Social Work Certification Program

With the mediation of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, a “Social Work Certification Program” was implemented within the program of the National Center for Teacher Professional Development. The aim of the program is to develop the necessary skills for social workers without special academic education, to strengthen the acquired practical knowledge, recognition and their academic certification.

“Our center serves the professional development of teachers, but at this stage we have decided to take care of the training of social workers. The given certification program envisaged four specializations defined by the Law on Social Work. These are: social work in the field of child and family care and guardianship / support; Social work with persons in conflict with the law; Social work in general education institutions; Social work in the field of health care. The training course lasted for 4 months and the volume of the program was 45 credit hours “- says Teona Khositashvili, Inclusive Education Promotion Program Manager

35 social workers from the Center for Mental Health and  Prevention of Addiction successfully passed the certification. Nino Bukia, a social worker at the Center’s First Replacement Therapy Unit, says about the program:

“It gave me a better understanding of the importance, duties and responsibilities of the social worker profession, that I am a mediator between the patient and the doctor, moreover, between the patient and his family, and this is a great responsibility, so only a qualified social worker should be able to take this responsibility and care. This course was aimed at raising this responsibility, skills and qualifications, for which we thank the organizers and our center, which provided us with the opportunity to increase our knowledge. “