Promoting Practice-Teaching-Research Nexus: a goal to develop the social work profession globally

Abstract

The scope of professional social work in the 21st century is ever widening. Started as a helping profession on an individual basis, it now reaches to a wide range of target groups and communities, justifying its cause, contributing to the integrated development of the individual, family, group and societal levels. Professional Social Work Education provides the budding aspirants a platform to practice their theoretical knowledge and skills in different social work settings. One of the major goals of professional social work education is to mould these trainees into unique individuals, so that they contribute the best out of them for the growth and development of the society. Social work education has recognised the need for research informed practice and as such evidence based practice has been accepted as a paradigm in the professional fields of social work, thus making the research-practice nexus embedded in the values of the profession. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the core mandate of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) to enhance social work education and training at a global level that focuses broadly on the practice-teaching-research nexus. To promote and accomplish this goal, the students of social work were given an opportunity for experiential learning by making a study of the novel initiatives of professionally run NGOs.