The Revival of Romanian Social Work Education and Its Prospects

This chapter will first introduce the historical context of social work activities in Romania and the establishment of social work education after World War I. Subject to various challenges (e.g. ideological, historical, political, social) which culminated with its being banned under communism, social work as a profession and an area of education and practice re-emerged in 1990. The evolution of social work education during the post-communist period under the influence of various factors will be analysed to offer a picture of current challenges and future perspectives. Despite university autonomy, centralised educational structures leave little room for variation of curricula among the social work education programmes. Social work framework curricula evolved from a generalist one focused on theories and policies in the early post-communist period to more specialised core courses adapted to changing social realities, as new generations of social work educators emerged within universities. Doctoral studies are possible in the field of sociology, with social-work-related topics, but there are prospects to establish social work doctoral studies, which could create the basis for greater academisation. Furthermore, research in social work is vital not only for establishing evidence-based practice but also gaining scientific recognition for the field.