On the move, social work education: The Singapore journey

Abstract

The nature of social work in Singapore evolved with the development of the nation. While it subscribes to the generally to the mission, values and ethics of social work practice established in non-Asian societies, social work education in an independent multicultural Singapore may need to respond to different needs and challenges. The mandate for social work practice as a profession and for social work education to be considered a discipline at the level of tertiary education is not a 'right' but a consequence of relevance. Hence, social work education cannot be divorced from the practice of social work and the social policies that impact on social work practice. As a primarily collectivist society, social work also cannot be divorced from the reality of community building and social, economic, political and cultural development in the nation building process. Although the issues and challenges are similar, the author as a faculty from the National University of Singapore (NUS) will focus primarily on the educational philosophy and curriculum development of social work education at the National University of Singapore where social work education had been offered since 1952. Issues related to student recruitment strategies, pedagogical assumptions, field work curricula, employment and retention of social work graduates, accreditation, and the challenges and complexities of social work education and context dependency in curriculum development will be discussed in the light of professional needs and national development. Current trends in social needs will be highlighted and the implications for social work practice, education and research will be extrapolated from these social realities. In addition, it will also examine the partnerships among the professional association, the government, the stakeholders such as employers and alumni, and NUS in the design and implementation of various approaches for cumulative learning and continuing professional education. © 2011 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.