Community and Family Services International is continuing to support the development of Viet Nam’s social-work sector with the signing of a ground-breaking Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on March 12, 2014, that will enable 200 planning and management officials to receive master’s degrees in social work by 2017.
[pullquote]This training can improve the level of in-depth understanding of each participant in the social work sector[/pullquote]The MOU – between CFSI, Viet Nam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), the Graduate Academy of Social Sciences (GASS) and the Asian Social Institute (ASI) – is part of CFSI’s Social Work Education Project (SWEP) Viet Nam, which is supporting the development of the country’s social work sector.
GASS is currently the only postgraduate educational and training facility licensed by Ministry of Education and Training of Viet Nam for pilot professional training in social work at the master’s level. The Master of Sciences in Social Work (MSSW) programme will enable those taking part to improve their knowledge, skills and practices with the aim of providing greater protection and support for marginalized and vulnerable people in Vietnam. The course will be based on the curriculum of the ASI, an institution which as more than 30 years’ experience in social work training, and will be grounded in the real-life context of social work in Viet Nam.
GASS Director Dr Vo Khanh Vinh and CFSI Executive Director Steven Muncy
GASS Director Dr Vo Khanh Vinh said such mutual cooperation was important and would provide opportunities for learning by experience that will assist with the development of social work in Viet Nam. “These (MOLISA) officials will directly participate in the process of promoting change and solving social problems through their professional work. This training can improve the level of in-depth understanding of each participant in the social work sector.”
CFSI’s SWEP-Viet Nam has been operating since 2010 with the aim of better protecting and assisting disadvantaged populations by strengthening and further developing human resources in social work. It is aligned with the Viet Nam government’s sector development priorities and supports the National Program on the Development of the Social Work Profession for 2010 to 2020, which is aimed at producing qualified social workers and improving related services at all levels throughout the country. SWEP-Viet Nam will run until at least 2015.