Social Work and Policy Practice in Albania: Unpacking the Professional Engagement of Social Workers in Policy Reforms

A growing body of scholarly work examines the policy engagement of social workers. We contribute to this body of work by examining social workers’ policy engagement in Albania—a former communist country that has undergone a massive transformation in the last three decades, providing numerous opportunities for social workers to shape policy reforms. Our focus is on two interrelated aspects: how social workers define policy practice and the professional activities they undertake to influence social policies. The study draws on in-depth interviews conducted with a sample of 30 social work professionals employed in both governmental and non-governmental organizations, serving diverse groups across different regions of the country. Invitations to participate in the study were emailed to 32 social work professionals (response rate = 94%). The average length of the interviews was 46 minutes (range = 30 – 76 min). Thematic analysis was conducted to discern definitions and professional activities. Participants in the study associated policy practice with policy implementation and policy design. Furthermore, they characterized policy practice as a democratic practice. To influence social policies, study participants engaged in a variety of roles, serving as policy designers or co-designers, policy advisors, coordinators, mobilizers, capacity builders, activists, evaluators, advocates and lobbyists, and educators. Some professional activities were more common than others, and they varied based on organization type. The findings enhance our understanding of social work and policy practice in an understudied region and offer valuable lessons for shaping future policy practice, especially in post-communist countries.