UG with Key Stakeholders Begin Strategic Discussions on Reviewing and Enhancing Master of Social Work Programme; Social Work Standards, Legislation, Licensure, and Accreditation 

The University of Guyana’s Department of Sociology, Social Work Unit, along with key national and international stakeholders, on Tuesday, August 24 2021, began strategic discussions aimed at reviewing and enhancing the institution’s Master of Social Work Programme in keeping with the University’s 2040 Blueprint which essentially aligns UG as a key national development partner.

The virtual retreat which will run for the next two days, was declared open under the theme: “Professional Social Work in Guyana: Reimagining education and practice to achieve planned change and promote social, economic and environmental justice, and human rights”. It is also being held in celebration of fifty years of social work education in Guyana.

Students, social workers, educators, and various key stakeholders locally, regionally, and internationally will engage on ways to further enhance the Master in Social Work programme offered by UG. Discussions will also ensue to establish the role the University of Guyana through the Department of Sociology Social Work Unit will play in ensuring the enactment of Social Work Legislation, Licensure, and establishment of an Accreditation Council. 

Delivering the feature address, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Honourable Dr. Vindhya Persaud expressed: “Fifty years ago the University of Guyana responded to a need that existed and launched the Diploma in Social Work. This programme has produced generations of social workers, who currently form the body of our social workforce. With great wisdom from the University of Guyana, the programme morphed into a Bachelor’s Degree, and in 2017 the Master of Social Work was launched under a servicing arrangement with York University and support from the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).”

The Minister noted that the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security and many other institutions in both the private and public sectors have benefitted from the hundreds of students who graduated from this programme.

She highlighted that the profession of social work is multidimensional and requires an intersectoral approach to reimagine the education and practice of social work in Guyana and urged the participants to seriously explore ways in which the programme at UG could be improved. 

University of Guyana’s Vice-Chancellor, XI, Prof. Paloma Mohamed Martin, in her remarks recognised the contributions of the many stakeholders, locally and internationally, that have contributed and continue to contribute to the Social Work Programme at the University. In particular UNICEF and early pioneers like Sybil Patterson, Patrice LaFleur, Jospehine Whitehead, Dr. Janice Jackson, Barbara Thomas Holder, and Christine King to name a few along with those being specially honored this week. She also noted, in particular, the unwavering support from the 

Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, Prof. Barbara Heron and her team from York University, UNICEF, and the team from the Department of Sociology from UG. 

The VC explained: “Our second aspirational goal in the 2040 Blueprint is UG being a centre for excellence for some very specific areas. One of the exciting emerging areas that we are developing is human resiliency systems. It has become very important for us as human beings to not only be physically resilient but to be mentally and emotionally resilient in every way. This is why the University of Guyana has framed its resiliency programme as human resiliency systems because we want to look at all of the systems.” She also said that this review is programmed at a time when the University had launched its Centre for Behavioral Sciences and Research (CeBRES) which will teach and research psychology, criminology, social work and psychiatry and whose dedicated counselling center will roll out UG’s new inclusion policy which emphasizes strongly students with mental health and physical vulnerabilities.

Head of the Department of Sociology, Mr. Andrew Hicks, in his remarks said: “We are deeply appreciative for the work of our local partners and other members of our local academic community who have remained steadfast in their support for our academic activities as a department. I am particularly delighted for the enthusiasm and interest of our partners in the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security under the leadership of the distinguished Minister, who is also a former member of the faculty of the University of Guyana, Minister Vindhya Persaud.”

Mr. Hicks also acknowledged the support of Prof. Barbara Heron and her team from York University in Canada whom he said demonstrated consistent passion and commitment to the efforts of the University of Guyana in providing graduate social work education to local practitioners. 

In her brief remarks, Prof. Heron pointed out that in spite of the challenges brought on by COVID-19 which affected her team’s ability to travel to Guyana to teach the new cohort of students in face-to-face mode, there is an opportunity now to “really give some thought to how the programme continues and I really look forward to participating with everyone.”

