Professional Social Work Education: emerging perspectives

Professional social work education began in India as early as 1936 and the profession has survived and grown during the past more than seven decades. The profession is celebrating its Platinum Jubilee this year. The number of social work schools and departments offering social work education in colleges and universities has grown rather exponentially resulting in healthy and unhealthy trends of late. The ethical and moral foundations of the profession and its priorities seem to be challenged by the tirades of market driven demands. Social work education in the country, being a part of the traditonal arts and science stream of higher education, is faced with innumerable challenges. The noble helping profession of social work is at a crossroads in India right now, having to look back and take stock of what all have been accomplished so far, understand the current realities and challenges and decide future directions taking into consideration the various opportunities and threats. This edited volume contains papers contributed by social work educators, students, practitioners and researchers who address some issues concerning professional social work education and training