INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS COMMITEE REPORT DUBLIN 2018
IASSW Board Meeting, version 9 June 2018

Members of the committee: David McNabb (chair), Teresa Bertotti, Zulkarnain A. Hatta, Raymond  Kloppenburg, Linda Kreitzer, Karene-Anne Nathaniel-DeCaires, Letnie Rock, Ute Straub.

1. Financial assessment
The amount spent on international projects in 2017 was USD9,500 as of 30 October with a budget of USD15,500.  The expenditure for 2016 was USD14,054.  We had the delay in setting the budget in 2017 until the middle of the year which delayed the spending of funds.  

Our budget for 2018 is USD14,000.  Our estimated spend will be USD17,650 which is over the budget however projects do sometimes not proceed or are delayed beyond 2018.  The discussion in Zagreb indicated a willingness to catch up on low spending in 2017 and return value to members through this fund.  We are supporting 7 new projects in 2018 along with a smaller grant for a Japan based project.  

This chart shows the current funding commitments to 5 ongoing projects, the 7 new projects and the small grant.

2. Running projects

Running projects as at June 2018
Project	Coordinator	Countries	
Building Networks and Frameworks for Global Social Work Education.

July 2016-June 2018	Dr Trinh Mai, University of Utah, USA & Dr Janet Anand, University of Eastern Finland, Finland.
	USA, Finland, India, Austria.	
Advancing Pacific social work education.

July 2016-January 2019	Dr Tracie Mafile’o, Massey University, New Zealand.
	New Zealand, Australia, Fiji.	
A Trans-national Collaborative Research: 
Rights-based Social Work Practice in Southeastern Europe.

Jan 2018-December 2019	Dr. Erika Bejko, University of Tirana, Albania & Dr. Vjollca Krasniqi, University of Prishtina, Kosovo.
	Bosnia and Herze-govina,   
Albania, Kosovo, USA, Croatia.
	
Collaboration for Inter-national field practicum for Social Work education in support of elderly care in Nigeria.

Sept 2017-Jan 2019	Dr Uzo Anucha, York University, Canada & 
Dr Augusta Y Olaore, Babcock University, Nigeria	Nigeria, Canada, USA, South Africa.
	
Developing Social Work Education and Practice in Malawi.

Sept 2017-Jan 2019	Dr. Janet Walker, University of Lincoln, England.
	England, Malawi.
	
Japanese international forum.

Jan 2018	Ms Kana Matsuo, 
Asian Research Institute for International Social Work, Shukutoku University, Japan	Japan	
In the time of urgent political conflicts: Post-election training and empowerment of community leaders, social workers, and social transformers for peace and social cohesion in Kenya, South Africa and the United States.

May 2018-January 2019	Bro Jonas Yawovi Dzinekou, Catholic Univ of Eastern Africa, Nairobi, Kenya.

	Kenya, South Africa and the United States	
Integrating the human rights of sexual and gender minorities into social work education: A leadership and knowledge synthesis project.

Feb 2018-January 2019	Dr Trish Hafford-Letchfield, Middlesex University, London, UK.
	UK, NZ, Colombia, Canada	
The Development of a Global Partnership to Further Social Work Education, Practice and Research in International Military Social Work (IMilSW).

June 2018-December 2019	Dr Mary Ann Forgey, 
Fordham University, NY, USA
	USA, Ukraine, Australia	
Strengthening Social Work Field Education in Ethiopia 

June 2018-January 2020	Dr Bekele Molla, 
University of Gondar, Ethiopia.
	Ethiopia, USA	
Lived experience of young people after they leave care homes/ centers to live independently in Vietnam.

April 2018-December 2019	Dr Hoa Thi Nguyen, 
Unitec Institute of Technology, New Zealand.
	NZ, Vietnam, Ireland	
Cross-fertilising Bush Adventure Therapy and Contemporary Green Perspectives within Social Work Education.

