Mangaluru: “Fieldwork is a critical component of Social Work Education the world over and must be pursued seriously,” opined Dr Olinda Pereira, the founder principal of School of Social Work, Roshni Nilaya.

She was releasing the book on Fieldwork in Social Work Education: A Manual for Educators and Students authored by Joselyn T Lobo, dean of the BSW department.

“With the mushrooming of colleges in the area, fieldwork training is often neglected by the new colleges,” she added.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Jacinta D’Souza, former principal and provincial remarked that a guide on fieldwork is very useful for students and faculty of social work.

Dr LN Bhat, the registrar stated that a manual on fieldwork will provide guidelines on ‘what to do’ and ‘how to do’ when students are placed in fieldwork agencies.

Dr Prakash N Tharien, former dean, provided an overview of social work profession while stressing the role of fieldwork. Dr Sophia N Fernandes the principal was also present on the occasion.

The book release function was followed by a workshop on professional skills for Social Work Practice which was attended by bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students of various colleges of Mangalore University area as well as students from Shimoga and Goa. Besides, social work students from Norway and Belgium doing Internship in India also attended the workshop.

During the workshop, Dr Rameela Shekhar, dean of MSW department delivered a presentation on Micro-skills for case work while Luella Shanthi Lobo, counsellor facilitated an interactive session on ‘Social Work Interventions in School Setting’. Teddy Andrews of Manipal University handled the topic ‘Use of Group Work in Fieldwork Practice’.

The Workshop was organized by Sahayog Forum of the college and Anusuya Shenoy, staff advisor welcomed the gathering while Sithum Chinthaka, the secretary proposed the vote of thanks.