UG convenes retreat to discuss enactment of social work legislation

The University of Guyana’s (UG) Department of Sociology, Social Work Unit, along with key national and international stakeholders, met on Tuesday and began strategic discussions to review and enhance the institution’s Masters’ of Social Work programme. This is in keeping with UG’s 2040 Blueprint which essentially aligns it as a key national development partner.
During the virtual retreat, discussions also ensued to establish the role of UG 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.
The event, which ended today, 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”.
And it is also being held in celebration of 50 years of social work education in Guyana.
Students, social workers, educators, and various key stakeholders locally, regionally, and internationally engaged in ways to further enhance the Master’s programme.
Delivering the feature address, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, 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 benefited 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 practise of social work in Guyana, and urged the participants to seriously explore ways in which the programme at UG could be improved.
UG Vice-Chancellor, Professor 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 honoured 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, Canada; UNICEF, and the team from the Department of Sociology at UG.
The Vice-Chancellor 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 this review is programmed at a time when the University had launched its Centre for Behavioural 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 UG’s Sociology Department, Andrew Hicks, in his remarks, said: “We are deeply appreciative of 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 at 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.”
He also acknowledged the support of Prof. Barbara Heron and her team from York University, 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 despite 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 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 among practitioners 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, Debbie Hopkinson, the virtual retreat is twofold: Firstly, it seeks to re-evaluate the Department of Sociology, Social Work Unit’s programme relevance in the changing landscape of the employment industry, to introduce 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.
Hopkinson noted: “Having trained an estimated 70 students, it is now an opportune time to review this programme 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, Ann Greene, and retired educator Sylvia Conway were honoured for their years of selfless service in the area of social work.
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,” Greene related.
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. Conway was unable to join the ceremony, but recognition was given to her for her contributions in the area of social work in Guyana.