A review of Indigenous social work around the world: Concepts, debates and challenges

Abstract

Indigenous social work is gaining significance in the social work profession to respond to Indigenous voices. However, there is still ambiguity on how Indigenous social work is conceptualised, and this ambiguity has resulted in reluctance in the social work profession to accept Indigenous perspectives and knowledge in education and practice. To clear this ambiguity, this article examines Indigenous social work as a concept and explores its diverse discourses work through a critical review of 40 articles. The review analyses four lines of thoughts that emerged on how Indigenous social work is conceptualised across the globe.