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Social Work is a Field and a Discipline which involves Pure charity work. Over the time it has gradually grown into a profession by applying theoretical and practical knowledge. Social work deals with improving the lives of people by helping them to deal with their problems such as personal issues, diseases, unemployment etc. It is a demanding and immensely rewarding profession which requires exceptional dedication.

Social Work education is available in many universities and institutes in India, both at the graduate and postgraduate levels. Some of these institutes offer postdoctoral research facilities also. Apart from the degree in social work, other educational qualifications in allied fields like criminology, anthropology, psychology, occupational therapy, sociology and health and hospital administration are also found equally suitable to work in this area. A person involved in this field is known as Social Worker.

Some of its specialized fields are -

• Human Resource Management.

• Criminology And Correctional Administration.

• Medical And Psychiatric Social Work.

• Family And Child Welfare.

• Rural And Urban Community Development.

• Schools Social Work.

Content

The study of this field includes all or few of these –

1. Community Organization.
2. Social Policy And Planning.
3. Ecology And Social Work.
4. Child Care And Family Services.
5. Medical And Psychiatric Social Work.

Objectives

• To prepare students with a broad knowledge base and range of skills that equips them to work with diverse client systems of various sizes and types.
• To create and cultivate meaningful opportunities for the promotion of both the quality of life and services.
• To measure the social developments of the society and find the emerging drawbacks.
• To assist in the development of Society as a whole.

Basic Requirement

The minimum requirement for Bachelor's Degree in Social work (B.S.W./ B.A) is +2 examination pass or its equivalent It is a three year course. A graduate in any discipline can join for the Masters degree course in Social work (M.S.W./ M.A) which is of 2 year duration. But students with a background in social work, psychology, social science, sociology or any other related fields will get preference.

Some universities conduct entrance examination for entry to their courses in Social work, but some institutes offer admission on the basis of marks obtained in the last qualifying exam.

Job Perspectives

Social Work is a vast field and the job prospects of a social worker are not specific to a particular field. Social workers deal with persons, families, organizations and groups. They are involved in the work to lessen and prevent social problems caused by factors such as poverty, unemployment, alcoholism, lack of health services, family maladjustment's, physical, mental and emotional handicaps, anti-social behaviour and poor housing.

Enormous employment opportunities are available for social workers in private as well as public sector companies. Earlier it was considered a low paid profession but these days many corporate offices are taking up social responsibilities and they search for good qualified social workers who are paid in par with the other workers. Career opportunities in this field would depend on an individual’s area of specialisation. Vast opportunities also exist abroad. Globalisation has widened the scope of employment. One may choose to join international NGOs like Amnesty International, Oxfam and Green Peace etc.

Some Employment Areas

• Welfare departments of factories and commercial organizations.
• Government and Semi-Government Undertakings.
• Non-Government Organisations.
• Teaching.
• Freelancing.
• Healthcare.
• Adoption.
• Environmental Protection.
• Community Policing.

Some Job Types

• Welfare Officer.
• Consultant.
• Counselor.
• Executive Officer.
• Trainee Officer.
• Social Security Officer.

List of Social Work courses in India