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Delhi School of Social Work

Delhi School of Social Work (DSSW) is a public institute of social work education located in Delhi, India. It comes under the aegis of University of Delhi and is formally known as the Department of Social Work (DSW). Established in August 1946 as The National Y.W.C.A. School of Social Work at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh and became the second school of social work in India after Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The Department offers two courses: M.A. in Social Work & Ph.D. in Social Work.

Delhi School of Social Work
TypePublic
Established1946; 78 years ago (1946)
AffiliationUniversity of Delhi
Head of DepartmentProf. Sanjoy Roy
UndergraduatesNIL
Postgraduates200 approx
12 approx
Location
New Delhi
,
Delhi
,
India
CampusUrban
Websitewww.du.ac.in

History

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DSSW was established in August 1946 as The National Y.W.C.A. School of Social Work at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh and became the second school of social work in India after Tata Institute of Social Sciences. It was set up by the Y.W.C.A. of India, Burma and Ceylon (which is now known as National Y.W.C.A. of India) with substantial assistance from the Foreign Division of the Y.W.C.A. of the United States.[1] It started a one-year programme to give training in social work to the women who were demobilised by the armed services, known as the Women's Auxiliary Corps of India.[2] Ms. Nora Ventura, who was then the Secretary of Religious Education Committee of the Y.W.C.A., took the directorship of the school, which had two students – one from Sindh and the other from Bengal.[3] Towards the end of 1946, Elmina R. Lucke[4] of Y.W.C.A. took over as the consultant organiser of the school.

 
A landscape shot of Department building

In 1948, the school was shifted to Delhi with the support of Sir Maurice Gwyer, then vice-chancellor of the University of Delhi,[5] and started offering social work courses of varying duration. It functioned from the old Air Force Barracks located on the corner of the Mall Road at 3 – University Road. By March 1949, the school became an "autonomous post-graduate institution of the Faculty of Social Service of the University of Delhi"[6] and the name was changed to Delhi School of Social Work. Dorothy Moses was appointed as the first principal of the school. DSSW was managed by Delhi School of Social Work Society with representatives of the Y.W.C.A, the Ministries of Education and Health and the University of Delhi in its board. In 1953, Miss Moses left the school to take up an assignment on behalf of the UNESCO in Ceylon.[7] M. S. Gore[8] succeeded Miss Moses as principal, and served the institution until 1962. During the tenure of Prof. S. N. Ranade, DSSW witnessed its larger integration with the University of Delhi. In April 1961 DSSW was taken over by University of Delhi, with its PhD program and M.Phil. program beginning in 1965 and 1976 respectively. In 1979 Delhi School of Social Work (DSSW) became the Department of Social Work, University of Delhi.[9]

In 2008, the Department of Social Work (DSW) initiated a flood relief and rehabilitation project called UDAI (University for Development Action and Integrated learning) for 2008 Bihar flood victims under the aegis of University of Delhi[10] In the same year, National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) set up its State Training and Resource Centre (STRC) at DSW for the capacity building of partner organizations implementing Targeted Intervention projects for High Risk Groups (HRG) of HIV with Delhi State AIDS Control Society.[11] A Gender Resource Centre was granted by the Governing Council of Mission Convergence under the Chief Secretary, Government of NCT of Delhi to the Centre for Community Development and Action in 2009, under the auspices of the DSSW Society. Also, in 2009 the semester system was introduced in the M.A. (Social Work) programme. In 2014, University Grants Commission (UGC) sanctioned the status of “Centre of Advanced Study (CAS) in Social Work” to the Department of Social Work, University of Delhi for five years in this regard. In the year 2018, the Department introduced Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) to its curriculum. In India Today and Outlook-ICARE 2023, the Department has been ranked at 3rd position in the year 2023-24 amongst best colleges/Departments of Social Work all over India. In 2023, Department created its logo focussing on social justice and human rights and also started its own journal i.e., Indian Journal of Social Work Education and Practice (IJSWEP)

Department Resources & Infrastructure

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Library

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Department Library

The Department has a well-established and one of the most reputed libraries amongst the Social Work Institutions. The collection includes books, journals, reports, dissertations and thesis. These are referred to by the staff, students and research scholars from the Department as also from the other institutions, with the prior permission of the librarian and the Head. The library subscribes regularly to twelve (12) national academic and practice journals. At present, the total collection of resources in the library stands at over 33,466 (including books, dissertation and thesis). Library has added 161 new books to its existing collection in the present academic year 2023-2024. Users also avail of computers for online access to journals and academic portals through the Remote Access of the University of Delhi. Additional five computers are available for the users and two computers for the library staff for cataloguing and other administrative functions. The Department solicits networks from various sources, including publishers to ensure that all the publications required by the faculty and researchers are procured. We have been able to make notable additions to the library this year and have procured many useful books in the diverse subject domains. The library committee has been very active this year. A participatory approach has been used to involve all the faculty members to recommend the most relevant books in their realm of study/ courses.

