Since forming in 2020, the Romani and Traveller Social Work Association – co-founded and led by Romani and Traveller social workers – has worked tirelessly to develop and enable ethical, evidence informed, and rights based social work practice with Romani and Traveller communities.
This approach is consistent with the international definition of social work (IFSW 2022) and our professional codes of ethics (BASW 2021). It is also fully aligned with the Council of Europe Strategic Action Plan for Roma and Traveller Inclusion (2020-2025).
We know that existing knowledge around working with Romani and Traveller communities, and particularly the impact of anti-gypsyism (a specific form of racism experienced by Romani and Traveller communities) on the diverse communities, has not been consistently integrated into social work education and practice. (Pela 2014, Allen & Riding 2018, Allen and Hulmes, 2021) and that social work is often experienced as hostile by Romani and Traveller communities (Gatenio Gabel, 2009; Allen et al., 2021)
To address knowledge and practice gaps the Romani and Traveller Social Work Association recently undertook a narrative literature review and took a systematic approach to searching for and synthesising the available literature. The outcome of this systematic literature review is the development of the Reflection, Objective, Movement and Action (ROMA) Model: A Framework for Restorative Practice©.
It has always been a core mission of the Romani and Traveller Social Work Association to move beyond descriptions of anti-gypsyism which are well rehearsed in the literature, and to create evidence based and rights informed practice guidance and tools which support the ‘doing’ of social work.
As an association comprised of social workers in practice and social work academics teaching on pre-qualifying social work courses, we are all too aware of the huge pressures placed upon social workers who continuously strive to their best. Social workers and social work students need help to align the professions core values with the ‘doing’ of social work, enabling them to practice in a way which is transformative and promotes social justice through the liberation and empowerment of all (IFSW, 2014).
The ‘ROMA model’ has been developed in a way which is congruent with social work ethics and values and is underpinned by the principles of restorative justice, in acknowledgment of the historic and present discrimination and racism experienced by Romani and Traveller communities.
The ‘ROMA model’ is designed around a four-stage circle process – Reflection, Objective, Movement and Action – and can be used in one-to-one supervisions, group supervision or any meetings with a focus on Romani and Traveller people at national and international levels.
Because of the scale of anti-gypsyism, we advocate that the ‘ROMA model’ requires a skilled leader to facilitate the reflective process and enable social workers, Roma and Traveller people and key stakeholders to speak sequentially or in response to others, moving around the stages of the circle as many times as necessary, until each person has had an opportunity speak.
Stage 1 of the ‘Roma model’ is key to unlocking the transformative potential of the model, as this stage is designed for critical reflection and turning the practitioner gaze inwards, to challenge any negative beliefs or stereotypes which act as barriers to ethical and rights based social work with Romani and Traveller people. This stage requires the safe places which restorative supervision creates and takes courage, without which, the next stages will not be impotent in creating transformational opportunities the ‘ROMA model’ seeks to enable.
We cannot expect the ‘ROMA model’ to dismantle anti-gypsyism or achieve social justice on its own. Our best hopes are that the ‘ROMA model’ will act as a framework for repairing harm and provide social workers with a foundation for building respectful and trusting community relationships.
*We will be piloting our ‘ROMA model’ so please get in touch if you would like your social work teams to participate by contacting Allison Hulmes: a.e.hulmes@swansea.ac.uk
Allison Hulmes is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Swansea University and a co-founding member of the Romani & Traveller Social Work Association.
References
Allen, D., & Hulmes, A. (2021). Aversive Racism and Child Protection Practice with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Children and Families. Seen and Heard, 31(2) 44-67.
Allen. D., Dove, D., Hulmes, A., & Moloney-Neachtain, M. (2021) The Romani and Traveller perspective. In Tanya Moore and Glory Simango (Eds) The Anti-Racist Social Worker: stories of activism in social care and allied health professionals. St Albans: Critical Publishing, pp 61-75.
Allen, D., & Riding, S. (2018). The Fragility of Professional Competence: A Preliminary Account of Child Protection Practice with Romani and Traveller Children. Budapest: European Roma Rights Centre.
Gatenio Gabel, S. (2009). The growing divide: the marginalisation of young Roma children in Bulgaria. International Journal of Social Welfare, 18(1), 65–75.
Pela, H.U., (2014). ‘Everyone is blaming us!’ Conceptualising current anti-Roma racism in Europe and its necessary implications for anti-racist social work. Critical and Radical Social Work, 2(1), pp. 59-76.