History Of Social Work Education Research Articles

Repositioning Power Relations in Indigenous Social Work Education

In this article, we present the history of social work education in Greenland, from a professional training school in 1985 to a university BA-level education in 2008 and onwards to the present day. Mainly, we discuss how the education of Greenlandic social workers continually reflects on the decolonising elements of the curriculum. The latest step in this process has been the development of a new curriculum, which came into effect in the summer of 2022 after approval from students, external boards and the academic university board. The article will discuss the repositioning of power in the new social work curriculum, aiming to gradually make education more student-centred through a higher degree of collective responsibility for learning and by engaging in problem-oriented group work with self-determined research questions at the core of Greenlandic, thematic, social worker projects.

Decolonizing South Asian social work: an analysis

ABSTRACT South Asia consists of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and the Maldives. All eight countries have a colonial history where Western influence has been very strong. Based on the knowledge and experience of the authors, this paper will involve discussion of social work education and practice in three of them: India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. For each country, there will be an analysis of a history of social work education and practice, social work as a profession, decolonizing social work, and barriers to decolonizing social work.

The History of Social Work Education in Turkey

Since the early years of the 20th century, following the educational studies carried out by Charity Organization in England and New York Philanthropy School in the USA, social work education has been introduced and this kind of education has spread to many other countries in the world. One of those countries including social work education is Turkey. For more than 50 years, thanks to the education act in Turkey, there have been many social workers and conductors. By cooperating with various disciplines and under the leadership of the United Nations, the first school of social work education “Social Services Academy” was launched in 1961 in Turkey. Offering 4-year occupational education following high school, Social Services Academy has been the foundation of social work education, especially Hacettepe University Department of Social Work and contributed to the foundation of other schools in Turkey. This study aims to discuss historical development of social work education in Turkey.

Migration, Multiculturalism and Social Work Education in England: New Directions?

In this paper the author revisits some determinative events in the history of social work education in England. She then briefly describes the development and diminution of multiculturalism in England, and multiculturalism’s possible contribution to a re-invigorated form of social work education, in which the subject of migration becomes a core endeavour for social work practice.

Strengthening Social Welfare Administration Practice in India: A Context Centric Social Work Approach

Abstract This article explores the possibility of strengthening social welfare administration practice in social work training and education to respond to complex and varied issues located within Indian social reality keeping in view the people in concrete situations of vulnerabilities. Based on the case analysis approach, it situates the history of social work education and practice closely linked to the social welfare administration practice in Mumbai School of Social Work. The experience in this school reaffirms the contribution of social work administration practice towards welfare and development of people, and suggests the need for strengthening the practice suited to the changing needs of the time. Learning from this experience, this article argues for a positive recognition of context centric approach in social work practice.

The Fate of the Master’s in Social Work (MSW) Degree: Will the Practice Doctorate Replace It as the Profession’s Flagship Credential?

ABSTRACT As the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) begins to approve accreditation standards for programs granting practice doctorates, it is unclear as to what implications accreditation of these programs will have on the Master’s in Social Work (MSW) degree. This article examines threats to the MSW by comparing the evolution of social work education to that of allied professions, as well as identifying market conditions of supply and demand that have dramatically increased the competition for students. Universities will be likely to view practice doctorate (DSW) programs as ways to distinguish themselves in order to attract more students. Recognizing the DSW as the terminal practice degree could elevate the educational requirements of social workers to be comparable to allied professionals, as well as improve public perceptions of social workers’ education and training. There likely will be high demand for DSWs in the future as social workers look to distinguish themselves, and universities seek new sources of revenue. Hence, it is an important juncture in the history of social work education and decisions must be made carefully. There are valid concerns about the prospective value and utility of MSW degrees once DSWs proliferate. In this context, recommendations for DSW accreditation standards are provided and suggestions for the future of social work education are presented.

Gokhale’s Servants of India Society: A Legacy Lost to Social Work Training in India

Most accounts of the Indian history of social work education starts with the founding of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences by Clifford Manshardt in 1936, with only a few authors making a passing reference to the educational contribution of the Servants of India Society (SIS). In the present article, the author attempts to highlight the dream of the great visionary Gopal Krishna Gokhale and his labours to train an army of socio- political workers for India through the SIS. The author goes on to discuss why the SIS did not receive the recognition it deserved in Indian social work history and concludes by presenting the SIS as a legacy lost to social work training in India

Social work as protest: conversations with selected first black social work women in South Africa

Radical and critical social work has existed since the start of the profession. Still, the history of social work education in South Africa does not put prominence on black women social workers like Ellen Kuzwayo and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, among others. Remarkably, these women also participated in the national women’s protest against the pass laws in 1956 by the apartheid government. The authors espouse radical perspectives, such as feminist, human rights and social justice frameworks, embedded in an Afro-sensed approach. Expressly, the authors argue that, in its very nature, social work is protest, which can be used to restore ravaged history, as well as to influence the teaching and practice of social work.

