Workshop "Research and training of Social Work in the process of integration and development"

On June 26 and 27, 2008, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (VNU) in collaboration with San Jose University (USA) organized an international conference on “Research and training in Social Work in the process of integration and development”. The conference was attended by Prof. Dr. Vu Minh Giang - Vice President of VNU and Prof. Dr. Alice M. Hinces - Principal of the School of Social Work, San Jose University (USA). There were more than 30 presentations from research institutes and universities in Vietnam and the United States to discuss the current situation and prospects of the social work profession in Vietnam and the world in the context of integration and development.

The International Federation of Social Work (IFWS) defines: “The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to improve their lives. Applying theories of human behavior and social systems, social work intervenes at the points of interaction between people and their environments. Human rights and social justice are fundamental principles of the profession.” (IFSW International Federation of Social Workers, July 2000 in Montreal, Canada). Based on the above definition, the presentations at the conference affirmed: Social work is a field that plays an increasingly important role in the process of achieving equality and social progress. Over more than half a century of formation and development, as a science and a profession, social work has gradually built and perfected theories and approaches, practicing professional skills to contribute to solving social problems related to the lives of individuals, groups and disadvantaged communities. Social work has been and is contributing to promoting social change in the direction of empowering and liberating people, awakening the potential of people themselves.

In Vietnam, in early 2001, the Ministry of Education and Training signed a decision to establish an Advisory Council to develop a framework program for the social work major at university and college levels. In 2004, the Ministry of Education and Training issued a framework program for the social work major at university and college levels. Currently, there are more than 30 training institutions enrolling students for bachelor's degrees in social work. However, social work is currently facing many difficulties: the general demand for social work is relatively large, but the labor market for this major is still quite abstract; all levels and sectors have gradually paid attention to this new profession, but it is not uniform; the team of lecturers specializing in social work is still lacking and does not meet professional requirements due to lack of formal training in social work; documents, textbooks, and lectures are lacking and not updated; Cooperation with international organizations and training institutions is still lacking, not commensurate with the characteristics and position of the profession... The above reasons lead to the unprofessional social work staff, working only on the basis of enthusiasm and personal experiences.

Proposing solutions, the reports all affirmed: For Vietnamese social work to be able to integrate and develop, there needs to be synchronous coordination between schools, agencies, domestic organizations, and active support from international organizations. But the most important thing is still the enthusiasm and dedication of the team of lecturers, students, and staff who have been, are, and will be doing social work now and in the future.

Not only mentioning the major issues that the social work sector is facing, some reports also analyze and present the current development status of social work related to each specific field and subject such as: social work in the field of child protection; social work with domestic violence prevention; social work in the field of health, hospitals; group social work with minors who break the law; social work with drug addicts; social work with public health... Some other reports deeply discuss the issue of professional ethics and cultural obstacles that social workers have to face; lessons learned from social work development in the United States...