VLADO PULJIZ, key-note Social action in Europe: different legacies and common challenges

Vlado Puljiz established social policy as scientific discipline in Croatia. His teaching and research expertise covers rural sociology, social policy (particularly pension system and family policy), and social demography. He initiated and headed first scientific projects on social policy in Croatia, funded by the Ministry of Science, such as „Social Policy and Social Work in Croatia“, „Determinants and Perspectives of the Social Security in Croatia“. He was also coordinator of the working group for preparing an official Croatian document „Family Policy in Croatia“, and was from 2001 to 2008 the Croatian representative at the Committee for Social Cohesion at the Council of Europe.
He established and was editor in chief of the „Journal of Social Policy“, that has been published quarterly since 1994.

IAIN FERGUSON, key-note Social conflicts and reconstruction

Senior Lecturer in Social Work in the Department of Applied Social Sciences at the University of Stirling, Scotland. Prior to moving into social work education in 1990 (University of Paisley, 1990- 2001),  he worked for fourteen years as a social worker, community worker, practice teacher and mental health officer in a variety of settings in the West of Scotland. His main teaching and research interests are in the areas of mental health service user involvement, the experience of refugees and asylum seekers, critical/radical social work theory and practice, and international social work.
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HERBERT PAULISCHIN, key-note Individualisation and social cohesion

Keynote speaker and trainer in a large number of events (seminars, trainings, conferences, ….) on subjects related to social work since 1985. Chairing and moderating conferences, meetings, round tables, seminars, panel discussions at national and international level.
Specialized expert for social work issues in taskforces implemented by Austrian ministries and national and regional parliaments, advisor for political parties (e.g. chair of a working group related to the UN
international year of the famiy….).
Director of the “Constance-Zoff-Training-Centre” of social work (1996-2003) Member of organizing committee and/or program committee of a number of international conferences.
Member of the international organisation “Kronberger Kreis”, Berlin.
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SARAH BANKS, key-note Personal engagement and professional accountability

Sarah Banks is Professor in the School of Applied Social Sciences at Durham University, UK. She is a qualified social worker, has practised as a community development worker and currently teaches on professional qualifying programmes in community and youth work and social work. She initiated the European Social Ethics Project (a working group of FESET), is founding co-editor of the journal, Ethics and Social Welfare. Her two most recent books are: Critical Community Practice (The Policy Press, 2007, co-authored with Hugh Butcher and Paul Henderson) and Ethics in Professional Life: Virtues for Health and Social Care (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008, co-authored with Ann Gallagher). She has been actively involved in developing statements of ethical principles for the English National Youth Agency and the International Association of Social Workers. She is currently developing the use of Socratic dialogue in research to explore the place of ‘integrity’, ‘vocation’ and passion in professional practice.
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