Delhi School of Social Work Society

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The Delhi School of Social Work Society (DSSWS) aims at the promotion of education, research, training and action in the field of social welfare and development. DSSWS is the mother institution of Delhi School of Social Work, now known as Department of Social Work, University of Delhi. The Delhi School of Social Work Society (DSSWS) aims to foster a meaningful relationship between academic curriculum and training. It has been networking with various NGOs/institutions across the country. It also endeavours to develop a creative instinct, which amalgamates innovation with initiative, producing inventive approaches to address the problems and concerns confronting us.

Department Council

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The Department Council met regularly during the year to deliberate and collectively address the academic, pedagogical, field work and allied administrative issues. During these meetings, the faculty members also shared their academic experiences, contributions, upcoming research and academic opportunities. Dr. Sudhir Maske took over as the Secretary, Department Council for the year 2023-2024 under the Chairpersonship of Prof. Sanjoy Roy, Head of the Department.

Department of Social Work Hostel

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Delhi School of Social Work Hostel

The Department has its own hostel. The Head of the Department is the provost of the hostel. The foundation stone of this hostel was laid by Mrs. Durgabai Deshmukh, Chairman, Central Social Welfare Board, Government of India on 25 July 1962. The Hostel became functional from 16 July 1966. Being an attached hostel within the Department premises, it adds to the development of overall personality of the social work students and helps in reinforcing their professional elements. This year hostel facilities were opened for the students and it was occupied to its capacity of single seater rooms.

The hostel campus is quite friendly towards persons with disabilities. Its entrance has been modified and fitted with ramps to suit their special needs. There are forty-nine rooms; a students‟ managed mess with well-furnished kitchen and dining facilities, three drinking water points with reverse osmosis filtering facilities, an air conditioned common room, two sick/isolation rooms (one in each wing), a meeting room, office rooms, Warden‟s residence, lush green lawns, groves and gardens, a bore well in addition to municipal water supply, CCTV surveillance in addition to security services, TV with DTH services in the common room, and a number of newspapers,magazines and periodicals. DSW Hostel has its own website in which provides information about the hostel. There is a provision for security in the Department campus throughout the day. For the hostel, there is additional security during the night time. Two security guards daily provide their services in two shifts daily. Fire safety measures are also in place.

Students’ Union

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The Students‟ Union of the Department of Social Work is a democratically elected student body with active participation in all the academic and co-curricular activities of the Department. The Union provides a platform for the students to take up initiatives to contribute to the academic and extra-curricular life of the Department. The office bearers of the Union act as a communication bridge between the students and the academic and administrative staff for effective functioning of the Department. The election to the Student Union was held in 2023 after a gap of three years.

Fieldwork Action Projects

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The Department has established and continued with its two field action programmes to demonstrate the relevance of social work intervention in dealing with social issues and problems. They have functioned as demonstration cum extension projects of the Department and have enabled it to strengthen its learning-practice engagements. One such field action programme is the Child Guidance Centre, which was instituted in the year 1971 and which later came to be known as the Centre for Child and Adolescent Wellbeing (CCAW). Over the years, the Centre has strengthened its initiatives. The Department also established a community work-oriented centre called the Gram Mahila Kendra in Burari community in the year 1988. Subsequently, this Centre came to be known as the Centre for Community Development and Action (CCDA). Over the years, this Centre has rendered exemplary community development services, based on participatory community action.

1. Centre for Community Development and Action (CCDA)

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Center for Community Development & Action (CCDA) Logo

The vision of CCDA is to build empowered and resilient communities for collective well-being and its mission is to foster positive social change through participatory and collective actions. The CCDA thus aims to build empowered and resilient communities in the periphery of Delhi-NCR. The engagement of Department students as a part of their concurrent fieldwork placement in CCDA is helping to address the needs and challenges faced by the local communities. For many years, the CCDA field extension office was located at the Burari Village but during the pandemic and ensuing lockdown, many of its activities were stopped. Post pandemic the resources were also cut down, therefore the newly appointed Director, CCDA has shifted the office to the premises of DSSW Campus.

CCDA presently works in Burari, Timarpur, Chandrawal Village and Indira Vikas Basti, Outram line. Dr. Sudhir Maske, took charge as the Honorary Director in June, 2023. While in the year 2021-22, the activities at the community through CCDA were suspended due to the onset of the pandemic; however, the Centre has been kept alive at the Ajit Vihar community in Burari by community members, who had been participating in the activities run by the CCDA in the pre-pandemic times. The Department has maintained regular communication with the community representatives. Recently, a new office of CCDA has been set up in the administrative block of DSSW campus. At present there are five students of social work who have been placed for their concurrent fieldwork.

