28-29.11.2024, Ljubljana: Prof. Vesna Leskosek – CESPASWON contact person from the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana organised a symposium “Life Course and Everyday Life of Older People Living in Poverty”. One of the keynote speakers was Prof. Sanela Basic – CESPASWON contact person for the Faculty of Political Science, University of Sarajevo. Her talk focused on intersection of age, gender and poverty in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The symposium also featured a roundtable on old age poverty between two political systems, its causes and effects, including gender inequalities. The roundtable was moderated by Prof Vesna Leskošek, and one of the roundtable speakers was Prof. Maja Gerovska Mitev – CESPASWON network coordinator.
22.10.2024, Banja Luka: Promotion of the joint book “Social Policy and Social Work Transformation in Central and Southeast Europe”. During the 6th Regional Week, the CESPASWON members and authors in the book – prof. Maja Gerovska Mitev, prof. Andrea Rakanovic Radonjic, prof. Hubert Höllmüller, prof. Natalija Perisic, prof. Borjana Mikovic and dr. Drasko Gajic, promoted their joint book at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Banja Luka, BIH, in front of the students, staff and professionals from the social work centers. There was also a media coverage of the book promotion broadcasted at the main national television in the Republic of Srpska. Link of the media coverage can be found below:
RTRS Morning program, Guests: Prof. d-r Natalija Perišić i Doc. d-r Andrea Rakanović Radonjić – LINK
14.05.2024: Social work students and professors from the ELTE University in Budapest, Hungary conducted a one-week CEEPUS visit at the Faculty of Philosophy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. During their stay, they visited social service providers working with vulnerable populations, including Roma, people with intellectual disabilities, foster children etc.
19.03.2024: On the occasion of the World Social Work Day Prof. Maja Gerovska Mitev from the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje (network coordinator) gave a talk at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Sarajevo, BIH (network member). The talk “Towards a Postcrisis Welfare State in Central and Southeast Europe” was part of the International Conference “Social Crisis and Social Work”, chaired by Prof. dr. Sanela Basic (CESPASWON network coordinator from the University of Sarajevo).
20.12.2023: Our network collaboration on the book Social Work and Social Policy Transformations in Central and Southeast Europe will be published by Springer in March 2024. All network members have contributed a chapter on social work and social policies in their respective countries. You can find more info about the book here: https://link.springer.com/book/9783031512315
20.09.2023, Ohrid: During the International Conference “Social Work and Social Policy in Times of Global Crises” held from 19.09-22.09.2023 and organised by the Institute of Social Work and Social Policy, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje (coordinator of the CESPASWON network), assist. prof. dr. sc. Andrea Rakanović Radonjić (national CESPASWON coordinator for Republic of Srpska) presented the co-authored paper “Are the human rights providing empowerment possibilities for social work with vulnerable groups in Republic of Srpska?
👉 June-September 2023: Professor Natalija Perisic from the University of Belgrade (network contact person for University of Belgrade) was member of the Commission for doctoral disposition at the Faculty of Social Work in Ljubljana (Network members) for two PhD candidates:
- PhD candidate Svenja Fischbach
PhD proposal: The social consequences of care migration for local communities in Northern Serbia - PhD candidate Miroslav Budimir
PhD proposal: Charitable surplus food redistribution and its impact on the welfare state in Finland and Slovenia.
11.05.2023: Round Table “Social Work in Austria and Republic of Srpska/Bosnia and Herzegovina” – The aim of the Round Table discussion was to improve the cooperation among the members of the CESPASWON network and exchange the professional experiences in the field of education, professional organising and employment in social work. The presenters at the round table were Dr. Hubert Höllmüller, full professor at the University of Carinthia – Faculty of Applied Sciences, Dr. Vesna Šućur-Janjetović and Dr. Ljubo Lepir, associate professors at the University of Banja Luka.
👉 11.04.2023: The members of the CESPASWON network represented by the professors at Departments/Faculties of Social Work from seven universities from Central and Eastern Europe (Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Carinthia University, University of Ljubljana, University of Belgrade, University of Zagreb, University of Sarajevo and University of Banja Luka) STRONGLY support the Department of Social Work at Charles University to continue its academic and research work as a constitutive part of the Faculty of Arts. The members of this CEEPUS network are deeply concerned with the intention of the current faculty management at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University to discontinue the accreditation of the study programs that are thought at the Department of Social Work. We are hopeful that this Letter of Support will be “heard” by the current management of the Faculty of Arts at the Charles University and will contribute to reconsidering their position.
