A call for ecosocial community work: challenges and possibilities for ecosocial work in local neighbourhoods in Sweden
Elvi Chang, Stefan Sjöberg, Päivi Turunen, Komalsingh Rambaree
Abstract
Over the past few decades, there has been a renewed interest in integrating a broader environmental perspective in social work, emphasising the interrelation and interaction between social and environmental perspectives within the field. This renewed interest has, among other things, been conceptualised as ecosocial work. Ecosocial work promotes a critical examination of the socio-ecological relationship. In the European context, some issues that ecosocial work addresses are framed in relation to sustainable development (SD), with an emphasis on the meso- and macro-levels, including community work and social policies. However, there are still limited European social work studies on how ecosocial work is understood, promoted, and practised at different levels. Based on two focus group discussions, this study explores how the municipal social services and social units in Gävle, Sweden, (1) promote youth health and well-being in their local communities, and (2) perceive challenges and possibilities of enhancing ecosocial work practices within the framework of SD. This study highlights how municipal social workers and other social service providers can contribute to the understanding and promotion of ecosocial community work perspectives in contemporary social work.