June 2018-January 2020	Dr Amanda Smith, 
Griffith University, Australia.
	Australia, USA, Canada, Taiwan (associate)	
Critical reflection on incorporating emerging global human rights issues in social work education: A comparison between Hong Kong and Canada.

June 2018-January 2020	Dr Maria Cheung, 
University of Manitoba, Canada.
	Canada, Hong Kong	

3. Application deadline 2018 
The next application dead line is proposed for November 30, 2018.  

4. Visibility of the projects on the IASSW website and in Social Dialogue
Material from the International projects is published on the IASSW website, where international projects have their own space. Summaries of good quality reports may be considered for publication in Social Dialogue magazine, as well as presentation of best projects with interviews of project coordinators and/or participants. 
5. Concerns
The global coverage of International projects is related to the membership coverage. New members have joined IASSW in the process of project planning. We have to pay continuous attention to the recruitment of IASSW memberships, applications and partnerships especially from those regions which have not yet been much involved in IASSW projects, like Latin America, Northern Africa, and Vietnam from the Asia-Pacific region, just to mention a few. It looks like school representatives from many countries especially in Latin American countries think that their schools are IASSW members, when the schools are members of their regional association. The implementation of the new plans to restructure the relations between regional associations and IASSW will help to clarify the membership issues to the applicants.

Respectfully submitted, 

David McNabb, 
Chair of the International Projects Committee

10 June 2018

Appendix
Completed projects from January 2011 to December 2017
Completed projects in 2011: 
1.Introducing the implications of political conflict to social work within social work education: a curriculum development initiative. Coordinator, Prof. Shula Ramon of Anglia Ruskin University, UK. (2009–2011). Five countries.
2. Students’ Perceptions of International Social Work: A Comparative Study in the USA, UK, and Georgia. Coordinator Assistant Professor Marina Lalayants, Hunter College School of Social Work, USA. 2009‒2011. USA, UK, Georgia. 
3. Forensic social work: formulation of political-pedagogical directives and instruments for the training of social workers in the south cone. 2009–2011. 
4. Collecting practical knowledge in the centres of social work in Pristine: producing knowledge for an evidence-based social work study. 2008‒2011.
5. Applications of Global standards for education development by IASSW – a ten years’ perspective. 2010–2011.
Completed projects in 2012:
6. 	Developing the Capacity for Teaching Excellence in Social Work and Social Development in Ethiopia. Coordinator professor Margaret E. Adamek, Indiana University, USA. 2009–2012. USA (two schools), Ethiopia.
7. 	WAFE: Working with adults who are vulnerable – a comparison of curricula, policies and constructions. Coordinator Professor Jonathan Parker, Bournemouth University, UK. ‒2012. China/Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Austria, Kuwait, USA.
8. 	Translating global perspectives on health inequalities research into social work education – a Pacific Rim perspective. Coordinator Professor Rosalie Pocket, University of Sydney. 2011–2012. UK, South Korea, Australia. 
9.	An Exploration of Int. Innovation in Service User Involvement Across Three Countries, Coordinator Joe Duffy, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland. 2011‒2012. Northern Ireland, Spain, Slovenia.
Completed projects in 2013
10.	What and How Do We Teach, and How Do We Learn? A Mutual Project of Social Work Faculty from Asia, Middle East & Europe Countries, Coordinator Oritt Nuttman-Shwartz, Sapir College. Israel. 2013‒2013. Israel, India, Ethiopia, Germany, USA.
Completed projects in 2014
11.	Strangers at home and abroad: Teaching about migration in social work. Coordinator Mimi V. Chapman, University of North Carolina, USA. 2011‒2014. USA, China/two schools.
12.	A comparative study on perspectives on non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors of social work students in USA, Cyprus, & Jordan. Implications for social work practice and curriculum, coordinator Efrosine Kokaliari, School of Social Work, Springfield College, USA. 2011‒2014. USA, Cyprus, Jordan.
13.	Rights practice in the biosphere, Coordinator Susan Bailey, School of Population Health, University of Western Australia. 2011‒2014. Australia, Hong Kong, Quatar.
14.	Building Social Work Education Capacity in Ethiopia through an International Travel and Study, Coordinator Alice K. Butterfield, University of Illinois at Chicago, Jane Addams College of Social Work, USA. 2011‒2014. USA, Ethiopia.
15.	Social work development through North/South dialogue in teaching and practice research, Coordinator Aina Lian Flem, Sør Trøndelag University college, Faculty of Health Education and Social Work, Norway. 2013–2014. Zambia, Sweden, Norway.
16.	Exchange and Collaboration on MSW Curriculum, Content, and Teaching Innovations between China and the United States, Coordinator Li Xu, School of Ethnology and Sociology, South Central University of Nationalities, the People’s Republic of China. 2013–2014. China/two schools, USA.
17.	Teaching International Social Work to students across the globe using online technology. Coordinator: Terry Lum, University of Hong Kong together with Cindy Davis, University of Tennessee, College of Social Work, USA. 2013–2014. China, South Africa, Australia/two schools, USA.