Coloniality and Intersectionality in Social Work Education and Practice

ABSTRACTThe history of social work education is deeply entangled with the structures of White supremacy and coloniality. Through an analysis of coloniality, the system from which social work operates, this article outlines an alternative framework of intersectionality, which decodes the dominant discourse in relation to power, privilege, White supremacy, and gender oppression. The framework of intersectionality moves professional social work pedagogy and practice from the trenches of coloniality toward decoloniality. The concepts of intersectionality and critical consciousness are operationalized to demonstrate how social work education can effect structural and transformational change through de-linking from its white supremacists roots.

Education for the Crossroads? A Short History of Social Work Education in Scotland

This paper provides a short history of social work education in Scotland. Its aim is to understand the patterns of the present through the lens of the past. A key argument is that social work education and practice exists persistently in the crossroads, that is, in the spaces between competing and often conflicting perspectives regarding that ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘how’ and ‘who’ of social work and social change. At the same time, there is a dearth of robust theory and research underpinning social work education and practice, leaving the profession vulnerable in periods of rapid social and political change. Attention is given to the implications of these constants for education and practice, and to how we might address these going forward. The paper concludes that if we wish to realise the potential of social work education, learning and practice, we need to more collectively address long-neglected questions of learning identity, learning philosophy and learning practice.

Social work education through open and distance learning in India: opportunities and challenges

ABSTRACTThe paper has traced the history of social work education through open and distance learning in India. In addition, it has critically discussed the opportunities and challenges of social work education offered through open and distance learning mode particularly offered by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).1 The study highlights the contributions of IGNOU in the area of social work education through open and distance learning as well as the extent of developing literature in social work and has further suggested various ways of enhancing the overall quality of social work education. The findings reveal that social work education offered by IGNOU has become a popular but it also raises various deficiencies in field-work education, supervision, quality of materials, and quality of instruction.

Editorial – 50th anniversary issue

The first piece is an editorial commentary by Caz Thomson which challenges us to keep an eye to the past as we move forward into the future. The questions raised by Caz challenge all of us in regard to how we exercise our obligations as citizens and professionals. Such questions are particularly pertinent in an election year where social inequality, poverty, human rights and basic human needs are issues for a significant proportion of the people who access social and welfare services. Life member Mike O’Brien’s article also makes links to the signs of the time and the profession’s response to them, through an insightful and interesting contrast of the public issues in the media and the Association’s journal at three significant points in time. Another life member, Liz Beddoe, explores the history of social work education, the impact of the current environment, professionalisation and social worker registration on social work education. This article concludes by emphasising the workforce development challenges ahead and the investment required to advance the profession beyond having a baseline professional entry degree.

A matter of degrees: The role of education in the professionalisation journey of social work in New Zealand

Social work in Aotearoa New Zealand (ANZ) is a contested profession on a journey of professionalisation in an era where contradictory forces impact on its position and strength. Social work education reflects these tensions, being influenced by economic and political forces. The delineation of a benchmark qualification for entry is a core feature of professional status and so the inception of professionalregistration has impacted on social work education in ANZ as it has elsewhere. The aim of this paper is to explore dimensions of the history of social work education in ANZ, the impact of the Social Workers Registration Act (2003) (SWRA) and to examine some current constraints and consider the challenges professional education faces in the next 50 years. It is argued that social work education has been, is and will remain a site of struggle.

Indigenising Social Work Education: An Analysis

The present paper is a review based article written on the needs of social work education in Indian context. The researcher had made an attempt to critically review the research works and articles written by scholars on the topics of social work education in India and the need to make it indigenised and more applicable to Indian communities. The researcher had used the reviews which have been studied while doing his doctoral research review work. The researcher had written this article with the reflections from his own practice and experiences while working as an assistant professor in department of social work. The article focuses on social work education and its need to make it suitable, application and relevant in Indian context. The studies made and reviews written on the particular topic were critically studied during the PhD research work. The research gap thus found out that, there is urgent need to redesign the social work curriculum and develop new theories that can fit the India society. The article had travelled right through the history of social work education in India to the contemporary challenges of social work education in India.

