In earlier days social work has not demanded any professional qualification
and several people have made a successful career in this field without
any formal training. However the situation has changed and the career
has now gained a status of a full fledged profession. Social Work as a
discipline 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.
The minimum requirement for a professional position
in this field is a bachelor's degree in Social work (B.S.W./ B.A). It
is a three year course open for all those who have passed Plus 2 examination
or its equivalent. 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. Specialization
in MSW includes Human resource management, Criminology and correctional
administration, medical and psychiatric social work, family and child
welfare, rural and urban community development, and schools social work.
A masters degree in Social work is necessary for positions in the mental
health field and general supervisory positions. For higher studies in
this field, one could do the doctoral and research programs like M.Phil.
and Ph.D. These higher degrees are usually required for teaching and some
research and administrative jobs. Apart from these, several diploma and
certificate courses are also available in the field of Social work.
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. Community
organization, social policy and planning, ecology and social work, political
science, health, social problems and women's studies, child care and family
services, labour welfare and industrial relations, problems of marginalized
groups, rural studies, medical and psychiatric social work etc. are some
of the subjects taught in the courses of Social Work.
Personal skills
Social Work is a job with high responsibilities which require good inter
personal communication skill, emotional stability, objectivity and sensitivity.
Besides educational qualifications, a social worker requires certain personality
traits like compassion for the underprivileged and a genuine urge or interest
to help them, capacity to work hard under far-from-perfect working conditions,
patience and dedication. A social worker should be a good listener, be
supportive, know how to comfort people and be ready to work under any
circumstances with out any time schedule. They should not have judgmental
approach but should have a flexible outlook. They must be able to understand
human psychology, should posses the ability to analyze an issue and take
decisions apt to the situation.
