Introduction

Social work has had a tradition of being concerned with international issues (Addams, 2002; Salomon, 1937; Dominelli, 2000). But it has only recently begun to worry about theorising its posItIOn as an international ising discipline within a global economy (Dominelli, 1998). Rising to the occasion will present quite a challenge to practitioners because their remit has traditionally been locality based. Social workers have been guided in their practice by local customs, traditions and legislative frameworks (Dominelli, 2000). This has been apparent in the literature where even a journal like the International Social Work has focused on reporting on activities within particular countries.