Sociology and Social Work: Current Situation and Prospects

Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Van Hoi speaks at the seminar
 

In his opening speech, Prof. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan acknowledged the outstanding achievements in both training and research activities of the Faculty of Sociology over the past 30 years. The Faculty is the leading prestigious unit in the country in training 02 majors of Sociology (XHH) and Social Work (CTXH) from bachelor to doctorate level; implementing many short-term training programs for local and sectoral officials. In particular, the Faculty has outstanding achievements in implementing research programs at all levels, and is one of the units with good achievements in international publications of the University in recent years. The seminar is meaningful as a summary activity of the Faculty's expertise in the two fields of Sociology and Social Work, at the same time an opportunity to connect and open a new phase of cooperation with domestic and foreign partners.

Prof. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan (Principal of the School) delivered the opening speech at the Seminar
 

Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Van Hoi gave a speech reviewing the development path and contributions of the two sectors of social affairs and social work in solving social issues in Vietnam such as: hunger eradication and poverty reduction, mental health, drug addiction treatment, domestic violence prevention, support for the disadvantaged, overcoming the consequences of the Covid pandemic on people's livelihoods...
In particular, for the social work industry, after 10 years of implementing Project 32 on developing the social work profession in the period of 2011-2020 in Vietnam, the greatest achievement recorded is the official promulgation of the social work profession code and the establishment of a legal corridor for the development of this profession. Up to now, there have been 55 colleges and universities training in this field, social facilities, schools... have also built a team of cadres and employees specializing in social work. This profession is increasingly receiving attention from society. Among the above positive results, there are great contributions from the staff of the Faculty of Sociology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Van Hoi presented 30 gifts to students of the school with difficult circumstances.
 

In the coming development period, inheriting the achieved results, in the context of the Government issuing Program No. 112 dated January 22, 2021 on social work development for the period 2021-2030, the social work sector has great potential to develop more deeply and comprehensively, not only focusing on areas such as hunger eradication and poverty reduction, schools... but also expanding to social work in the fields of justice, courts, prisons, hospitals...
The Deputy Minister suggested that the Faculty and the School strengthen coordination with the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and functional units to carry out a number of tasks: summarize and evaluate the practical activities of social work, thereby advising and making policy recommendations to functional agencies on what needs to be supplemented and adjusted so that this profession can develop more strongly in the coming period; build training programs, foster professional skills for social work staff for localities, ministries and branches; aim to implement national-level research topics on the role of social work in community development; strengthen international cooperation in social work...

Dr. Michael Krakowski, representing GIZ, shared information about the project “Social Objectives in Sustainable Green Growth in Vietnam” implemented by GIZ, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities since 2016. The project aims to enhance the capacity to integrate social and gender aspects into policy development and implementation; promote capacity development for the future generation of policy makers and state managers in Vietnam. The project is considered to have produced an excellent set of documents, including a textbook on Policy Analysis and Social Impact Assessment in both paper and electronic formats.

Dr. Michael Krakowski also thanked the team of experts from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities for directly participating in the process of developing the social impact assessment curriculum, especially the online learning module for this content. The development of the pilot electronic module will provide lecturers and students with more flexible access and use of this tool to integrate the social aspect into effective policy analysis work.
On behalf of the team of experts implementing the Project, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thai Lan (Faculty of Sociology) presented the outstanding results of the Project: More than 50 lecturers of the University participated in capacity building training courses and professional seminars supported by the Project; compiled 01 reference book on social impact assessment of policies, compatible and integrated into the curriculum of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities; developed proposals for teaching materials on policy analysis and social impact assessment of policies; connected and expanded cooperation with domestic and international schools and institutes...
 

Delegates take souvenir photos

After the opening session, delegates discussed the following contents: Current situation and orientation for social work development policy in Vietnam; Trends and opportunities for social work in Vietnam and the world; Some key issues in social work research and training; Observation - qualitative data generation method in social work and social work practice; Theoretical potential of social work theory for social work; Assessment of social work human resources and implications for training development in Vietnam...