Social Work

The mission of social work is to help people who are unable to solve difficulties in their relationships with other people or organizations, e.g. authorities or service providers, etc. The first goal of the Master of Social Work is to deepen the understanding and mastery of contemporary ways of fulfilling this mission. The second objective is to promote the ability of graduates to create the social conditions for the application of the procedures for the realisation of the mission of social work. Therefore, a candidate for the programme must be a graduate of a bachelor's degree in social work or of another field of study that shares its title with one of the other fields listed in Section 110(4)(b) of Act No 108/2006 Coll., on Social Services, as amended. Students may choose to develop their knowledge and skills relating to the objectives mentioned by studying one of the following specialisations (if the specialisation is being pursued in the relevant period): 1/ 'universal social work', 2/ 'micro social work - counselling', 3/ 'macro social work - community service programmes', or 4/ 'macro social work - innovation in organisations'. (For a more detailed explanation and information on the development of the offerings of these specializations, see http://spsp.fss.muni.cz). The key theme of the study of all these specializations is the application of social work theories, methods and research to the problems and life situations of people who are experiencing difficulties in the society around them.

NEW:

The mission of social work is to help people (individuals, families, communities) who are unable to resolve difficulties in their relationships with other people or organizations, such as authorities or service providers, and to support their overall well-being. The first goal of the Master of Social Work is to deepen reflective knowledge and mastery of contemporary ways of fulfilling that mission. The second objective is to strengthen the graduates' ability to create social conditions for the practical application of social work practices. The third goal is to develop students' resilience in their professional growth. Candidates for the program must therefore be a graduate with a Bachelor's degree in social work or another field of study that shares its title with one of the other fields listed in Section 110(4)(b) of Act No 108/2006 Coll., on Social Services, as amended. The study focuses primarily on the use of social work theories, methods, and research to address the problems and life situations of people who face difficulties in their social environment and do not achieve the necessary well-being.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• make a complex assessment of the case (living situation, assistance intervention, system of services in a particular locality, organization) appropriate to the chosen specialisation;
• in the area of the chosen specialization to conceive and implement a/ a helping intervention appropriate to the client's life situation, b/ a social work measure appropriate to the conditions in the community or organization, c/ a change in the measu
• evaluate assistance interventions or other interventions relevant to the selected study specialization;
• conduct and use research as a tool for a comprehensive assessment of a case or evaluation of a helping intervention or another social work measure that corresponds to the chosen specialization;
• komplexně reflektovat případ nebo pomáhající intervenci či jiné opatření sociální práce odpovídající zvolené specializaci;
• select and apply relevant theories, research methods or methods of social intervention to the expert solution of the selected problem.
• NEW:
• make a complex assessment of the case (life situation, helping intervention, service system in a particular locality, organization);
• conceive and implement a/ a helping intervention appropriate to the client's life situation, b/ social work measures appropriate to the conditions in the community or organization;
• reflect the case or helping intervention or other social work measures;
• select and apply relevant theories, research methods or methods of social intervention in the expert solution of the selected problem;
• implement and use research as a tool for a comprehensive case assessment or evaluation of a helping intervention or other social work measure.
• to increase one's resilience to the demands of the social work profession;

Graduates of the follow-up master’s degree in social work will be qualified to work as social worker specialists, experts in the planning and implementation of social service policy, coordinators of assistance programs or social services, or researchers in governmental, non-governmental, or private sector institutions. After gaining additional experience, some of the abilities (see "Learning Outcomes") may also be transferred to other segments of social work.

• Social worker

The field education accompanied by supervision aims to support the reflective orientation of the graduate in practice and the acquisition of appropriate skills. The scope of the compulsory internship is 80 hours + 2 supervision sessions, which includes the development of a written reflection on personal experience in practice, group supervision sessions, and the possibility of individual supervision. The internship is linked to the completion of the Professional Practice and Supervision course for the Master's degree, which is offered in both the fall and spring semesters, taking into account the possibility of entering the Master's degree in both semesters. Based on their profile, students choose an organization that matches their focus and consult this choice with the teachers of the Professional Practice and Supervision for Masters course.

NEW:

Supervised practice aims to support the graduate's reflective orientation in practice and the acquisition of relevant skills. The scope of the compulsory internship is 80 hours + 2 supervision sessions, which includes the development of a written reflection on personal practice experience, group supervision sessions, and the possibility of individual supervision. The internship is linked to the completion of the Professional Practice and Supervision course for the Master's degree, which is offered in both the fall and spring semesters, taking into account the possibility of entering the Master's degree in both semesters. Based on their profile, students choose an organization that matches their focus and consult this choice with the teachers of the Professional Practice and Supervision for Masters course.

The master’s thesis is graded based on formal, theoretical, and methodological criteria. Formal criteria are published on the website of the Department of Social Policy and Social Work and the website of Masaryk University (http://www.is.muni.cz). Theoretical and methodological criteria include the following: a) the thesis is focused on research regarding assistance interventions and their actors; b) the thesis is dedicated to a research question that has not been answered yet; c) the thesis is grounded in a broader review of theoretical approaches to the research question; d) the author pays attention to what is not clear at first sight; e) throughout the thesis, the author consistently follows the explicit research question, and therefore the whole thesis follows a continuous methodological process; f) the author makes clear argumentation; g) the knowledge gained in the thesis can be applied in practice and the solution of practical problems.

Graduates from master’s program in social work may continue their studies in a postgraduate doctoral study program in Social Policy and Social Work at the Faculty of Social Studies, MU or in postgraduate doctoral programs of associated fields (social work, social pedagogy, public policy, etc.) at other universities.