The Master of Social Work programme was implemented in August 2017. The University’s Department of Sociology currently collaborates with York University as a strategic partner to deliver the teaching aspect of the MSW programme. The programme was developed in response to the prevailing demands from the government, the international community and non-government agencies. Stakeholders saw the need for higher levels of skills amongst practitioners in order to effectively respond to the needs of persons. Key partners include; the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, the Child Care & Protection Agency, ChildLinK, and UNICEF.

According to the Coordinator of the programme, Mrs. Debbie Hopkinson, the intent of this virtual retreat is two-fold: Firstly it seeks to reevaluate the Department of Sociology, Social Work Unit’s propgramme relevance in the changing landscape of the employment industry with the aim of introducing additional modules that are fit for purpose, and secondly, it is a critical juncture to undertake a review of the Social Work Standards and commence preliminary discussions on Social Work Legislation, Licensure and accreditation in Guyana.

Mrs. Hopkinson noted: “Having trained an estimated 70 students, it is now an opportune time to review this program to ascertain how it is meeting the needs of our stakeholders. It is also critical at this juncture to determine how the curricula in its present construct are relevant to the new and emerging needs of Guyana.” 

Dr. Paulette Henry, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences thanked all the stakeholders for their support and their commitment to ensuring that the Master of Social Work Programme continues to improve.

Director of Children Services, Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, Ms. Ann Greene, and retired educator Ms. Sylvia Conway were honoured for their years of selfless service in the area of social work. 

Ms. Greene, a driving force and advocate for the protection of children’s welfare in Guyana has been in the Social Work field for over fifty years. “For me, it is a privilege to have served as a social worker. People ask me, I say I never see what I did as a job, it was never a job, I have never worked one day in my life. What I have done all the years, it was a mission I was on. To me, it is a mission and I’m still on it today,” Ms. Greene related.

Ms. Sylvia Conway has served as a teacher, lecturer, and strong advocate for human rights for several years. She currently sits on Guyana’s Adoption Board, the Parole Board, DDL Foundation, and the St Anne’s Orphanage Board. Ms. Conway was unable to join the ceremony but recognition was given to her for her contributions in the area of social work in Guyana.

Persons interested in applying for any of the University’s degrees in Social work, psychology or psychiatry are kindly asked to click on the following link for more details:

Associate of Social Science (Social Work) – https://uog.edu.gy/srms/departments/65/programmes/778/details

Bachelor of Social Science (Social Work) –

https://uog.edu.gy/srms/departments/65/programmes/781/details

Bachelor of Social Science (Sociology) –

https://uog.edu.gy/srms/departments/65/programmes/94/details

Master in Social Work -https://uog.edu.gy/srms/departments/65/programmes/856/details

Choose from over 140 Programmes including those at the PhD, Masters, Postgraduate, Undergraduate, Associate Degree, and Diploma and Certificate levels.

College of Medical Sciences - https://fhs.uog.edu.gy/srms/departments

Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry - https://faf.uog.edu.gy/srms/departments

Faculty of Education and Humanities - https://feh.uog.edu.gy/srms/departments

Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences - https:// fees.uog.edu.gy/srms/departments

Faculty of Engineering and Technology - https://fot.uog.edu.gy/srms/departments

Faculty of Natural Sciences - https://fns.uog.edu.gy/srms/departments

Faculty of Social Sciences - https://fss.uog.edu.gy/srms/departments

Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE) - https://idce.uog.edu.gy/programmes-offered

School of Entrepreneurship and Business (SEBI) - https://sebi.uog.edu.gy/academic-programmes

To view the Opening Ceremony, please click here: https://www.surgesend.com/filedownload/fileAccessCheck?id=db57ecaa

For all of the University’s programmes and courses, please click here: https://uog.edu.gy/srms/departments

Visit UG’s official website at: https://www.uog.edu.gy/

UG IN BRIEF

The University of Guyana is the 58^th-year state university of Guyana. It offers 136 programmes in over 60 disciplines online and face-to-face in 8 campuses across Guyana. With a student population of now 10,000, UG has provided education, learning and research for over 50,000 alumni. The mission of the University is to discover, generate, disseminate and apply knowledge of the highest standard for the service of the community, the nation and of all mankind within an atmosphere of academic freedom that allows for free and critical inquiry. UG’s forward-thinking Blueprint 2040 is currently setting the course for the University’s future design and institutional response to the changing needs of Guyana.

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