Social Work as a Profession

Social work is a dynamic profession concerned with helping individuals, families, groups, and communities to enhance their individual and collective well-being. It aims to help people develop their skills and their ability to use their own resources and those of the community to solve problems. Social work education consists of theoretical courses and practical training at the field. Field practicum helps students apply social work knowledge, skills, & values within an organizational context.

About the Department

The Social Work Programme was started by the Department of Women’s Studies, Alagappa University in the academic year 2006-2007 and now a separate Department of Social work functions from the academic year 2016- 2017 with the main objective of building a new social order based on human dignity and social justice. The social work programme offers knowledge, skills, and values for a professional commitment to the students. The students will be equipped to work with diverse & vulnerable group of people, execute a range of social welfare activities, and work for their continuing professional development through inclusive practice. The curriculum includes three major components such as, Theory, Fieldwork, and Research.

Practice-based fieldwork is the heart of Social Work Education. The purpose of fieldwork in social work is to provide the student with an interface between classroom education and actual practice. The structure of the fieldwork provides students practical experience in various Non-Governmental Organisations and Institutions under the guidance of faculty.

The Department considers education as a means of social change and transformation with the academic work through integration of theory and practice. The Department collaborates with international, national, and local organisations for field action, projects, research, and training. In addition, throughout the year several workshops, seminars, and interactive programmes are designed innovatively and organized to facilitate teaching and learning.

The Department offers specialization in,

• Community Development
• Medical and Psychiatric Social Work
• Human Resource Management

Aims and Objectives of the Department

• To provide transformative and collaborative learning that embraces the values of social inclusion and promotes enhanced quality of life for individuals and communities
• To enhance effective functioning and well-being of individuals, families and communities through its work and advocacy
• To advocate with individuals and communities for human dignity and social inclusion by mobilizing efforts to end inequities, exploitation and violence
• To promote the development of social work standards and practice and to advocate for social policies that advance social justice & diversity
• To create effective, ethical and competent social workers by providing quality and diverse learning opportunities for the betterment of society
• To contribute to building a new social order based on human dignity and social justice
• To build a cadre of young, competent professionals having a global perspective and a strong value base of compassion, personal integrity, moderation, tolerance and self-respect
• To enable education, research and intervention in social work towards transforming the human potential into socially sensitive change agents for sustainable development
• To propagate values of social work and consciously apply them in practice
• To provide opportunities for students to learn more about the values and knowledge base of the social work profession and its commitment to alleviate contemporary social problems

Vision

The Vision of the Department is to transform the human professional resources into socially sensitive catalyst for sustainable development and persistently respond to changing social realities through the development and application of social work knowledge towards creating a community-centered, gender-fair society that promotes human dignity, equality, social justice, and human rights.

Mission

The Mission of the Department is to educate, enlighten, and empower the students of social work towards self-development and professional competence to face challenges and provide need-based services to the community.

Career Prospects in Social work

• Family counsellors in Hospitals
• Counsellors and Field Executives in International and National Voluntary Agencies
• NGO Management
• Executives in Human Resource Department Sectors
• School Social Workers
• Medical/Psychiatric Social Workers in private and public hospitals
• Executives in Labour Enforcement wings of the Central and State governments
• HR Consultancies
• Executives in Corporate Companies
• Hospice and palliative care social workers
• Community Health Workers
• Correctional Probation Officers
• Guidance Counselors
• Hospital administrators
• Protection Officers (Social Welfare Department)

CONTACT PERSON :

Dr. MA. Velusamy,
Assistant Professor & Head i/c,
Department of Social Work,
Alagappa University,
Karaikudi – 630 003,
Tamil Nadu, India.
E-mail : dsw.alu@gmail.com
Telephone : 04565-226 290