The entire Andaman and Nicobar Islands
population has already seen the significant role(s) played by Social Workers
and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) during post-Tsunami operations. More than hundreds of NGOs from various part
of world have visited here and established their camp office for community work
for the affected population of ANI. We
all know that the problems of the individuals who stay in temporary and short
stay homes are diverse in nature. For
the migrant and disaster affected, the needs of providing immediate basic needs,
counseling to recover from the trauma and shock caused due to the
tragedy, provision of legal aid, initiation of rehabilitation efforts and
linking up with government agencies and other NGOs is important. Many NGOs in India provide community
services. Some of them specialize in a
single activity e.g. health, education while others provide multiple
services. Most of them have Social
Workers working for them. They identify the felt needs of the people,
organizing awareness programmes, mobilizing people, identifying leaders,
setting priorities, suggesting alternative means to solve the problems,
implementing programmes and evaluating
them.
Social work seeks to assist individuals,
groups and communities to reach the highest possible degree of social, mental
and physical well-being. It operates in
consideration of all social, economic and psychological factors that influence
the life of the individual, the family, the social group, and the
community. Social work is the
professional activity of helping individuals, families, groups, or communities
enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning or creating societal
conditions favorable to that goal. It is applied science of helping people
achieve an effective level of psychological functioning and effecting social
changes to enhance the well-being of all people. The fundamental purposes of
social work are: to help people improve their social functioning; and to create
social conditions that will enhance the well-being of people and prevent
problems in social functioning.
Skills of Social Worker
Social work practice has focused on meeting
human needs and developing human potential.
Human rights and social justice serve as the motivation and
justification for social work action. In
solidarity with those who are disadvantaged, the profession strives to promote
the vulnerable and oppressed towards their social inclusion. The Social Workers handle Case work, Group
work and Community work. They have
following skills:
* Listen to others with understanding and
purpose
* Elicit information and assemble relevant
facts to prepare a social history, assessment and report
* Create and maintain a professional
helping relationship
* Observe and interpret verbal and
non-verbal behavior
* Engage clients to resolve their problems
and gain trust
* Discuss sensitive and emotional subjects
supportively and without being
threatening
* Create innovative solutions to client
needs
*
Conduct the need to terminate the therapeutic relationship
* Mediate and negotiate between conflicting
situations
* Provide inter-organizational liaison
services
* Interpret and communicate social needs to
funding sources, public and state
The social work profession promotes social
change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and
liberation of people to enhance well-being.
Utilizing theories of human behavior and social systems, social work
intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social
justice are fundamental to social work.
Its various forms address the multiple, complex transactions between
people and their environments. Its
mission is to enable all people to develop their full potential, enrich their
lives, and prevent dysfunction.
Professional social work is focused on problem solving and change. As such social workers are change agents in
society and in the lives of the individuals, families and communities they
serve. Social work recognizes the
complexity of interactions between human beings and their environment, and the
capacity of people both to be affected by and to alter the multiple influences
upon them including bio-psycho-social factors.
Need of Social Work Education
Both Central and State Governments, and
NGOs witness acute shortage of trained social workers at middle and lower
levels (some even as Para-professional) for appointment, particularly in rural
areas. With the expansion of social
development concerns, globalization, advanced media technology, there is an
urgent need for specially trained personnel to organize and manage social
development programmes and to meet the challenges posed by the fact changing
social scenario. Several states and
union territories – particularly, the North-Eastern States and Andaman &
Nicobar Islands have hardly any institution for training social workers. The social service and rural / urban / tribal
dev elopement sectors in these states have been adversely affected due to
dearth of trained professionals. There
is dearth of trained employees with most of the NGOs. Further, there is a strong indication that
the NGOs are very much eager to have the programme of study in social work for
their in-service personnel.
The Regional Centre of Indira Gandhi
National Open University (IGNOU) was established at Port Blair city after the
Tsunami, as post-Tsunami development
action. Being so, the university started
offering its Bachelor of Social Work
(BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) programmes through its network of study
centers across the length & breath of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Through this attempt, over 100 students have got educated in the field of social
work. Thus, a significant improvement in the situation of availability of
trained man power (work force for social work) for the administration.
The social work education (MSW / BSW)
covers: Social work intervention - with individuals & groups / communities
& institutions; family life education; HIV / AIDS: stigma, discrimination
and prevention education; Substance Abuse and Counseling; working with
individuals / groups; social psychology; community organizations management for
community development etc. The
application of theoretical knowledge into practice, through field work, is an
integral part of every year curriculum.
The compulsory component of 25 full days of field work per year (a total
of 75 days in 3-years study) gives hands-on training - cum - exposure to BSW
students. Similarly, the 45 days of
field work per year (a total of 90 days in 2-year study) in MSW moulds the
student to become professional social worker.
Job Opportunities for Social Workers
The social welfare boards, social welfare
commission, human rights commission, tribal development / research centres,
NGOs, self- help groups, women empowerment centres, legal assistance providers
(RTI / PIL), rehabilitation centres, jails, educational institutions,
anthropology departments, hospitals, AIDS society, Red Cross society, project
sites, disaster management units etc. are having potential opportunities for
qualified social workers. The corporate
sectors, banks, private or public sector organizations also spend lot of money
towards their social responsibility programmes / activities; wherein the need of professionally educated
social workers are on growing demand.
Every government office in ANI
need to have few trained social workers to handle tribal population of islands. The special human touch of social worker
(posted in Govt. offices) handling tribal people of islands will definitely
improve the government services to the tribals.
Let us all try to develop the under-privileged population of our islands
through social workers.
**********
(The
author is Regional Director of IGNOU Regional Centre at Port Blair and can be
reached at rcportblair@ignou.ac.in or
8900936718)
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