President of Northern Caribbean University (NCU), Dr Herbert Thompson, leads a team of administrators and members of faculty to the prestigious Inter-American Division Teachers Congress in Cancun, Mexico, which runs from September 6-9. The congress, under the theme, 'Let Your Light Shine', provides an opportunity for Dr Thompson and his team to participate in efforts to develop strategies for the benefit of Adventist education in the Inter-American Division (IAD). Dr Thompson will make a presentation during one of the plenary sessions titled, 'Globalising Seventh-day Adventist Education'.

The IAD Congress, which is the largest and most comprehensive teac-hers' congress ever held in the region, is the most important event of the Adventist System of Education for this quinquennium. The congress is an initiative of the IAD Office of Education and it facilitates higher levels of integration among teachers and administrators from the 17 unions (regions) and 12 universities in the IAD to effect the delivery of quality christ-centred education. The congress will host educators from the primary to the tertiary level and will feature more than 20 seminars that will be administered by Adventist educators throughout the Adventist World Church.

At their recently held annual commencement ceremony, Northern Caribbean University (NCU) graduated 56 persons from the social work programme out of the Department of Behavioural Sciences, with a dozen more graduating in abstentia. In only its second graduation cycle the programme boasted the largest make-up of behavioural sciences participants surpassing counselling, guidance counselling, and psychology sectors within the department.

The field

Social work has been an elusive concept around the world for decades, mainly because of its abstract nature and definition. In Jamaica, there is a rich and commendable history of individuals and social activist groups which have worked effectively to impact positive change through hands-on intervention. In essence, social work shares many of the same skills and values that have made these noble accomplishments possible. Today, however, social work as a profession is much more than mere 'helping' alone.

Throughout its development, social workers have persevered tirelessly to qualify the profession of social work as a science through research and practice. It becomes a point of contention, then, for some who would call themselves social workers without the formal and internationally recognised indoctrination of knowledge, values and skills to legitimise the training.

In short, social work is the professional service of helping through intervention. It entails involvement with all sectors of society including individuals, families, groups, organisations and communities. To do this effectively, the social work practitioner must consider areas of biolo-gical, psychological, social and spiritual development, and network with many different stakeholders in the process. While the social worker is trained in areas of counselling and psychological development, he or she is not bound to work in any static situation, but generally works within and across sectors to empo-wer clients to reach their optimal levels of development. Traditionally, social workers are found working in agencies that provide direct social services such as the Victim Support Unit, Hospitals, the Child Development Agency and the Probation Office. However, they can also be found in places like schools, financial institutions, and at the highest levels of government developing policies that positively impact the society and, because of their first-hand knowledge of issues, quite arguably, may be the best candidates to do so.

The conflict

While it is true that trained social workers are suited to function in many different roles and under many different titles, the profession does not endorse a reciprocal approach to accept persons, not having had years of academic training as social workers, to assume the title themselves.

The title of social worker is a designation reserved for those who have been professionally trained and have practised within the field. You wouldn't make the mistake of calling a nurse a doctor just because they perform many of the same functions, or someone who plants a flower a florist just because they both deal with plants. Likewise, the trained social worker is a specialist within his field and has been tested and accepted at the academic and practical levels. The line is precariously drawn, then, when speaking to those without the formal training who for years have referred to and thought of themselves as social workers. Though an uncomfortable distinction to make for all involved, in order to ensure quality control and accountability maintenance, professional social workers make no apology for this. Now, more than ever, is the best time to highlight this peculiarity.

The plan

Jamaica is ripe for professional social workers as more focus is being given to the systematic implementation of workable solutions to historical issues such as sexual abuse, domestic violence, police corruption, illiteracy, teenage pregnancy, deportees, HIV/AIDS, and the mentally ill. Right now we have the best opportunity to capitalise on the skills of social workers to work in schools, clinics, children's homes, nursing homes, and even prisons. In fact, in order for Jamaica to move forward with its plans to reach developed-country status, all sectors of Jamaican society must heavily incorporate these professionals within the capacity of what's working currently, and use them to further assist in finding successful solutions.