Social Work: Institutes, Job Opportunities, Scopes and other Details

Social Work has seen this rise in the recent times as a career opportunity which is preferred by candidates all over the world. If you have this desire of reaching out to people and create plans which will help in making the life easier for the ones in need then you can surely pursue this career. Number of Universities and private institutes offer this course with a well-planned curriculum and competent faculty.

The profile of social worker varies from working on the field at the grassroots level or executing plans and policies from the office. They work with a various set of people and provide advice, support and help to individuals who are in a vulnerable situation. The social worker needs to be concerned with the ongoing social problems and should come up with the solutions that will be beneficial for the society. The issues that they have to deal with varies from assaults to adoption to other social evils that still exist in this society. A Social worker needs to keep themselves aware of the changing laws and policies that help in eradicating these evils and has the motive of uplifting the people belonging to a minority.

Job Opportunities:

There are various job opportunities that can be explored by the candidates if wanted to pursue their career in this field. From getting involved with the NGO to working with welfare sector which comes under government welfare policies there are plenty of options to be looked for. Some of the work opportunities are mentioned in the points below:

• Working in a Corporate Sector: Social workers get plenty of opportunities to work in the corporate sector. Professionals with the background of social work are appointed to work in the corporate companies. The basic profile of a social worker in a corporate company comprises of the work dealing of the employees and are being hired in assisting the company CSR (Corporate social responsibility) related decisions where the company’s policies are guided and modified in a social manner.

• Child Welfare Social workers: In this, the social workers work with the underprivileged children who have been neglected, abandoned or abused. The specialization of a social worker can be in adoption as well as child welfare. There are various mediums through which this path can be followed. Some of the social workers run their own individual platforms and some get involved with schools and NGO’s. The social worker should make themselves well aware of the laws pertaining to children.

• Substance Abuse Social worker: In this field, social workers work with the rehabilitation centres and help the individuals who have any form of addiction which impacts their personal and social life and day to day decisions. For this Social workers are provided with training to guide the abusers step by step in overcoming the addiction and make a full recovery by providing support and devising treatment plans.

• Public Social Worker: In this field Social worker gets involved with the community and welfare centres that are established with the motive of improving the living of the people. These form of centres are found in rural regions and are usually for the people of the vulnerable sections. Social workers in this profile help in the development and formulate plans which will benefit the community and will help in the progress of backward sections of the society.

Leading institutes for pursuing Social Work:

There are a number of well-recognized Institutes which offer Social Work as a full-fledged course. Central Universities also offer Social work in both Bachelors and Masters to the candidates interested in pursuing this course. The Social Work department has seen a recent growth in the Universities where competent faculty offers the demanding curriculum. Go through the list of institutes in India and in abroad offering Social work as a course from a tabular format below:

Institutes for Pursuing Social Work in India:

Institutes for pursuing Social Work Abroad:

How to Pursue Social Work:

Candidates aspiring for this field can go through the methods through which Social Work can be pursued as a full-fledged career. Go through the points below.

• Pursue Bachelors from any stream after the qualifying class 12th exam. Then go for Masters of Social work as there are no certain criteria demanded in the Masters regarding your Bachelors. After Masters, you can go for working with various NGO, think tanks, Government programs for executing and formulating policies and community welfare centres. You can also opt for higher studies by pursuing M.Phil and PhD in Social Work.
• After clearing Class 12th From any stream, go for pursuing bachelors in Social Work. You can apply for Masters and pursue PhD for higher education. This option will be beneficial if you are interested in a teaching and Research profession.

Job Description:

• The job profile in this field varies with the issues you are dealing with. The major work is of providing support and helping the vulnerable sections of the society.
• Develop and maintain professional relationships with people acting as advocates and guides for them
• Working in a community welfare sector where the grassroots problems like Water, Sanitation and other social issues are dealt with.
• If in a corporate sector, guide and deal with the company’s policies so they are socially friendly and approved as per the law.
• Participate in multidisciplinary teams and meetings regarding child protection, mental health etc.
• Respond to the emergent situations.
• Work with Government policy-making teams for formulating plans which will be beneficial for Social Welfare
• Work with the think tanks as a part of the research team for analyzing the social problems that are still persistent in the society and what policies can government execute to overcome them or if the already existent policy is actually making an impact for improving the social conditions or not.