Scholarship Programme

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CCDA held an event in the Department, to provide support to the deserving students. The event, which was organized in collaboration with Mr. Dinesh Rajoria, an alumnus of the Department from Power Grid Corporation, and the Centre for Community Development and Action (CCDA), witnessed the donation of a brand-new Lenovo laptop to our student, Ms. Shivkumari (PWD) and cheques of 5100/- each to Mr. Vineet Singhaniya and Mr. Khubhchand (M.A Social Work) final year student.

Career Guidance Programme for Community Youth

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The CCDA has recently launched a Career Guidance Programme for the community youth. The trainee student social workers are actively working with youth residing in slum communities, particularly to understand the career aspirations of students studying in 10th and 12th standard and accordingly providing them inputs to choose the options for their further studies and career. Based on their interest and needs, the inputs are being provided through counselling and mentorship support. The brief survey was also conducted of the four communities namely: Chandrawal Village, Timarpur, Indra Vikas Basti and Burari to understand the career aspirations of the youths. Based on the findings of this survey, training and workshops are also being organized for the awareness purposes. The trainee social workers are also helping the students who are applying for PG CUCET-2024. In addition, a career counselling centre for community youths has been set up in the CCDA office at DSSW premises. The field work trainee students are providing guidance and counselling support to the needy and aspiring students who would like to pursue higher education.

2. Centre for Child and Adolescent Well Being (CCAW)

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Centre for Child and Adolescent Well Being (CCAW) logo

Centre for Child and Adolescent Wellbeing (CCAW), earlier known as the Child Guidance Centre is a demonstration project by the Department of Social Work, University of Delhi. It was instituted in the year 1971 as Child Guidance Centre which later came to be known as the Centre for Child and Adolescent Wellbeing. Earlier the centre provided diagnostic, treatment and referral services to children, adolescents and their family members. The services of the centre were suspended in the year 2016 due to lack of funds from the University. The Social Worker was appointed in July 2018 with a tenure up to July 2019. Because of this, the centre had to curtail its services. In the year 2020-2021, all the activities at the Centre were suspended due to the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic. In 2022, the centre revived its outreach activities and services under Director Dr. Shashi Rani Dev. This year the major focus was on cognitive development of children and to achieve this, various activities were conducted for with children from Indira Basti, Timarpur open community, children and special children of Masoom School, Timarpur and CIE school. In the academic year 2023-2024, social work trainees who were associated with CCAW as part of field work, took a number of initiatives under the guidance of Dr. Shahsi Rani.

Summer workshop

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The summer workshop organised by Centre to nurture their physical, intellectual, social and emotional well-being of the children. One day before the workshop, an orientation programme was held at the CCAW premises to familiarize the participants with key requirements of the workshop. The workshop strove towards creating a positive impact on children's lives, equipping them with essential skills, knowledge and values that will contribute to their personal and academic growth. Activities such as yoga sessions, good hygiene habits session, educational movie screening, interactive discussions and group activities, self defence workshop, general knowledge and awareness session, art and craft session, dancing and singing activities, play and games were organised.

CCAW Flood Relief Assistance at Signature Bridge, Delhi

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Flood relief activities were organised by CCAW in the month of July 2023 at Signature Bridge, North Delhi. After conducting the need assessment, the CCAW team recognized the urgency of addressing the needs of children and women. It took action to provide clothing, bed nets to children and women. Also, the sanitary pads were arranged and distributed to young girls and women as per their need.

Profiling of Community Children and School Students

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The CCAW team prepared profiles of children to know the needs of community and school children and to plan for educational sessions, as also, to create database for the future. The meeting was held with local leaders to discuss the plan to organise activities of CCAW in the community (Indira Basti). Further other stakeholders meetings were planned to work in collaboration.

Survey on Menstrual Practice and Distribution of Sanitary Napkins

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The CCAW team conducted a survey on menstrual hygiene among girls and women to assess and discuss the significance of identified myths and practices, their potential impact on health and well-being. CCAW collaborated with HLL (HLL Lifecare Limited, a PSU based in Kerala) and distributed sanitary pads to women to provide them an economical alternative to expensive menstrual products. Afterwards, CCAW trainees organised a session in the community about menstrual hygiene where they engaged with women and adolescent girls and spread awareness about myths and facts about menstruation.

