SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION stands in need of regulation
SOCIAL work, as it is understood today had its humble beginnings in the mid-nineteen thirties and has made inroads into S various fields including the development sector, clinical and industrial settings, family and child welfare, correctional administration and many other ‘not-so-prominent’ but important fields.
Social work emerged as a profession in the West to attend to problems in the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution. This resulted in programmes being offered by educational institutions. During the 20th century, the thrust moved to research and evidence-based practice in an effort to improve its professionalism.
Today, social workers have organised themselves into local, national and international professional bodies to further the aims of the profession.
In our country social work education dates back to 1936 when Sir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social Work (now Tata Institute of Social Sciences) was set up in Mumbai.
But till this day, there is no system to regulate the standards of social work training and practice.
There has been a mushroom growth of social work schools which number more than 500 which hardly fulfil even the minimum requirements in terms of qualified teachers and infrastructure.
As such, the products are not fit to prove their mettle.
There is a commendable quantitative growth of social work schools but quality wise there is a sharp decline, causing a damage to the professional status and image of social work. The root cause of the setback is commercialisation. The situation can improve only when members of the fraternity initiate steps to set up a national level professional body and work towards standardisation.
The crux of the matter is the vagueness that prevails in the minds of the professional fraternity. The need of the hour is to educate professionals, students and the society at large regarding the standardisation of curriculum and related issues.
Majority of people think that social work and social service or charitable work are one and the same. The problem that faces us today is the lack of understanding as to what constitutes a profession.
Social work, in its various forms, addresses the multiple, complex transactions between people and their environments. It strives to alleviate poverty and liberate vulnerable and oppressed people to promote social inclusion.
In practice, social work addresses the barriers, inequities and injustices that exist in society. It utilises a variety of skills, techniques and activities consistent with its holistic focus on persons and their environments.
This focus is universal but the priorities of social work practice vary from country to country and time to time, depending on cultural, historical and socio-economic condi tions.
Social work revolves round application of social theory and research methods to study and improve the lives of people, groups and societies, incorporating other social sciences as a means to improve human conditions and positively change society’s response to chronic problems.
It is a profession committed to the pursuit of social justice, to enhance the quality of life and develop the full potential of each individual, community and group in society. Social workers are concerned with social problems, their causes, solutions and human impact, working with individuals, families, groups, organisations and communities.
Quite often, social educators are found sitting cosily within the four walls of their work spot, hardly paying any thought to field work.
What is needed today is a regulatory body in the interests of society and nation at large