Training for social work in Africa

Abstract

Training for social work began with training on the job under the supervision of a senior social worker, usually a non-African. That was how the first social work auxiliaries were trained in most French-speaking countries, and this method is still used in countries which have not yet evolved regular training programmes. Practical training was later supplemented with seminars, lectures and short in service training courses. Training for social work varies with the level and category of the worker who is being trained. At the higher level it represents professional education, while at the lower levels the main aim is to impart technical skills and methods of work. In the developed countries training is geared to social work among smaller groups or individuals, while in the developing countries it is more frequently geared to work among large communities or groups.