It is an acknowledged if not accepted fact that all European societies are being fundamentally transformed, and indeed perceptively unsettled, by increased migrations across nations and by the asserted presence of established minorities within their borders. The scale and speed at which these transformations have taken place have brought in their wake considerable social impacts and no small measure of fear and anxiety.

Encounters with such diversity are part and parcel of the social work task, and learning how to negotiate them should be a de facto aspect of the training and continuous professional development of social workers and other social professions. However, the moral and political dimensions of the role, scope and nature of the social work task in responding appropriately to these changed and changing realities are rather more contested. This volume addresses many dimensions of the response to issues of race and ethnicity in social work practice in Europe. It extends the debates on inter-cultural and race equality practice in social work through a stimulating and innovative collection of contributions.

This book was originally published as a special issue of the European Journal of Social Work.

Charlotte Williams is Professor of Social Justice and Head of the School of Public Policy and Professional Practice at Keele University, UK. She is co-author of Race and Ethnicity in a Welfare Society (2010).

Mekada Graham is Director and Associate Professor of Social Work at California State University, Dominguez Hills, USA. She is the author of Black Issues in Social Work and Social Care (2007).