Anticipatory Social Work

Abstract

Abstract Dealing with a rapidly changing world is the purview of all professions. Nowhere is this more true than those dealing with well-being, social change, justice, and equity. What is the future of social work as a profession, and how should social work prepare for (and help to shape) what comes next? This book asserts that social work faces a series of vital turning points for its own future including (as examples) aspects of artificial intelligence and technology in our shared world, the impacts of climate change on human well-being, and the evolution of equity work to include new dimensions based on an emerging and changing political landscape. These relate to new kinds of practice challenges—and mutations of old ones. It includes such features as: actively and imaginatively considering scenarios of what the future may hold; exploring signals of change in our shared world; upending assumptions about what may/may not happen in the future; assisting communities to prepare for the unexpected; engaging in constant power analysis regarding who defines what is and isn’t possible in the future; and democratizing the ways in which collective imagination and even a sense of play can guide planning for the future. It includes an overview and history of foresight, methods, and tools, a practice template to provide guidance and put ideas into action, and explicit ideas of how social workers can become more “future ready” in their work. It aims to help social workers intentionally help move the profession forward on purpose.

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