The COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a profound impact on people’s lives around the world, has also affected international social work practice and research on social issues. This article explores how international social work research can draw lessons from bilateral research collaborations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021, an international collaborative research project was commenced to examine the practical experiences of social workers in Sri Lanka, with the overall purpose of contributing to development of socio-culturally relevant social work training. Trial semi-structured interviews were conducted using remote tools with five social workers in government or private organisations. The narratives of the interviewees were qualitatively analysed to identify their personal backgrounds of social work education and practice, their experiences of working during the pandemic and their perspectives and values as social workers. Lessons learnt were discussed focussing on the objectives and perspectives of the study, the preliminary arrangements for the research, the methods and considerations. In a context where it is important for social work researchers to promote international studies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper provides an example of a feasible international cooperative study.

This preliminary study examines the social representations of social work relevant to the Sri Lankan cultural context while considering indigenous social work discourses. Under the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, six Sri Lankan social workers participated in online semistructured interviews. The interview data underwent thematic analysis, from which four main themes emerged: social work views and positionality; the relation between social work education and practice; contexts and distinctive practices; and issues and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interviewees’ narratives detailed how social work is represented in sociocultural contexts, emphasising community work and comparing local practices with Western-rooted professional social work discourses. Some interviewees’ accounts also reported challenges surrounding social work education and the issues of social work practice in a multiethnic and multireligious society. The findings suggest the need for further research, with dialogue and reciprocal exchanges by stakeholders, to explore the diverse social representations of social work in the global and local contexts.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a profound impact on people’s lives around the world, has also affected international social work practice and research on social issues. This article explores how international social work research can draw lessons from bilateral research collaborations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021, an international collaborative research project was commenced to examine the practical experiences of social workers in Sri Lanka, with the overall purpose of contributing to development of socio-culturally relevant social work training. Trial semi-structured interviews were conducted using remote tools with five social workers in government or private organisations. The narratives of the interviewees were qualitatively analysed to identify their personal backgrounds of social work education and practice, their experiences of working during the pandemic and their perspectives and values as social workers. Lessons learnt were discussed focussing on the objectives and perspectives of the study, the preliminary arrangements for the research, the methods and considerations. In a context where it is important for social work researchers to promote international studies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper provides an example of a feasible international cooperative study.