Introduction

The Department of Social Work, University of Peshawar was established in 1976. Initially, it offered two years master program in Social Work. In 1982-83, two more disciplines namely Anthropology and Sociology were introduced and the department was renamed as the Department of Social Work, Sociology and Anthropology. In 1994, it was bifurcated into the Department of Social Work and Department of Sociology and Anthropology. In 2009, three disciplines (Social Work, Sociology and Gender Studies) were merged as an institute namely the Institute of Social Development Studies which was later on renamed as the Institute of Social Work, Sociology and Gender Studies. In June 2014, the de-merger of the Institute took place and the status of independent departments was reinstated.

The Department of Social Work is the center of thriving teaching and research activities. The department runs academic programs of BS-4 year, two years M.A., M.Phil and PhD. Currently, there are eight teaching faculty members of whom three are holding PhD degree. The remaining faculty members are enrolled in M.Phil and PhD program. The department is equipped with human resources and expertise in the field of research, criminology, criminal justice, drugs, public health, social policy, gender and development, demography, public health etc. There are over 300 students enrolled in the department in different academic programs.

Beside teaching and research, the department regularly organizes seminars and workshops on different social problems confronting our society.

The Department of Social Work has also worked with numerous national and international organizations such as the UNICEF, UNESCO, WHO, WWF, JICA, Health Net International UK, SPARC, Provincial Ombudsman Department, etc on different research projects.

Goal

To prepare the future generation of social workers who will take-up the task of promoting social welfare in public and private sector

Objectives

Offer course-based and research-based degree programs at bachelors, masters, and postgraduate level;
To inculcate critical, analytical and creative skills among social work graduate students through critical pedagogical methods including lectures, theatrical performance, role-play, discussions, debates, documentaries/videos, seminars and field work etc.
Collaborate with research institutes in projects of social welfare;
Coordinate with public sector and voluntary organizations for researching social problems;
To offer policy guidelines to public and voluntary sector organizations for social welfare

Mission

The Department of Social Work is firmly committed to impart knowledge and skill of social work and social welfare to the students through teaching, research and field work experiences. We are committed to the society for promoting social welfare through policy formulation, research, and training human resources to run social welfare programs.

Academic Exchange Programs

Since its creation, the department has established numerous academic exchange programs with various universities in other countries. Some of them are listed below:

School of Social Work, University of Pennsylvania, USA, in 1989
School of Social Work and Community Development, Gherao Mercator University, Duisburg, Germany, from 1997-99
Department of Gender Studies, University of Hull, UK in collaboration with Women Studies Centre, University of Peshawar, from 2000-03
Department of Social Work, Strathclyde University, Scotland in 2003

The main focus of these linkage programs was on faculty and students exchange, capacity building, and curriculum development.

Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) Signed

The Department of Social Work has signed MoUs with the following organizations;

British Council Islamabad on “Active Citizen Program” to train youth on how to develop and execute small scale projects (SAP) (from 2009 – 2012).
SPARC Peshawar on extension lectures on child rights, child labor, juvenile justice system and child related issues (2012)
PAIMAN (NGO) on training youth with respect to their role in promoting peace, problem management and conflict resolution
IDEA (a local NGO) to train youth on leadership, communication skills and interview skills (March – June 2013)
Search for Common Ground Islamabad on “Pakistan Peace Initiative – Provincial Visions of Peace” on peace initiatives undertaken by the provincial governments at grass root level after the promulgation of 18th amendment (2014)
Community World Service (CWS) Asia on capacity building of students on peace building, democracy and governance, minority rights, youth empowerment, NGOs management, leadership and communication (2015)
Police School of Investigation, Police Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to train students on crime scene preservation, evidence collection, evidence preservation as per the modern day best practices, cellular forensic, geo tagging and geo fencing for planning crime control, preparation of case file and interview/interrogation techniques (2015).
Association of Business Professional and Agricultural Woman for uplift of street children (2021)
Human Relief Foundation for mitigation of poverty (2021)
Paraplegic Center Peshawar for working for the betterment of students with disability (2021)
Muslim Hands Pakistan for providing a better response to the marginalized segments of the society especially people affected by poverty, conflict, and natural disasters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2021)
Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on capacity development regarding Gender and Child Protection in Emergencies (2016).
Capital City Police Peshawar for police public relations (2022)
Englight Lab for youth leadership, active citizenship, entrepreneurship, heritage, and overall youth welfare and development (2023)

Most Popular Social Work Career Fields

Medical/Public Health
Child Welfare/Protection
Special Education
Community Organization
School Social Work
Academicians
Social Welfare Department
Mental Health
Substance Abuse Prevention
Working with Elderly People
Probation and Parole Officers
Researchers
Juvenile Justice
Policy Planners
Welfare of Prisoners
Labor Welfare

Careers Abroad

Social Work graduates are highly valued in Europe, North America, and Australia. The career prospects for social work graduates in these countries are very high. Our graduates are regularly employed as social workers in these countries.

Department of Social Work

Highlights of Department of Social Work