Phone #: +38 (044) 526-22-76
Room: 207, 2nd floor
E-mail: social.work@ukr.net

Head of the department: Lyuta Lesya, PhD in sociology, associate professor. Specialist in the field of institutionalization of social processes and phenomena; organization of the system of corporate education; psychology and sociology of tourism

Secretary of the department: Butenko Nadiia

The department was established in 1999 as a department of social work and pedagogy. Foundation of the department of social work is due to the emergence of social work in Ukraine, which caused the need for training highly skilled professionals in the field of social work.

On this background at the Faculty of Sociology and Psychology, in 1999 a branch of "social work" was opened and the first set of students was implemented. In 2003, the Department of Social Work became a separate structural unit of the faculty.

Heads of the department during its existence:

• Since 1999 to 2001. was headed by the doctor of psychology,  professor Kazmirenko V.P.
• since 2001 till 2015 doctor of psychological sciences, professor Shwalb Y.M.
• since 2015 till 2016 doctor of psychological sciences, associate professor Chuiko O.V.
• since 2016 till now, PhD in sociology, associate professor Luta L.P.

Main directions of scientific activity of the department:

Today, the preparing of social workers is carried out at the educational levels "Bachelor of Social Work" and "Master of Social Work".

Education at the Bachelor level lasts 4 years and involves teaching theoretical courses and workshops:

• Psychology (developmental, personality, social, ecological, practical)
• Psychology of deviant behavior
• Social policy and law
• Social work with risk groups
• Social design and management
• Marketing of social services
• Art and game methods in social work
• Social animation

And also trainings:

• Training of communicative competence
• Training of social and psychological interaction
• Training of group consistency and team grows
• Training of social leadership
• Personal growth training
• Life-goal training
• Group decision making training

Education at the Master's Degree level lasts two years and involves studying in two specializations: «Social Work in the Community» and «Technology of Social Work in Social Institutions»

Specialization "Social Work in the Community" involves teaching the following courses:

• Social Leadership and Partnership
• Social Technologies for Community Development
• Methods of introducing social innovations
• Methods for assessing social change in the community
• Creation of project teams in the community
• Government and public administration

Specialization courses "Technologies of Social Work in Social Institutions":

• Social work in institutions of social welfare and care
• Social work in recreation and leisure facilities
• Social work in institutions of the palliative system
• Technology of social support and assistance
• Technologies of social adaptation and personal development
• Social work with dysfunctional families

From 2016 the department carries out the training of doctors of philosophy in the field of social work in the specialty "Social Work".

There are 4 doctors of psychological sciences at the department, including 2 professors and 2 associate professors; 1 Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; 10 candidates of sciences, including 2 associate professors and 1 senior researcher; 6 assistants

The teaching staff of the department is working on improving the teaching and methodological support of the department, developing curricula with innovative approaches in providing social services and in using different forms and methods of training specialists. The leading direction of scientific and methodological activity of the department is the development of methods and technologies of practical training.

The high level of theoretical knowledge and the formation of practical skills for students provides teaching of specialized disciplines (history and theory of social work, methodology and methods of research in social work, social work management, methods of working with groups of social risk, organization of volunteer work, system of social services in Ukraine, emergency assistance in social work, etc.) and specialized courses (social work in communities, social work with children and adolescents, social work with people with disability, technology training in social work, social bases of design and programming, etc.).

The learning process is based on the idea of developing student subjectivity by integrating them into professionally-oriented practices, widely used interactive teaching methods, and individual courses are taught exclusively in a training form.

Opportunities for using the acquired knowledge and developing professional skills in practical activities are provided by training programs that are implemented on the basis of various state and non-governmental institutions and organizations

Students are given the opportunity to realize their professional interests by participating in volunteering activities (working with children, adolescents, elderly people, people with disabilities, etc.), developing and implementing their own social projects. Importance is given to the realization of personal interests of students.

Directions on which the department is specializing:

• history and theory of social work
• methodology and methods of research in social work
• social work management
• Methods of working with social risk groups
• organization of volunteer work
• Emergency assistance in social work
• social work in communities
• the basics of social design and programming

Scientific directions developing at the department:

• Development of methods and technologies of practice-oriented training.
• Institutionalization of socio-psychological technologies in the practice of social work
• Definition, description and qualification of socio-psychological technologies used in the world practice of social work
• Standardization and validation of socio-psychological practices in adapting to the tasks of social work
• Expert evaluation system for the effectiveness of social and psychological technologies in the structure of social worker activities, state social services and social organizations of social orientation.

After completing the specialty "Social Work" graduates will have an opportunity to work in the following areas:

• State services and authorities
• Public and charitable organizations
• Commercial organizations providing social services

The graduate will have the opportunity to realize himself in the following areas of activity:

• Advisory practice
• Management of the client's social situation
• Social welfare
• Social expertise, social forecasting and design
• Research practice
• Training practice
• Mediation and representation of interests
• Social management and management of social institutions

Our graduates are practicing and working in the following organizations:

• International organizations, Swiss-Ukrainian project of decentralization of communities "DESPRO";
• Profile Ministries of Ukraine (Ministry of Social Policy, Education and Science, Health, Internal Affairs) and their subordinate organizations;
• Charitable funds and public organizations;
• Centers of social and psychological rehabilitation;
• Research organizations.