Social work has long been recognized as a profession aligned with feminist principles and values, historically led by women and characterized by advocacy for women's and other minority rights, particularly in Western contexts.
However, in Georgia, social workers face numerous challenges that impede their professional growth, ability to advocate for themselves and their beneficiaries, and capacity to support vulnerable populations effectively. These obstacles are both institutional and non-institutional in nature, encompassing issues such as inadequate compensation, workplace discrimination, intersectional discrimination, limited access to policy-making processes. These factors, among others, collectively hinder the ability of social workers in Georgia to fully realize their professional potential and effectively serve their communities.
The conference ‘Social Workers in the Process of Social Change’, the first conference in Georgia addressing the challenges faced by the social workers’ in the process of advocacy focused on highlighting the critical role of social workers in policy reform and discussions on higher level of engagement of social workers in the law-making process. The hybrid event brought together social workers from across Georgia, enabling the exchange of local experiences and perspectives. During the conference the key topics addressed were:
- Social worker involvement in legislation;
- Advocacy for social service development/improvement;
- Trade union activities and labor rights advocacy;
- Feminist perspectives in social work.
Moreover, four scholarly papers addressing the conference's key themes were selected through a competitive open call. The authors presented the papers at the conference and have subsequently been published on Google Scholar, ensuring open access and broad dissemination to the academic community and general public.