Social work doctoral education in the United States: examining the past, preparing for the future

The relevance of doctoral education is being questioned across a wide spectrum of disciplines, and social work is no exception. An examination of the history of social work education in the United States provides a backdrop to the current challenges in doctoral education in the field. The historical role of research and teaching in social work education, the structure of doctoral social work education in the United States including the Ph.D. vs. the DSW, and the growth of doctoral programs are all examined. Current issues explored include: the interdisciplinary nature of practice; increased institutional focus on funded research; support for underrepresented doctoral students; and the need for doctoral students to be trained in pedagogy. Suggestions on how to address these issues are provided in order to enhance social work’s mission of teaching, research and service.

Tiromoana and Taranaki House: A tale of their times

The overall history of social work education in Aotearoa New Zealand has been well documented by authors such as McCreary (1971a,b), Nash (1998) and Cranna (1989). Tiromoana and Taranaki House social work residential training institutions were set up by the Education Department, Child Welfare Division to meet a gap in social work training in the country in the 1960s and 70s. These programmes, which were at times contentious, appeared to be unique and particular to their time, place and context in Aotearoa New Zealand. This article provides some history and participant recollections about Tiromoana (Porirua) and Taranaki House (Auckland) for social work’s historical record. This article attempts to piece together various sources, including recent interviews, and to weave together some of the facts and stories of these two institutions.

Social Work Education in Nepal: Major Opportunities and Abundant Challenges

This paper discusses the evolution of social work education in Nepal. The history of social work education and training in Nepal is rather nascent. Imparting social work education and training is a challenging task in Nepal due to the ongoing political instability, multi-cultural issues and lack of social work educators, and the lack of a professional association, in addition to the lack of government recognition for the social work profession in the country. The paper is divided into four sections. After a general introduction, Section 2 discusses the evolution of social work education in the context of the development of higher education in Nepal. The paper describes Nepal and its changing social context, the challenges for social work and how social work education is meeting these challenges. Nepal's efforts to realize indigenous and international practices of social work education are discussed in the third section. The paper indentifies these gaps and a Nepalese model of social work is presented in Section 4. The paper is written on the basis of the author's personal narrative of many years' work in Nepal in order to start a discussion on indigenous and international social work perspectives along with challenges for social work education in the context of the current global climate of social, political and economic changes in order to draw lessons for Nepal and South Asia.

Emergence of Social Work Education in Africa: An Historical Perspective

Social work education has a crucial role to play in training students and in preparing them for the realities of practice in a conflict- ridden society. This requires an understanding of the nature of our society and the range of social science disciplines; which will be the foundation of the theoretical base of the student. The knowledge and information of development of social work education in different countries is very important to understand to the social worker. Social worker practice and their knowledge definitely influence their mode of practice. They have to take into consideration the history, social ideology and social development of the particular country before they create programs of action to ameliorate social problems of a country. During this unit, we examined the history of social work education in different countries of Africa. Here, we build on that foundation, considering policies, functioning and philosophies of social work education in Africa. Before going ahead, countries’ welfare system have to be understood within the historical context of the way in which each particular society’s basic institutions were influenced by and responded to the external influences imposed upon them during the pre- and post-colonial era.

Social work programmes in the social democratic welfare regime

In this article we examine the emergence of social worker training in the Nordic countries and discuss the possible effects that the social democratic welfare regime has had on such training. We also discuss the development in recent decades of the academisation of the training and the establishment of social work as a subject of research and teaching. The early history of social worker education is based on archival material, national inquiries and secondary sources. Our presentation of the recent history of social work education is based on the responses to a questionnaire sent to teachers of social work in 33 Nordic social work programmes, and on a survey of course syllabi and prospectuses. It is also based on the reading lists for the social work courses in these programmes.

Social Work Education in Taiwan: Toward Professionalism

Over half a century, social work education programmes in Taiwan have grown from one to 26 in number. These integrate influences from the West as well as local social needs and have rapidly developed, particularly in the past two decades. The social work registration system was set up in 2001. Entering the twenty‐first century, evaluating the outcomes of social work education programmes has become essential. Following a brief description of the history of social work education in Taiwan, this paper focuses on the programmes, features of the curricula including the degree structure, courses of study, fieldwork internship, skills training, the community laboratory and the prospects for social work education. Finally, issues of social work education in a multi‐cultural society will be explored.