Art and Creativity in Social Work — A Catalyst for Change

The aim of this special issue is to showcase creative approaches to social work based on the arts.Creative approaches have been shown to push the boundaries of social work past the limits set by customary approaches when seeking to promote social justice, development and liberation (International Federation of Social Workers, 2014).The arts represent a portal through which connections can be established and communication eased (MacAulay and Levy 2022).The definitions of 'arts' and 'creativity' in this sense are broad and encompassing, and follow the example of Papouli ( 2017) in exploring social justice, identity and empowerment in ways that are not just different from but also complementary to traditional practices that have been criticized as bureaucratic and managerialistic (Carey 2021).The need for innovative and creative approaches to social work practice has never been greater.It is particularly compelling during times of crisis and transition, when practitioners are obliged to walk a fine line to address the effects of austerity while continuing to adhere to social work's values and purpose (Ingram and Fenton 2020).The impact of a string of current events including the ongoing effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic and financial austerity has required those involved in social work to quickly re-think and amend traditional modes of service delivery.This need for change is particularly acute in the ways that people interact with each other.However, 'risky' creative arts approaches remain underutilized and marginalised to the point of resistance in social work education and practice (Wehbi et al. 2018;MacAulay and Levy 2022).Much of the research focus so far has been on classroom and student experiences.For example, Monteblanco and Moya (2021) examined how the qualitative research method Photovoice may be used to increase social work students' confidence in research skills.