YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS. Today there are over 4000 socialworkers who are active in the social field. This number has grown over the years, and today people who work in the field have solid experience and relevant skills in helping people. . Mira Antonyan, President of the Armenian Association of Social Workers said about this at a press conference in the press hall of "Armenpress", adding that before the recent crises the institution of a social worker went through different stages of development, starting from only one university. Currently, the professionis educated in10 faculties of 6 universities. In the statement on the occasion of the International Day of Social Workers, the President of the Armenian Association of Social Workers Dr. Mira Antonyan noted that most of the specialists employed in this field began their career as volunteers and non-specialists, and now most of them in the field have had appropriate education or undergo long-term training.

“Social work is no longer limited to the area of social protection, in a narrow sense, it has also found its place in schools, prisons, probation services, day care centers, in all areas of human rights protection, etc. Social workers work in more than a hundred communities, helping individuals and their families, thereby contributing to solving the problems of the entire community,” Mira Antonyan said.

According to Anahit Sahakyan, Deputy Dean of the YSU Faculty of Sociology, Chairman of the Council of Association, interest in the profession is growing every year. Over the years, more than 1200 specialists graduated from our university.

“I would like tohighlightthat knowledge is not sufficient for this profession, personal characteristics are very important here, in particular, responsibility for work, love for people,” said Anahit Sahakyan.

Mariam Arakelyan, who has been working as a community social worker in Jermuk for several years,highlighted that in addition to the basic education, it is necessary to have empathetic skills to help people in difficult situations to overcome their problems on their own.

“Success stories are many. . There are a lot of cases when you get to know each other at work and then become friends. Because of the war, Jermuk community hosted many families evicted from Artsakh. Now that many have returned to Artsakh, we continue to be friends with these families, remembering each other during important dates,” said Mariam Arakelyan.

Speaking about the consequences of the pandemia and the war, Mira Antonyan noted that the role of social worker has been especially highlighted. There were many initiative groups, volunteers, which, according to Mira Antonyan, was a very positive sign. This means that our society is not indifferent and reacts quickly to difficult situations. Now this activity is fading away, which is quite natural, instead the arena is shifting to social workers.

At this stage, according to Mira Antonyan, the social protection system of the Republic of Armenia is going through a stage of structural reforms focusing on individuals and families. Therefore the key role goes to social worker with case management methodology. The Association plans, in the framework of the "Promoting social inclusion and self-reliant livelihood activities in Armenia" Project implemented under the administration of the World Bank and financial support of the Government of Japan (through Japan Social Development Fund), to help social workers get involved in development of life skills of people, which will lead them to activation and resilience, thereby complementing the efforts of other partner organizations to overcome poverty.The goal of the Project is to support overall 11,000 extremely vulnerable individuals from Ararat, Armavir, Kotayk, Shirak, and Lori marzes by expanding their access to a variety of social services, social assistance benefits, and promoting their self-employment through the full implementation of social case management practice in Armenia.

As a result of the project, about 6000 beneficiaries will have access to various social services, 5000 beneficiaries will be involved in self-employment and employment support programs, including 300 beneficiaries that will receive small (equivalent to 4000 US dollars) grants for business projects. Trainings will be organized for 200 social workers in the target regions of the project.

“The added value of theAssociation of Social Workers in this Project, is to help people have their own source of income, businessesthrough activation and capacitation,. The whole meaningof the project lies in the fact that it is immersed in the methodology of social work - promotion, activation, provision of access to services,” Mira Antonyan said.

Re-emphasizing the role of social workers, she noted that International Day of Social Workers was a perfect opportunity to give importance to social workers, raise the issues such as incentive pay and appropriate working conditions. Decent working conditions for social workers, adequate pay, balanced workload, professional care, assessment are key issues that can be addressed by people-centered attitudes towards vulnerable groups, poverty reduction, reduced dependence on benefits or other forms of assistance, poverty alleviation, recovery and the involvement of people affected by poverty or other social problems.

The JSDF was established by the Government of Japan and the World Bank as a mechanism to provide direct assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable groups in eligible World Bank countries. The aim is to enhance their capacities, strengthen their empowerment and participation in society and economic life.

Founded in 2004, The “Armenian Association of Social Workers” NGO (AASW) is a professional organization that unites more than 1000 members. The main goals of the Association are the development of social work education and practice in Armenia, protection of the rights and interests of social workers and their beneficiaries, as well as the promotion of social protection reforms in Armenia.