Newsletter July 2010

Gary Bailey has been elected president of the IFSW



The General Meeting of the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) has elected Gary Bailey, a professor at the Simmons School of Social Work in Boston, as their new President. Gary Bailey is the first African-American president to serve as president of the IFSW.

As IFSW president, Bailey said he plans to focus on the implementation of the agenda developed at the 2010 Joint World Conference in Hong Kong on Social Work and Social Development. Among the agenda items are ensuring that social work has an influential role in responding to the global economic crisis impacting people; identifying and clearly articulating key issues, such as the impact of racism, other forms of oppression, social injustice and other human rights violations around the world; and working to ensure that the significant contributions of social work are recognized and celebrated.

“Social work, both at the local and global level provides a major contribution to solving human problems, supporting people facing immense difficulties and challenges, promoting peace and positive human relationships, yet this is largely unknown,” said Bailey, who previously served as a member of the IFSW Executive committee, and more recently, chaired the Policy, Advocacy and Representation Commission.

Gary Bailey is an award-winning professor in the Simmons School of Social Work who has played top leadership roles in his field. A highly sought after trainer and consultant, Bailey specializes in elder and family housing program developments; issues related to diversity, social justice and human rights; board development; and working with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) communities. He is chairman of the National Social Work Public Education Campaign, which educates key stakeholders about the importance of the social work profession. Bailey is past president of the National Association of Social Workers-USA (NASW) and was named Social Workers of the Year by both the national and Massachusetts NASW. He is also a past president of the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts (AAC) Board of Directors. In June 2010 he was selected as one of 25 people who have made a difference in Massachusetts in the fight against HIV/AIDS and whose contributions to the fight against AIDS over the last two-and-a-half decades have been invaluable.

As the first African-American president of IFSW he said he is used to “firsts” and described his heritage as a major factor in his achievements. He noted that as the great-grandson of slaves, and as the son of parents who worked under very difficult and harsh conditions in the south, Bailey learned both the need and the obligation to help others. He ended his address with his favorite quote by Tagore: “I dreamt of joy. I acted and behold, service was my joy.”




Ambitious global Agenda to promote social work and social development was welcomed by the World Conference in Hong Kong

An ambitious global process to develop and promote a global action agenda for social work and social development was endorsed by the 3 leading global organisations on social work and social development on 14 June 2010 in Hong Kong, China. It was welcomed by more than 2,000 delegates to the 2010 world conference on social work and social development.





IFSW General Meeting lays foundation for active two year programme to support and promote social work across the world

The biennial General Meeting of the International Federation of Social Workers ended in Hong Kong on Wednesday 18th June 2010 with the election of Gary Bailey (USA) as President and a strong plan of action for the coming 2 years. The next General Meeting will be in Stockholm in July 2012.



World Social Work Conference opens with UN recognition of crucial role of Social Workers

The world conference of social work and social development opened in Hong Kong on 10 June with a commitment by the 3 global organisations representing social work and social development to work together to develop a shared global agenda and action programme to promote social development and social justice. In the grand opening ceremony the commitment to do this was warmly endorsed by the more than 2,500 conference participants from 113 countries.

The opening ceremony included a warm welcome from Henry Ying-yen Tang, Chief Secretary for Administration in the government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Mr Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs at the United Nations, making the keynote address, emphasised the global significance of the conference for the UN and the world. He issued a call to action to social workers and professional organisations and for partnership between IFSW, IASSW and ICSW and United Nations.



IFSW attacks cuts in Social Work budgets

Social workers around the world are very angry to see social budgets being cut to as a result of the bank bail-outs of recent years’, said David N Jones, IFSW Immediate Past President addressing the opening ceremony of the world conference on social work and social development in Hong Kong on 10 June 2010.

IFSW activity on show at the World Conference in Hong Kong

IFSW activity is being showcased in a number of activities at the world conference on social work and social development in Hong Kong.

All the pre-conference seminars were sold-out, with packed and engaged participants.

The IFSW and IASSW joint committee on ethics led a discussion forum on the consultation on ethical principles. This has been running for 4 years and will result in a debate and discussion at the IFSW and IASSW General Meetings in the days after the conference in Hong Kong.



Human Rights Website release

A new Human Rights Website has been released by IFSW and IASSW during the 2010 Joint World Conference in Hong Kong. The Human Rights Website provides practical guidance and examples to help social workers practice dilemmas.

The website includes not only theoretical analysis but practical case examples from different regions to help social workers to think through key areas of practice.

“The website aims to be a living and regularly updated resource and social workers are invited to provide comments and feedback” said Ruth Stark, IFSW Human Rights Commissioner.

The structure and content of the website was introduced at a sale-out preconference workshop on human rights held by two organisations. Small groups discussed different examples of human rights violations and reported about their experiences. Most of the participating social workers are working alongside people facing human rights violations.

The protection of human rights will be a key issue in the Agenda that will be proclaimed at the end of the conference. The webpage aims to contribute to the further agenda building progress leading into the 2012 World Conference in Stockholm.



IFSW past President and social worker Imelda Dodds, appointed new Chief Executive Officer of the New South Wales(NSW) Trustee and Guardian

It was announced today in Sydney Australia that Imelda Dodds has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the NSW Trustee and Guardian (NSWTG) commencing 1 July 2010. Imelda has been acting in the role for the past year and has demonstrated strong leadership and dedication.

The NSW Trustee and Guardian bring together two former significant departments. The Office of the Protective Commissioner and Public Guardian which exist to promote the rights and interests of people with disabilities through the practice of guardianship, substituted financial management, advocacy and education. The Guardianship Tribunal appoints the NSW Trustee and Guardian as financial manager and or guardian of last resort and then acts as a substitute decision-maker for people under Tribunal orders. The former Public Trustee exists to provide accessible Wills, estate administration, Executorships, Power of Attorney and Trustee services. The NSWTG is part of the NSW Department of Justice and Attorney General.


Call for papers

Social workers from Africa are invited to reflect on
The Heart of Justice: Social Work Innovations in Africa
For more details click here.
The deadline for submissions is July 30, 2010.






Follow IFSW on twitter

IFSW is now on twitter. You are invited to follow the IFSW on our twitter site.