Global mobility of social workers
Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
The processes and practices of global mobility of social workers are often broadly termed either international social work or transnational social work, although each has a different focus. The former connotes a professional international action in times of crises, whereas the latter implies labour mobility for professional practice in other jurisdictions. Labour mobility is facilitated both by immigration policies favouring qualified professionals and globalized recruitment strategies. Relocation offers monetary and career enhancement for transnational social workers (TSWs), while host countries benefit from recruiting ready-to-serve qualified professionals. However, the absence of a profession-wide transition programme in host countries may produce unique challenges for TSWs in terms of credentialling and orientating to social, cultural, policy, and practice contexts. Although there are no international regulatory bodies, the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW) and International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) are global organizations that facilitate the internationally entangled aspects of social work.
Keywords
transnational social work, international social work, labour mobility, professional migration, social work regulation, workforce mobility
Document Type
Book Chapter
Date of Publication
6-16-2026
E-ISSN
9781035310234
Publication Title
Elgar Encyclopedia of Social Work
Publisher
Edward Elgar Publishing
School
School of Arts and Humanities
RAS ID
99631
ISBN
9781035310227
Copyright
subscription content
Recommended Citation
Peter, S., & Bartley, A. (2026). Global mobility of social workers. In C. Fouché & L. Beddoe (Eds.), Elgar encyclopedia of social work (pp. 51-53). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035310234.00025