A scoping review of social work with Roma and Traveller communities: introducing the ROMA model

Although The Strasbourg Declaration on Roma presents a list of priorities that aim to address the social and economic marginalisation of Roma and Traveller people in Europe, the contribution that social work is making to efforts to achieve these aims is unclear. Therefore, a scoping review of current scholarship was conducted to summarise the existing body of knowledge and identify how social work can help to achieve The Strasbourg Declaration on Roma. The databases Academic Search Complete, SAGE Journals Online, ScienceDirect, and Social Care Online were searched resulting in the inclusion of 20 articles published between 2010 and 2024. Two themes were identified: (1) Antigypsyism and (2) Restorative Practice. The findings show that restorative practices could help to promote human rights and the social and intercultural inclusion of Roma and Travellers in Europe. Informed by the articles included in this scoping review, the ‘Reflection, Objective, Movement and Action (ROMA) Model: A Framework for Restorative Practice is introduced as a solution to enable social workers to achieve The Strasbourg Declaration on Roma and future national strategic frameworks for Roma and Traveller inclusion.