Course Details

1. Describe the historical background of the social work profession both as it evolved abroad and in Cyprus.
2. Describe and relate social work methods and practices at the micro, mezzo and macro levels.
3. Describe the purposes of the social work profession.
4. Identify different fields of social work practice and roles that the professional social worker can assume during his/her practice.
5. Explain basic social work concepts such as social services, social problems, injustice, social exclusion, diversity, at-risk populations, poverty, prejudice, stereotypes and others.
6. Differentiate social work from other helping professions.
7. Describe the needs of service users and the basic skills and knowledge base that social workers need in order to assist them.

Introduction to social work: basic definitions (Mary Richmond, UN, International Federation of Social Workers).Historical evolution of the profession (English Poor Laws, Industrialization, Friendly Visitors, Charity Organizations, Settlement Movement, Globalization, the social work profession in Cyprus).Social Work Purposes and Goals as stated by IFSW. The Social Work profession and the professions of Sociology, Psychology, Counselling and Psychiatry.

Social Work Practice: micro practice, mezzo practice and macro practice. Social Work methods (individuals, group and community). Basic social work skills i.e. empathy and communication. Social Work Roles (advocate, broker, counsellor, educator, case manager, researcher, evaluator, community planner, policy maker).

Basic Social Work Concepts: Social Welfare, Service Users, Social Services (state, voluntary, community, private), Empowerment, Social Problems, Poverty, Social Exclusion, Social Inclusion, At-risk populations, Prejudices, Stereotypes, Biases.

Social Work Practice Fields: Aging Services, Chemical Dependence Services, Child Welfare, Domestic Violence Services, Health Care Settings, Mental Health, Youth and Delinquency Services.

Guest Speakers: Professional social workers from a range of fields will present their practices, share their experiences and help students relate theory to practice. Students will be responsible for attending all these sessions and provide reflection papers.

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