Social Work in Northern Ireland

Book excerpt: Over the past 40 years, social work in Northern Ireland has been responsive to a number of changing contexts and environments. Throughout 'the Troubles,' social workers had to develop methods of ensuring services were delivered in spite of the surrounding violence and civil disturbance. At the same time, they developed imaginative and creative new services in response to needs and demands. This book outlines the historical development of social work in Northern Ireland, looking at what has been achieved and analyzing the challenges for the future. It considers the role of social work in a society emerging from conflict, facing demographic, technological, and economic changes. Social work in Northern Ireland has been dismissed by policy makers and academics as unique, special, or different, and therefore not worthy of attention. This book demonstrates that international audiences have much to learn from the social work response to a changing political landscape.