Professional development of social work education and practice in Pakistan within a global context

ABSTRACT

Issues such as lack of licensure and registration, a dearth of standards, and lack of defined job descriptions and job titles are some obstacles that create challenges to the expansion of the field of social work internationally. The purpose of this article is to provide insight on the challenges of implementation and professional development of social work education and practice in Pakistan. This article is divided into five sections: the historical development and characteristics of social work education, the development of social work practice, the professional development of social workers, the need to improve social work education, and professionalizing social work practice and education using indigenous social work education and practice in Pakistan.

KEYWORDS:

• Social work discipline
• professional status
• Pakistan
• social work curriculum
• field placement

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

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Notes

1. The Mohajreens are a multiethnic Muslim group of Indian immigrants (as well as their descendants) who migrated from the various regions of India to the newly-created state of Pakistan after the Partition of British India in August 1947.

2. Biradri system (literally meaning ‘brotherhood’) is the local term that used for to denote a number of social strata, the most important kinship system of mutual protection in Pakistan. biradari plays the role of most important force, stronger and significant than religion, ethnic or any ideological causes. Political alliances and parties in Pakistan are normally based on biradari system not ideologies.

Additional information

Funding

There was no source of funding for this research.

Notes on contributors

Sakina Riaz

Dr. Sakina Riaz has twenty-four years of experience working as a professional. She has fourteen years of full-time teaching experience in the Department of Social Work and ten years as a professional manager in a hospital. Also, she has been a visiting teaching faculty for eight years at the Department of Public Administration, Karachi University and Aga Khan University. Her main areas of teaching interest are social work practice with patients in the health care settings, teaching sociology, social welfare administration, social planning and administration, research methodology, human resources and patient welfare and NGO management.

Steven Granich

Dr. Steven Granich has an interest in international social work and has done research and teaching in Guatemala, Mexico, and Pakistan. He is Associate Professor of Social Work and Counseling at Lock Haven University In an undergraduate social work program.