:::
Developmental Social Work
In the past, social welfare in Taiwan focused on providing tangible services for the underprivileged. However, this approach often neglected the political, economic, policy and cultural changes in society. Although providing these services can fulfil urgent needs of the service users, it does little to increase the users’ adaptability and competitiveness, nor can it effectively increase the connectivity between individuals and their family and communities. In addition, it fails to build a successful support network for the
disadvantaged.
In order to meet the needs of the users, Eden Social Welfare Founfation began introducing the concepts and skills of “developmental social work” proposed by James Midgley, an American authority on social welfare. Professor Midgley’s theory emphasizes the importance of social investment in professional practice. He believes that client strengths and capabilities need to be augmented with public resources and services, so that service receivers can lead productive and fulfilling lives.
In 2013, Eden Social Welfare Foundation started hosting Workshops, Forums, International Conferences, Exchage and Chinese Publication.
Eden Social Welfare Foundation honor that Dr. Julian Chow from the School of Sociology, University of Berkley and Department of Social Work, National Taiwan University, to have accepted our invitation and came to speak to us. He was our keynote speaker and helped Eden using theories and practices from developmental social work in our work to design proactive and creative service projects in order to meet the needs of the society.
Professor Julian Chow (middle) with Eden’s professional team
Social workers have inevitably started encountering many new challenges. From past experiences, Eden Social Welfare Foundation has reached the conclusion that economically underprivileged individuals, families and communities are most vulnerable to such changes. On the other hand, it is this group of people who demonstrate great strength when facing hardships.
