Adapting Social Work for a Changing Planet

The planet upon which human life depends is changing, of that there is no doubt. The most recent UN IPCC report announced a ‘code red’ for humanity, and this past year’s extreme weather events across the world, including Europe and North America, make it clear that climate change and environmental degradation impact all peoples in all parts of the world, albeit differently.

Operating at the interface of policy and community, social work understands the complex concerns that must be considered in environmental adaptation planning. This understanding is made clear in the growing international scholarship foregrounding the natural environment in social work. Social work in Scotland, however, has been slow to join the conversations and action is needed. We know many practitioners are interested in adopting an environmentally aware approach to practice but feel they lack both the knowledge of how to do so and guidance from policy makers. In the shadow of COP26, Adapting Social Work brings together social work practitioners and policymakers interested in discussing what a social work response to changing environments might consist of. The event provides a platform to engage with international and local scholarship and action, and to consider together how this work might inform social work responses in Scotland’s various geographies and contexts. Adapting Social Work for a Changing Planet is organized by the Social Work Futures? research group based in Glasgow Caledonian University, and is hosted by Lambhill Stables, a community-based organisation who work with the wider North Glasgow Community in and through environment.

Contributors include:

  • Professor Susan Kemp, Professor and Director of Social Work, The University of Auckland
  • Gillian Dick - Connecting Nature

Logistics

When: Thursday 21st October 2021

This day-long online event from 10am to 4pm will take place at Lambhill Stables.

Registration: You can register for the event online.

Contacts

This event is organised by the Social Work Futures? Research Group at Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland. For more information, please email: