RT Journal Article T1 Socio-digital challenges for social work in the metaverse A1 Relinque Medina, Fernando A1 Álvarez-Pérez, Pablo K1 V-social work K1 Metaverse K1 Social work competencies K1 E-social work K1 Social challenges AB The metaverse will have a direct impact on the way we relate to each other as. The interest of the young population explains the extent to which this new developing technological paradigm is already present in our society, generating environments where people will feel part of them and where interactions will be more authentic, immersive, and it remains to be seen whether these relationships will also be more inclusive. The article identifies these challenges through a literature review, making a categorical comparison with the professional competences of social work drawn from the professional codes of standards and competences. A qualitative analysis has been carried out to identify those competences that may be affected by one or more social challenges arising from the popularisation of the metaverse. It presents important challenges for social work, such as changes in community, governance and individual behaviour, as well as implications for ethics, privacy and the way we understand social intervention that require an epistemological, methodological and practical debate in the profession, as yet unpublished, to adapt to this new socio-virtual dimension in which millions of people have already settled. Finally, v-social work is proposed as a new professional field with specific competences. PB Oxford University Press YR 2024 FD 2024-03-11 LK https://hdl.handle.net/10433/25522 UL https://hdl.handle.net/10433/25522 LA en NO The British Journal of Social Work, Volume 54, Issue 5, July 2024, Pages 2258–2277 NO Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Departamento de Trabajo Social y Servicios Sociales DS RIO RD Apr 28, 2026