Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (NR)
Mangalore, Feb 16: A south India meet of social work schools ‘Sambhrama-2008’ was organized by the PG department of Social Work, SDM college at Sri Siddhavana Gurukula in Ujire here on Friday, Feb 15.
The meet was inaugurated by professor and dean of School of Social Work in Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Mumbai), Dr Vimla Nadkarni who advised social workers to be watchdogs especially with regard to cases like child abuse and harassment of women.
Delivering the key-note address on 'Social Work and Social Legislation,' Dr Nadkarni stressed on the need for some kind of a regulatory mechanism in social work sphere and urged for the setting up of an exclusive council for social work professionals at the national level.
Dr Nadkarni advised, 'Just as there are councils established for people in the medical or nursing field, there should be similar council for social work too, in order to deal with various aspects like licensing, compulsory continuing education and others. Though there has been a national association of social workers, further efforts are required to push up the demand for a council having regulatory powers," she opined further.
Elaborating on the matter she said advocates, psychiatrists and professionals from other fields should be invited as resource persons in social work schools in order to make exchange of knowledge more meaningful, as social work was a concept of multiple facets. According to her if one is working in a system, there is a need to be aware of the legislations governing the system. Though confrontation may lead to conflicts, social workers should be ready to face such extremes, Dr Nadkarni noted.
K Sivakumar from Villianur college for women in Pondicherry echoing Dr Nadkarni's views for a national council, said that a separate council for social workers was a must, in order to provide them some kind of a protection while fighting against any discrimination or exploitation.
In his speech Prashanth Patil from Government Medical College, Hubli pointed out that though Medical Council of India was a well-regulated body, each branch of medicine like gynecology or oncology should include a qualified social worker within its set-up but the rule was not being followed properly in most of the cases, he criticised.
According to Sharika Rai from SDM Law College social workers play a major role in bringing forth new legislations, while Yashaswini from PG department of Social Work opined that many working women were unaware of the social legislations which might aid them in critical situations.
Dean prof J Mahaveer, PG department of Social Work who presided over the ceremony in his lecture stated social work was the only professional subject, among all social sciences and urged the students to respond to the issues of weaker sections.