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Antoinette Lombard, André Viviers, The Micro–Macro Nexus: Rethinking the Relationship between Social Work, Social Policy and Wider Policy in a Changing World, The British Journal of Social Work, Volume 50, Issue 8, December 2020, Pages 2261–2278, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcaa180
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Abstract
To remain relevant in a rapidly changing society, social work must ensure that policies respond timeously and justly to mitigate the impact of continuous change on individuals, families, communities and the wider society. This requires rethinking social work’s role in shaping policy in a broader context to address a new order, going beyond social welfare and social policy. In this conceptual article, the authors argue that to be relevant in the twenty-first century, social work has to adopt a transformative social policy approach, including policy advocacy. Furthermore, social work should contribute to policy transformation at the micro–macro nexus, where social justice can be promoted at the local and global, the personal and political levels. Policy transformation for just societies promotes economic prosperity and environmental sustainability; hence, social work must embrace a developmental approach embedded in a human rights-based framework that contributes to sustainable development. Social work education plays a critical role in preparing graduates to transform policy through advocacy practice and critical pedagogy. The article concludes that social work needs to expand its role from predominantly focusing on social policy to a wider policy scope that embraces social, economic and environmental justice which contributes to sustainable development.