Completed projects in 2015
18.	Southeast Europe (SEE) academic women’s leadership initiative, coordinator: Sanela Sadic, University of Sarajevo, Department of Social Work, Bosnia and Herzegovina July 2014–January 2015. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, USA.
19.	Developing and disseminating a new masters social work program on women and families in China. Coordinator: Tuula Heinonen, Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba, Canada. April 2013–April 2015. Canada, China, Finland.
20.	Where knowledge, social work and social policy meet: A cross-national perspective on the involvement of social work academics in social policy. Coordinator John Gal, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. January 2014‒June 2015. Israel, Portugal, U.K, Puerto Rico.
21.	Building a comparative perspective on media representation of social work: the first step. Coordinator Brian Littlechild, University of Hertfordshire, U.K. January 2014–October 2015. U.K., Germany (2 schools), Italy.
22.	Enhancing social work field education through international collaboration:  A pilot project in Central China. Coordinators Dr. Fei Sun, School of Social Work, Arizona State University and Dr. Meirong Liu, School of Social work at Howard University. December 2013–December 2015. USA (two schools), China.

Completed projects in 2016
23.	Cross-national community practice: Schools of Social Work and Social Transformation in Kenya, South Africa, and the United States. Coordinator Joyce Shim, PhD, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Social Work, Dominican University, IL, USA. September 2015–March 2016. USA, Kenya, South Africa.
24.	Promoting a developmental approach to social work education in Southern and East Africa.  An assessment of the appropriateness of the fieldwork education component of the social work curriculum. Coordinator Prof. Mel Gray, The School of Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia. January 2016 – December 2016. Botswana, Australia.
25.	Building Knowledge and Skills of Social Work Faculty in Reducing Community vulnerability and exposure to disasters. 2014–2017. Project was not completed and did not get its final payment with their being no concluding report.  Dr. Bala Raju Nikku, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia and Nepal School of Social Work. Malaysia, India, Idonesia, U.K.

Projects completed in 2017
26.	The Experience of Transnational Migration:  The Effects of Separation on Individuals and Families. Jan 2014-May 2015, extended to May 2017. Laura A. Lewis, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, Director of Field Education, Co-director of the Institute for Sustainable Global Engagement, School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, NY, USA. USA, Republic of Moldova.
27.	International Social Work Education Exchange Project: Complexities of HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean and the United States. January 2016–May 2017. Assistant Professor Tamarah Moss, PhD, MPH MSW, Howard University, School of Social Work, NW, Washington, DC, USA. Barbados, The Bahamas and USA.
28.	Comparative Community Practice: MSW Curriculum Development in Ecuador, Mexico, and the United States. July 2016, October 2017. Dr Ing. Fabricio Guevara Viejo, Universidad Estatal de Milagro, Ecuador. Countries: Ecuador, Mexico, USA.
29.