DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL WORK COLLABORATION: RECONSTRUCTING RECIPROCITY, INCLUSION, AND MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY

Abstract

Despite the growth of international social work collaboration, emerging evidence suggests that many partnerships remain asymmetrical, Western-led, and insufficiently accountable to host communities. Drawing on findings from a recent scoping review of the global social work collaboration literature, this session examines persistent gaps in reciprocal partnership development, host-community inclusion, and program evaluation, despite the profession’s stated commitments to social justice and anti-oppressive practice. Building on these findings, the presentation introduces and applies a theory-driven framework grounded in decolonial theory, transformative learning theory, and empowerment theory to reimagine international social work collaboration in the context of digital transformation. Rather than centering narrowly on traditional forms of academic exchange, such as student mobility, the framework emphasizes shared authority, co-learning, and mutual benefit supported by digital tools such as translation technologies, virtual collaboration platforms, and hybrid instructional models. Using Vietnam as a case study, this paper examines international social work partnerships while highlighting the potential of digitally mediated collaboration to support bidirectional knowledge exchange, collaborative teaching and research, and host-partner-informed evaluation practices for Vietnamese social work education and practice. This session highlights practical strategies for leveraging digital tools to move beyond extractive models of international social work education and collaboration toward transparent, ethical, and mutually beneficial partnerships. Implications for social work education, faculty collaboration, and international program design in digitally mediated contexts are discussed.