ABSTRACT
Reflections on the changing nature of social work against the backdrop of increasing transnationality have given rise to new conceptualizations of social work, reflected in the emerging field of transnational social work. Transnational social work critiques conventional social work for its narrow local and sedentary focus, which contrasts with the mobile and/or transnational lives of service users and the transnational nature of several current concerns of the profession. It also offers a critical perspective on cultural norms and belonging, both in societies and within social work. Existing research in this area focuses on practices, models and methods for transnational work and the role of cross-border movements of ideas, people and resources in shaping welfare institutions and social policy. Drawing on fieldwork evidence on the response of formal social work organizations and informal social protection systems to transnational issues and target groups, I argue that social work in Belgium is in a state of transition from nationally embedded social work frameworks to more complex transnational approaches, but that this transition is not occurring evenly across the sector.
