Program Introduction

As one of the universities with social work education programs of both undergraduate and MSW programs in China, Beijing Normal University established the China Social Work Education Demonstration Program (SWED) based on the School of Social Development and Public Policy (SSDPP). The program is intended to be a major social work education base to promote the development of the social work profession and lead social work education in China. In many aspects, SWED means a substantial change in the current social work education system in China. Compared with other MSW programs currently operating in China, SWED has the following four distinct features:

ŸIntegrate education, employment promotion and career development, and policy advocacy on a unified platform.

ŸEmphasize evidence-based teaching and practice.

ŸIntegrate into MSW curricula social policy and administration, leadership and management in non-profit organizations, and clinical practice.

ŸMake use of a wide range of resources for both social work education and research through outsourcing, collaborations, and partnership and network building.

ŸImplement a distant learning program gradually covering the major cities in China.

Goals and objectives

The goal of the SWED program is to develop a social work education model in China which is efficient, effective, high-quality, and sustainable:

lEfficient: By integrating resources both domestic and international, the program can effectively enhance social work teaching capacity and program expansion.

lEffective: This is achieved through evidence-based teaching and practice that prepare students to solve problems.

lHigh Quality: The operation of the program reflects joint efforts of domestic and international eminent social work educators.

lSustainability: The program is replicable, and financially self-sustainable through enhanced teaching capacity, creation of employment demands, and improved quality of care and services.