ABSTRACT

This article explores the findings of a qualitative study comparing social work and human service practice with people who have sought asylum in Germany and Australia. Globally social workers are concerned with the record high of people forcibly displaced worldwide and the Global North host-nations’ increasingly hostile, discriminatory and restrictive policies towards people seeking asylum. This policy context is antithetical to the professional values of social workers and human services practitioners. The findings of this study reveal how the policy directly impacts social work and human service practice, creates unique ethical challenges and dilemmas and, subsequently, diverse practice responses. The paper also suggests that the country of practice influences how practitioners perceive and respond to ethical challenges and dilemmas. Through doing so, the findings challenge traditional understandings of critical practice theories that suggest that practice focused solely on the individual level is inadequate for work with people seeking asylum. Due to the diversity of contexts and their influences, we encourage social work and human services to view practice on a personal-political continuum when working with people seeking asylum.

摘要

本文探讨了一项定性研究的结果，该研究将社会工作和人类服务实践与在德国和澳大利亚寻求庇护的人进行了比较。全球社会工作者关注世界范围内被迫流离失所的人数创历史新高，以及北半球东道国对寻求庇护者越来越敌视、歧视和限制性的政策。这种政策背景与社会工作者和人类服务从业者的专业价值观背道而驰。这项研究的结果揭示了该政策如何直接影响社会工作和人类服务实践，创造独特的道德挑战和困境，以及随后的多样化实践反应。该论文还表明，执业国家会影响从业者如何看待和应对道德挑战和困境。通过这样做，研究结果挑战了批判实践理论的传统理解，这些理论认为仅关注个人层面的实践不足以与寻求庇护的人一起工作。由于环境及其影响的多样性，我们鼓励社会工作和人类服务在与寻求庇护的人合作时从个人政治连续体上看待实践。