Talent Show

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The Centre for Child and Adolescent Wellbeing (CCAW) on 5 March 2024, in collaboration with Masoom Special School, Timarpur, organized a heart-warming talent show titled "Rhythm of Inclusion." This event was aimed to celebrate the unique talents of special students from Masoom School, promoting the spirit of inclusion and appreciation for diversity. The talent show took place at the DSSW lawns from 10 am to 11 am. Led by Dr. Shashi Rani Dev, and Prof. Sanjoy Roy, Head of Department, the event started with a warm welcome of the esteemed guests, including Prof. Pankaj Arora, Dean of Student Welfare, University of Delhi, who was the Chief Guest and Mr. O.P. Semwal, Principal of Masoom Special School, Timarpur as Guest of Honour. Additionally, Mr. Shashank Gupta, Proprietor, Gupta Distributor graced the occasion as Special Guest. The vibrant performances included beautiful musical renditions, captivating dance routines, and a stunning exhibition of handcrafted products that showcased the students' artistic ingenuity. The students sang, enacted and danced on theme songs, holi song, mashups and instrumentals making the event a success. The programme gave unique experience to all the participants and generated a sense of togetherness with the true meaning of inclusion and celebration of the remarkable abilities of these exceptional children.

International Associations and Prospective Collaborations

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Northern Michigan University, USA

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A seven days Social Audit Training Program was held at ILLL, for the Social Work Students and Faculty members which was also attended by six students from Northern Michigan University, USA from 27 February 2024 to 4 March 2024.

Keynote Lecture at 15th Eurosia International conference at Bangkok

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Prof. Sanjoy Roy represented the Department as keynote speaker and chaired a session at 15th Eurosia International conference at Bangkok which saw participation of delegations from 20 countries in March 2024.

Invitation of Special Lecture and Paper Presentation in Germany

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Prof. Sanjoy Roy represented the Department for a special lecture on „Indian social Work‟ at Giessen University, Giessen, Germany. He presented a paper on Human Rights and Social Work at DGfe Kongress 2024 at Martin Luther University, Halle, Germany in March 2024.

Visit at the Department of Social Work by University of Dundee, Scotland, UK

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On 14 February 2024, Prof. Susan Levy and Dr. Lizzie Branford from the Department of Social Work, University of Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom visited the Department and discussed future exchange programs.

Conference at Seattle, US

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Association for Asian Studies‟ 10th Annual Conference at Seattle, USA was attended by Prof. A. Malathi from 14 March 2024 to 17 March 2024. She also chaired a session- Cultured Bodies beyond Boundaries: South Asian Narratives of Female Genital Mutilation.

Project RISHI

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Department of Social Work, University of Delhi is one of the partners in the project RISHII (Resources for Internationalization of Higher Education Institutions in India), which is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. RISHII focuses on management approaches that are necessary to plan and implement curriculum internationalization. The RISHI project continued to focus on the internationalisation of higher education within university systems and its alignment with the New Education Policy.

Faculty

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Professor Sanjoy Roy, Professor (Head of the Department)
 
Professor Manoj Jha
 
Professor Neera Agnimitra
 
Professor Pamela Singla
 
Professor Neena Pandey
 
Professor Seema Sharma
 
Professor Malathi Adusumalli
 
Dr. Meenu Anand, Associate Professor
 
Dr. Shashi Rani Dev, Associate Professor
 
Dr. Sudhir Keshav Maske, Assistant Professor
 
Dr. Ngaopunii Trichao Thomas, Assistant Professor
 
Mr. Abhishek Thakur, Assistant Professor
 
Dr. Veda Yumnam, Assistant Professor
 
Dr. Pushpanjali Jha, Assistant Professor

Research projects and centers

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  • Centre for Community Development and Action (CCDA)
  • Gender Resource Centre – Suvidha Kendra
  • Centre for Child and Adolescent Well Being
  • Training, Orientation and Research Centre (TORC)
  • State Training and Resource Centre (STRC)
  • University for Development Action and Integrated Learning (UDAI)-II

Collaboration & Placements

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Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ Lynne M. Healy (2001). International Social Work: Professional Action in an Interdependent World. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195124460.
  2. ^ "W.A.C.(I) Naval or WRINS". Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  3. ^ "About the department of Social Work". Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  4. ^ "Sophia Smith Collection". Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  5. ^ Elmina Lucke (1 January 1987). Unforgettable Memories. New Delhi: Northern Book Centre. ISBN 9788185119090.
  6. ^ "Social work training in Asian countries". Australian Journal of Social Work. 4 (3): 7–8. 1 October 1950. doi:10.1080/03124075008522439.
  7. ^ Admission Bulletin (PDF). New Delhi: Department of Social Work, University of Delhi. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  8. ^ "Former JNU Chancellor M.S. Gore dies aged 89". The Hindu. 20 November 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  9. ^ "Department of Social Work". University of Delhi. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  10. ^ "UDAI". University of Delhi. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  11. ^ "State Training and Resource Centre (STRC)". NACO. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  12. ^ "Her Excellency Tin Tin". The Outlook. 2 July 1997. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  13. ^ Thomas, Mini P. (6 November 2016). "Able to inspire". THE WEEK. Archived from the original on 28 March 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
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