Abstract for presentation at Global Social Work 2004

This workshop is presented by a group of social and community workers from Fiji who work in a variety of settings. Participants in the workshop will be given the opportunity to explore the practice of social and community work and to understand its key role in social change and in building capacity in both rural and urban communities. The fields of practice to be described are:social work in the Department of Social Welfare and statutory agencies; community development; poverty alleviation; cyclone relief; justice work; residential work with young people. Key themes will include:the function of social work education in institutional strengthening and capacity building; strategic planning as a tool for social change; the role of professional social work associations in developing workforce capacity; and the relationships between government and non-government organisations and their role in capacity-building.