This dissertation focuses on how supportive neighbourhood structures for children and their families can be fostered. Supportive structures can positively influence social support for parents, and have positive outcomes, such as increased social competences, for children. Since the 90s there has been increasing attention for the role of communities for supporting families in neighbourhoods. Social work (SW) professionals at schools, playgrounds, community centres, and other community members (e.g. volunteers, other parents, grandparents) are seen as important partners to foster these social supportive structures in neighbourhoods. However, in informal urban settings, like the neighbourhood, this role is challenging. Knowledge about the role in and responsibilities for fostering these structures is lacking, but is important for the development of these supportive structures for families. Five consecutive studies were conducted to gain a better understanding of what is needed to foster supportive structures in neighbourhoods in order to improve the outcomes for children and their families.
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After the arrival of refugees in the Netherlands, many citizens wanted to act and help the social inclusion of refugees. Community initiatives emerged where some of the initiatives even grew into potential Social Enterprises. In this research we investigated the main issues initiatives around refugees encounter when growing into a social enterprise (RQ1). Through the organization of learning networks we gathered data form initiatives who were currently in this process. The two main issues that arose were making a good business model and in what way impact can be measured when the impact area is the social inclusion of refugees. Our second research question (RQ2) investigated in what way the social initiatives help refugees in their social inclusion process. For this research question we interviewed refugees whom where involved with one of the initiatives participating in our research. Our main findings are that the participants in this research are all trying to take control over their lives, learning how to make a change and are trying to achieve a life that is good for them. They attributed various benefits to their active participation in the initiatives. They all mention that they met new people, that the people who started the initiative were very helpful and that they liked participating.
This article considers how lecturers can use human rights education as a core element of preparing students for professional social work practice. This paper is based on a symposium held at the EASSW conference in Madrid 2019 which was hosted by members of an interest group of lecturers, from Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland. The symposium elaborated on the interest groups action plan: ‘Human Rights, turning words into action’. The group posit that the application of human rights in social work practice should follow the rights and interests of service-users. The challenge for educators is that that in the first instance, students must learn about human rights instruments and enforcement mechanisms and then they must be schooled about the discursive, dialogical and democratic particularity of rights. Ignoring this character of human rights risks reducing rights to a technical debate. This article reflects on some of the difficulties, pitfalls and drawbacks that we have encountered, and some of the critiques of current human rights structures. The aim is to try to develop a ‘practice of critique’ and propose a strategic human rights agenda for professional social work education and practice.
