Department of Social Work

Since 1982

4 Programmes
14 Faculty
169 Students
70 Publications

About

Social work continues to be one of the fastest growing contemporary professions today. As society evolves, new issues requiring redressal confront individuals, families and communities, requiring the social work profession to adapt itself to meet these diverse societal needs. The entire focus of this programme is to foster student growth by providing them with quality academic training and thereby prepare them for the challenges and career opportunities of this demanding and dynamic profession.

Established in 1982, the Department of Social Work of Bishop Heber College has a tradition of moulding top notch social work students to meet these challenges. Besides offering a full time two - year Master's level Social Work programme (MSW), the department offers research degrees, M. Phil and Ph.D., affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli. The Department has 35 years of dedicated service to its credit and continue the journey of reaching the un-reached.

VISION

To foster student growth by providing them with quality academic training and thereby prepare them for the challenges of the demanding profession and career opportunities.<

MISSION

  • To enable students who come from diverse backgrounds, to acquire the knowledge, attitudes, skills and behavior necessary for professional social work practice.
  • To integrate professional acumen with basic human values and the Christian spirit of 'service with dignity'
  • To promote a spirit of scientific inquiry, rooting its philosophy in the tenets of Christianity.

Programmes & Certificate Courses Offered

Programmes

  • Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
  • Master of Social Work (MSW)
    • Clinical Social Work Specialization
    • Community Development Management Specialization
    • Human Resource Management Specialization
  • M.Phil. (Management)
  • Ph.D. (Management) [Full-time & Part-time]
  • M.Phil. (Social Work) [Part Time and Full-time]
  • Ph.D. (Social Work) [Full-time & Part-time]
  • P.G.D.C. (Post-Graduate Diploma in Counselling)
  • D.C.F.C.D. (Diploma in Child Focussed Community Development)

Best Practices of the Department

  • Unique in its design comprising of both theory and practice, intertwined, that gives authentic experiential learning for the social work aspirants.
  • Community Outreach activities
  • Field placements
  • MOU’s with organizations of repute facilitating knowledge sharing between the academia and field agencies
  • Educational Tour’s enabling exposure
  • TEACHING/LEARNING/EVALUATION
  • Student friendly teaching methodology.
  • The mode of teaching is focused on ensuring experiential learning for students.
  • Interactional mode of teaching is the cornerstone of our teaching learning process.
  • Brainstorming sessions are held frequently to elicit the spirit of societal conviction.
  • Group Discussions are frequently held to ensure participation of all students.
  • Experiential learning is ensured through Role plays through which they learn to empathise with the situation.
  • Faculty evaluation is constantly sought from the students in an informal basis during classes.
  • Student evaluations are done through the individual conferences held with them, through the feedback obtained from the agency supervisor during the field work agency visits undertaken by the faculty, their organizing skills are evaluated through the assessment.
  • Mentoring is an integral part of our teaching/learning/evaluation process
  • STRIDES MADE IN RESEARCH
  • The research endeavors of the department are based on Evidence based practice.
  • The research activities undertaken in Industrial settings, clinical settings, community development settings and in other generic settings.
  • CONSULTANCY SERVICES RENDERED
  • Evaluated the HIV Awareness Attention and Alleviation (AAA) Project, implemented by Dr. Annie Booth Mission Hospital, Dharapuram and undertook a study on the attitude of the general public towards Mentally Challenged persons in Tiruchirappalli District, for INTACT special school funded by Forum Syd., Sweden, Europe.
  • The department is currently offering Research consultancy services to BBTC (The Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation), Valparai.
  • Another current research consultancy endeavor is underway with ITC, Trichy amongst their women employees.
  • STUDENT SUPPORT AND PROGRESSION
  • Our department has the practice of having Individual Conferencewith every student as ours is a demanding profession with a mandated interface with the general public, welfare agencies and government machinery.
  • Each student has a faculty advisor who is in-charge for conducting individual conference with their wards. Inculcating the skills as required in the Social Work job market through the field work component is given a top priority and students are hand-holded to acquire the requisite Social Work Skill sets and excel in them.
  • STUDENT SATISFACTION
  • Authentic Assessment has been a cornerstone of the department’s endeavor to attain greater benchmarks of quality Social Work Education, Practice and Research.
  • Formative assessments are ingrained in the experiential learning pedagogic methods that are effortlessly ingrained in everyday classroom delivery by the teachers.
  • Effective feedbacks are given to the students based on the outcome of the formative assessments done.
  • Internal assessment pen paper tests are so designed that it serves the dual purpose of both Formative assessment and summative assessment alike.
  • The field work performance of the students is assessed through their agency supervisors in the field work settings, faculty supervisor’s observations through the fieldwork reports submitted, discussions held during the Individual Conference, visits.
  • DEPARTMENT ACTIVELY REACHES OUT, SUPPORTS AND STRENGTHENS THE NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITIES IN NEED
  • Our department has a strong network with our neighborhood communities.
  • We are placing our social work students in our adopted villages, social welfare agencies working in our neighborhood, and they in turn organize many programmes of social relevance in our neighborhood.
  • Field Work component of the curriculum encompasses Rural Camp and field placements in the social welfare agencies in the community.
  • The rural camp experience instills in every Social Work aspirant a deep sense of contentment and happiness in knowing their efforts are making a good change in the community they work in.
  • Every semester we organize around two hundred community organization programmes in our neighborhood.
  • Contact

    • Dr.Carter Premraj. F
    • HOD, Department of Social Work
    • Mobile:
    • Email: carter@bhc.edu.in