7Th Indian Social Work Congress 2019 Bridging Gaps, Building Bridges

7th Indian Social Work Congress 2019 Bridging Gaps, Building Bridges Congress Theme: Jointly Organised by Registration Opens on: June 10, 2019, Registration Closes on: July 31, 2019 SOUTH ASIA Welcome Message Dear Friends, Welcome to the 7th Indian Social Work Congress (ISWC) 2019. We are pleased to invite you to be a part of 7th Indian Social Work Congress 2019 to be held at Lucknow. If you recollect, NAPSWI began the trajectory of ISWC engagement from Delhi in 2013, and has so far organized six grand Social Work Congresses. This year, we are privileged to host the 7th Congress at Lucknow. The Indian Social Work Congress has continued to envision a keen introspection and reflection on the hallmarks and achievements of the social work profession, as also deliberate upon the issues, concerns and challenges confronting it. This time, the theme of 7th ISWC 2019 is Social Care and Social Wellbeing: Challenges and Opportunities for Social Work Profession. The theme of the 7th ISWC 2019 has been proposed keeping in view its significance in contemporary times. The concepts of social care and social well being are indeed the basics to social work education and practice, and it is imperative that we focus on the multidimensional themes falling within their frame. The forthcoming Congress aspires to bring together people associated with the diverse domains of social work education and practice on one common platform wherein deliberations on social work engagement, as also issues and concerns in the context of social care and well being will take place. In the dynamic context in which we are placed especially more competitive globalised economy, the roles and responsibilities that the social work profession is obligated to fulfill, as also the persona and discourses that it is expected to assume require concerted and ongoing immersion, reflection and articulation. We believe that this is an opportune moment for all of us to respond to the changing social-political realities of our times and assume a more contemporaneous avatar. The 7th ISWC 2019 proposes to provide an excellent site for the convergence of all stakeholders, including social work educators, researchers, activists, development practitioners and practicing professionals to share their views and experiences and also to configure a collective agenda for the glorious future of social work education and practice in the country. As the host of the 7thIndian Social Work Congress, we would also like to iterate that the Congress shall most certainly evolve into a personally enriching and professionally productive engagement for each one of us. It is with this hope and promise that we invite you to become an integral part of the Congress proceedings. We also take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude to NAPSWI for providing us with this opportunity of hosting this remarkable event. We look forward to welcoming you in Lucknow and urge you to collaborate with us in making this endeavor a momentous one. In solidarity Prof. Raj Kumar Singh Organising Secretary About the Congress The Indian Social Work Congress is an initiative of the National Association of Professional Social Workers in India (NAPSWI). With a successful beginning at the University of Delhi in 2013, the second Congress took place in 2014 at the University of Pune. Thereafter, the third Congress was organized at JVBI, Ladnun; the fourth one was held at Varanasi; the fifth was in Sree Shankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, Kerala, and the last in the series, the sixth was again hosted by Delhi School of Social Work, University of Delhi. In continuation the same series, the 7th Indian Social Work Congress is being organised at one of the oldest institutions providing social work education in the country, viz. the Department of Social Work, University of Lucknow. Needless to say, the Department of Social Work is renowned for its excellence in the teaching and learning of social work and has received the status of being first UGC's Centre of Advanced Studies in Social Work. As has been acknowledged time and again, the purpose of the ISWC is to bring the fraternity of professional social workers together to discuss and deliberate upon the issues related to the social work education, practice and research in India. It aims to strengthen the profession through the consolidation of the educational thrust and practice focus on the foundational pillars of social work, viz. social and human development, social justice and human rights. By evolving a vibrant forum, the ISWC strives to facilitate wide ranging presentations on diverse topics, as also discussions and deliberations on the important sub themes emanating out of the main theme of the Congress. The Congress emerges as an important meeting point for educators from all parts of the country, as also practitioners and researchers, all of whom synergize their energies to review the larger trends that the profession is recording and to draw out meaningful responses to the issues and challenges that confront it. Specifically, the 7th ISWC 2019 aims to achieve the following objectives: 1. Provide a platform to social work professionals to discuss and deliberate on the issues relevant to social care and social wellbeing; 2. Address the issues posing challenges for social work profession in the area of social care and social wellbeing; 3. Explore and foresee the opportunities that may be availed as a consequential benefit out of the challenges; and 4. To come out with the concrete proposals and action plans on the basis of the experiences of social work educators, researchers, practitioners, policy makers, planners and development experts to ensure social care and social wellbeing assuming it to be a professional responsibility. Thematic Engagement of 7th ISWC 2019 The theme of 7th ISWC 2019 is 'Social Care and Social Wellbeing: Challenges and Opportunities for Social Work Profession'. The theme has emerged from the Indian perspective that society is the extension of individuals and all the components related to individual and society function not in isolation or independent manner but inter-connected and mutual supportive system leading to continuous interaction between individual and society. Social care and social wellbeing are very near to the profession of social work which is primarily concerned with supporting and helping people in a variety of situations and settings, works in solidarity with socially excluded people and groups in meeting the challenges that their social exclusion creates. Social workers work in wide range of settings and with different groups of people that include individuals, families, groups and communities; perform wide variety of roles including counseling, group work, lobbying, advocacy as well as political activism having network with other professionals such as doctors, public health workers, school teachers, advocates, social service providers and social activists, fulfilling the aim to support people to live more successfully within their local communities by helping them to find solutions to their problems. Social care plans and provides professional individual or group care to clients with personal and social needs. Client groups are varied which include children, adolescents, young people, intellectually or physically disabled, homeless, alcohol/drug dependents, families in community, older people, women etc. Social care strives to support, protect, guide and advocate on behalf of clients; bases on interpersonal relationships requiring empathy, strong communication skills, self- awareness and an ability to critical reflection; is guided through core principles of human rights, social justice and empowerment of clients to achieve their full potential. Team work and interdisciplinary work are vital in social care. Social wellbeing has been described from the perspective of the self (of individuals), this is most often referred to as subjective wellbeing which is a long standing social scientific concept that captures how people evaluate their lives and it has been shown to be related to both affective state (the emotional state in a particular moment) and affective disposition (the pre- disposition to a particular affective state over a period of time). Social wellbeing consists of five social dimensions which include social acceptance (accepting others as they are), social actualization (positive comfort level with society), social contribution (a feeling that one has a contribution to make to society), social coherence (understanding the social world as predictable comprehensible) and social integration (feeling as a part of the community). In order to meet the avowed objectives of social care and social wellbeing of individual, groups, families and communities, social work profession has have to possess effective knowledge and practice skills. In such a context, it is a natural aspiration from the Indian Social Work Congress to play a meaningful role in understanding, analyzing and interpreting the dimensions, areas, challenges and opportunities with regard to social care and social wellbeing. These concepts need to be examined in the context of the global action on poverty and inequalities, SDGs, Social protection, Climate change, empowering process for different groups and so on. Thus, the 7th Indian Social Work Congress is committed to provide a dynamic platform to discuss and deliberate on how the profession of social work can engage itself in achieving the aforementioned objectives resulting into exploration of new

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