon-government
welfareorganisations.

The first TOT in Foundational Child Protection
Practice was held in May 2011 followed by a Teaching
Lab in September 2011. The second TOT in TertiaryChild Protection Services was conducted in June 2012.
In addition, Pauline has also trained social workers inunderstanding and implementation of the National
Competency Standards to prepare social workers forthe regulation and licensure of practice when the
proposed Social Workers Act is enacted and enforcedin the near future.

To reinforce learning and teaching skills, MASW has
undertaken the task of facilitating practice labs forthese trainers in 2011 and 2012, and will continue tosupport all efforts at enhancing competent practice.
Elsie Lee
Vice-President
Malaysian Association of Social Workers

IFSW- Newsletter – June 2012- 1

A Report on World Social Work Day fromJapan

UPCOMING EVENTS…

International Conferences

Commemorating the East Japan Earthquake
11 March 2011: Learning from Experienceand Planning for Mid and Long-term Support
2nd World Social Work Conference on Social Workand Social Development, Stockholm, Sweden
8th – 12th July 2012

On March 25, 2012, Japan celebrated World Social
Work Day. Japanese Coordinating Body for IFSWMembership, Social Care Service Staff Members
Association, Administrators’ Association of JapaneseSocial Work Schools and Japanese Association of
Schools of Social Workers organized a social event
commemorating the East Japan Earthquake day, 11
March 2011 which occurred one year ago. According
to Japanese Police Agency report, 15,854 lives werelost, 26,992 were injured, and 3,155 people are missing
across twenty prefectures.

Social workers gathered at this event acknowledgedthat the people and the areas affected have not fully
recovered, and mid and long-term support is muchneeded. Some of the recommendations resulting fromthis World Social Work Day event are 1) setting up
disaster social work stations, and 2) establishingdisaster medical assistance teams.
Mariko Kimura
for the Japanese Coordinating Body for IFSWJointly promoted by the International Association of
Schools of Social Work, the International Council on
Social Welfare and the International Federation ofSocial Workers, the Conference will have three main
themes - human rights and social equality,
environmental change and sustainable social
development, and global social transformation andsocial action.
Website: http://www.swsd-stockholm-2012.org

Strengths Based Practice in Social Work andHuman Services Conference, Kathmandu,
Nepal, 22nd – 24th November 2012
The conference invites practitioners to reflect onstrengthening individuals, groups, communities, andorganisations. Medium is Posters, Multimedia andPapers in that order. All contributions Peer refereed.
Organized by: Brisbane Institute of Strengths Based
Practice
Deadline for abstracts/proposals: 30th July 2012
Website: http://www.strengthsbasedpractice.com.au
Contact person: Kimberley Lloyd-Jones.

7th International Conference on Social Work in
Health and Mental Health, Los Angeles, California
23rd – 27th June 2013
The theme for the Conference is “Research to Practice:Completing the Circle”.
Hosted by the USC School of Social Work and Los
Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Southern
California, USA.
Website: http://pathways2013.com

IFSW- Newsletter – June 2012- 1

15th – 17th May 2013

Regional Conferences

3rd

Conference in Advancing Social Work Series:
Improving Practice Competencies in Education and
Mentoring, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
16th – 17th July 2012
Organised by the Faculty of Social Sciences (Social
Work Programme), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak(UNIMAS), Kuching, Malaysia
The conference is aiming to strengthen the working
relationship between those in the field and trainers, so
the next generation of social workers are wellequipped to deal with contemporary practice issues. It
also aims to encourage a strong mentoring culture
within the work setting – a traditional core area ofprofessional practice which it is timely to revive. It isthrough education and supervision that the profession
will achieve the levels of competencies expected of it by
the proposed Social Workers Act and by the public weserve.
Website: http://www.ciasw.unimas.my11th International Narrative Therapy andCommunity Work Conference, Adelaide, Australia
6th – 8th March 2013
Come and join national and international practitioners
in exploring thoughtful and diverse forms of narrative
therapy and collective narrative practice. Relevant tothose working with individuals, families, groups andcommunities, this event will interweave practice,theory and politics. It will invite practitioners toconsider links between therapy, community work, andthe creative/performing arts. Past conferences havebeen in Brazil, Hong Kong, Liverpool, Atlanta, Norway,
and Mexico.

IFSW Asia Pacific Regional
Working Group
President:
John Ang (Singapore)Member-at-Large: Mariko Kimura (Japan)
Secretary:
Rose Henderson (New
Zealand)Treasurer:
Michiko Hirata (Japan)
Members:
Irene Leung Pui Yiu(Hong Kong)
Sung-Kyung Kang
(Korea)Elsie Lee (Publications
Secretary, Malaysia)
Ng Shui Lai (Human
Rights, Hong Kong)
Richard Hugman (Ethics
Representative,
Australia)
Regional Advisor: Justina Leung(Immediate Past
President, Hong Kong)

Editor: Elsie Lee (Malaysia)
Layout: Jodi Johnstone (Australia)
Publisher: Griffith University for IFSW Asia
Pacific Region (Australia)

It will coincide with the World Music Festival
WOMADelaide, the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and the
Adelaide Festival of the Arts. There are pre-conference
workshops on March 4 and 5. More information on
www.dulwichcentre.com.au.
To be officially announced soon…
2013 Asia Pacific Social Work Regional Conference
Philippines

IFSW- Newsletter – June 2012- 1