DI marks International Social Work Day

The Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI) organised a Social Work Forum recently to mark the International Day of Social Work, which was attended by representatives of a number of partner training institutions, students and graduates.The forum was introduced by student Dalal al-Mulla.College of Social and Human Sciences associate dean Dr Basil Salloukh, in his welcome address, lauded the social institutions for their effective partnership in providing substantial training to the students of the programme, and said he hoped a national day will be organised for social work.The head of the Social Work Programme, Dr Hamoud al-Aleimiyat, focused on the importance of the professional intervention by specialists during crises, disasters and wars, and in developing social policies and societies.Brigadier-General Dr Ibrahim al-Samih, director of the Community Police Department, promoted the value of specialising in social work, especially at the level of postgraduate studies provided by the DI.Highlighting the importance of social work in various fields, whether in raising awareness, intervention or rehabilitation, he outlined his experience in the educational field during a career covering schools, universities and mosques.Sheikh Ahmed al-Buainain, director of the Office of Family Reconciliation, delivered a paper on Social Work in the Judiciary: A Pioneering Experience.He focused on the role of social work in the Office of Family Reconciliation and Foster Affairs, and commended the efforts of the trainees from the Social Work Programme who proved their worth among Family Reconciliation Office halls in the Family Court.Second-year students of the Social Work Programme presented their experience during the session on Our Students on the Platform: Experiences Inspired by Training Outside Qatar.They described it as a pioneering practice in the field of training, which went beyond the local, Arab and regional levels through the vocational training programme in Jordan.It gave them the opportunity to identify new problems that enriched their knowledge and skills as the students had to test the methods they learned in the classroom on real cases.Graduate students also presented their experience in the session on Brilliant Graduates: Voices from the Field.They spoke about the academic, professional knowledge, and experiences that the DI provided them with and which they used to serve their communities.The most prominent were the recollections of the graduate students of the leadership in research management and impact measurement in Qatar Foundation for Social Work, the Community Police, and the Qatar Red Crescent Society, and the Family Court.The forum concluded with an event congratulating social workers, a tour of the presentations of services and goals of field contribution of partner institutions highlighting the importance of the specialist’s role in social work.