👉 05.04.2023: Prof. Maja Gerovska Mitev and prof. Svetlana Trbojevikj from the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje conducted a CEEPUS mobility at the Department of Social Work at Charles University in Prague. The Department of Social Work at Charles University is the first-ever Czech university-level facility in the field of social work after 1989. Academic host was prof. Šámalová Kateřina who also serves as the University Ombudsman. During this mobility, Prof. Vojtíšek Petr organised a visit to the Integration Centre Prague (ICP), that provides integration activities for foreigners from non-EU countries who have a residence permit in the Czech Republic.
21.03. 2023: On the occasion of the International day of social workers, prof. dr Natalija Perišić from the University of Belgrade held a plenary lecture at the University of Sarajevo on “Diversity and identities in societal crises as an issue for social policy and social work”,https://fpn.unsa.ba/b/obiljezen-svjetski-dan-socijalnog-rada-na-fakultetu-politickih-nauka/
20.03.2023: prof. Dr. Natalija Perišić from the University of Belgrade had a presentation on the occasion of the International Day of Social Work at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Banja Luka – i https://fpn.unibl.org/sr/novosti/prof-dr-natalija-perisic-boravila-u-radnoj-posjeti-fakultetu-politickih-nauka/
Andrea Rakanović Radonjić, CESPASWON coordinator from the University of Banja Luka has published a paper titled “Current challenges of foster care for adults and older people in the Republic of Srpska” in the scientific journal, Gerontologija, L (2): 11-50, where the editor in chief is the CESPASWON coordinator from the University of Belgrade, prof. Natalija Perišić. More info: https://gds.org.rs/gerontologija-2-2022/02/
May, 2022: CESPASWON coordinators from the Charles University in Prague and from the University of Ljubljana – prof. dr Kateřina Šámalová and prof. dr. Vesna Leskošek cooperated during a study visit of three universities from the Czech Republic to the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Work, Slovenia. The study visit was conducted within the framework of the project 3S: Skilled, Specialized, Social Worker, which was supported by the Danish funds Velux Foundations,. The aim of the visit was to learn about specialisation education in social work, models of practical teaching, staffing and the overall organisational culture of the workplace. The knowledge and experience gained from the colleagues will be used to develop the concept of specialisation education in the Czech Republic.
01.12.2021: Congratulations to Prof. dr Natalija Perisic from the University of Belgrade on the newly published book: Socijalna politika Evropske unije – područja I pristupi, published by the Faculty of Political Science in Belgrade. Among the reviewers of the book were Network members: prof. Sanela Basic from the University of Sarajevo, BiH and prof. Maja Gerovska Mitev from University Ss. Cyril and Methododius in Skopje.
23.11.2021: Prof. dr Natalija Perisic, the Network contact person from the Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade , has published (jointly with prof. dr Nevenka Žegarac, doc. Dr. Anita Burgund Isakov, doc. dr Katarina Lončarević and ass. MA Violeta Markovic) a Practicum “Protection of children in migration: Child-centered practice”. One of the reviewers of this publication is prof. dr. Vesna Leskosek, Network contact person from the Faculty of Social Work in Ljubljana. The practicum can be accessed online on this LINK.
13-15.09.2021: Prof. Vesna Leskosek from the University of Ljubljana was chair of the conference and the member of the organising committee of the 4th European Conference on Domestic Violence, organised by five members from the University of Ljubljana (Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Social Work, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Law, Institute for Criminology at Faculty of Law). Among the presenters at the conference and also a chair of a panel was the Network member prof. Sanela Basic from the University of Sarajevo. More about this conference can be found on this LINK.
03.06.2021: Prof. Vesna Leskosek from the University of Ljubljana was a keynote speaker at the 41 Annual Meeting of Social Workers at the University of Belgrade, with a paper “Social Work during the COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia”. Book of abstracts (in Serbian language) can be found on this LINK.
12.05.2020 CESPASWON webinar “Social Work and Social Policy in times of crisis”, hosted by the Faculty of Philosophy, Skopje. Panelist include: Prof. Vesna Leskošek from the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, prof. Hubert Höllmüller from the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences in Austria and prof. Maja Gerovska Mitev from the Institute of Social Work and Social Policy at the Faculty of Philosophy Skopje. The discussion is focused on Covid-19 protocols and their impact on social service delivery and social policies in general.
CESPASWON 