History

Post Graduate Department of Social Work, Sacred Heart College (DSWSHC) was established in 1979 as the first Post Graduate Department of Sacred Heart College, Tirupattur, Vellore Dt which was then affiliated to University Of Madras. Probably this was the first Social Work programme in a rural area in the State of Tamil Nadu, India. It was the dream initiative of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), spearheaded by the department’s founder Rev. Fr. Joe Arimpoor SDB. The mission was to give priority to training rural students in professional Social Work who would cater to the needs of their communities.

P.G. Department of Social Work is one among the 7 Post Graduate programmes offered by Sacred Heart College, which is an affiliated first grade college of Tiruvalluvar University, Vellore Dt. The college was founded in 1951 by Very Rev. Fr. Joseph Carreno, SDB, a far-sighted Salesian missionary from Spain and has primarily served the people of rural areas for nearly 60 years. The College had beenreaccredited with ‘A’ Grade in November 2006 by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Govt. Of India, acknowledging its national and international academic standards and infrastructural facilities.

The department started offering Masters Degree in Social Work with Community Development as its specialization from 1979 onwards. Subsequently Human Resource Management was introduced as a specialization in the year 1980. Later in the year 1988, the department introduced Youth Development as a unique specialization. It was also the first of its kind in India as an academic programme at the Post Graduate level.

The Department of Social Work under the visionary leadership of Fr. Joe Arimpoor focused on the integration of Theory, Practice and Research right from the inception of the department. By 1994 there were as many as 14 projects run by the department funded by both the Government of India and Government of Tamil Nadu and donors from outside the country. Details of the projects run, research studies undertaken and consultancies offered are listed under Research, Training & Extension Activities.

Ph.D programme in Social Work was introduced in 2000. The P.G. & Research Department of Social Work celebrated its Silver Jubilee in the year 2004. M.Phil programme in Social Work has been offered from 2010.

The curriculum includes Core Subjects, Elective system, Field work training, Block placement in both years and Skill development labs. Students of Social Work sharpen their competencies through various activities carried out by the Association of Social Workers, forums of specializations of Community Development, Human Resources Management and Youth Development.

The Department has forged ahead in the last thirty one years, with as many batches of trained Social Workers addressing issues of concern of individuals, groups and communities not only in the neighborhood but in many parts of the country and the world.