From Welfare to Wellbeing: Reimagining Social Work Practice for Viksit Bharat @2047

Professional social work has evolved significantly over the past century—from its roots in charitable service to becoming a globally recognized academic discipline and practice-based profession. Since the establishment of formal social work education in the early twentieth century, the profession has progressed through successive paradigms of welfare, development, rights-based approaches, empowerment, and, ultimately, wellbeing.

Early pioneers of social work emphasized different dimensions of the profession. Mary Richmond (1917) viewed social work as facilitating conscious adjustments between individuals and their environments to foster personality development. Walter Friedlander (1955) highlighted the application of scientific knowledge and human relations skills to achieve personal and social satisfaction, while Gisela Konopka (1958) emphasised the integration of social services, methods, and social policy. Herbert Stroup (1960) described social work as the art of applying scientific methods to assist individuals, groups, and communities. Over time, the profession has strengthened its humanitarian and scientific foundations while embracing innovation, technological advancement, and evidence-based practice.

The profession's understanding of its mission has also expanded. The Indian Conference of Social Work (1957) emphasised fostering a full and meaningful life, while the joint definition adopted by the International Association of Schools of Social Work and the International Federation of Social Workers (2000) identified human rights and social justice as the profession's core pillars. The 2014 global definition further recognized social work as a profession that engages people and social structures to address life challenges and enhance wellbeing. Today, Social Work is widely acknowledged as a profession dedicated to empowerment, social transformation, sustainable development, improved quality of life, and the advancement of human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.

India possesses a vibrant and extensive ecosystem of Social Work education, research, and practice. With more than 526 institutions offering social work programmes and approximately 120,000 students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate courses, the profession is well positioned to contribute meaningfully to national development. As India moves towards the vision of Viksit Bharat (Developed India) over the coming decades, social work has an increasingly important role in advancing the key pillars of national progress: inclusive growth and social justice, sustainable development, human development and wellbeing, good governance, and strong institutions.

Reimagining Social Work for Viksit Bharat requires the profession to embrace innovation, harness the transformative potential of technology, strengthen evidence-based interventions, and promote community-driven development. At the same time, these efforts must remain firmly grounded in the profession's enduring values of human dignity, social justice, democratic participation, equity, inclusiveness, and social responsibility. As both an academic discipline and a professional practice, social work plays a vital role in strengthening institutions, empowering communities, advocating for marginalized and vulnerable populations, and contributing to nation-building processes.

Through interdisciplinary collaboration, rigorous research, policy engagement, ethical practice, and social innovation, professional social work can serve as a catalyst for building a resilient, compassionate, equitable, and developed India.

Like every year, the Indian Social Work Conference (ISWC) provides a dynamic platform for dialogue, reflection, and deliberation on the evolving theoretical and practical dimensions of the profession. The conference seeks to critically examine emerging paradigms in social work and explore innovative approaches, strategies, and frameworks that can strengthen the profession's contribution to national development. It also aims to advance social work education, practice, research, and policy engagement, thereby enhancing the profession's capacity to support the vision of Viksit Bharat through inclusive, equitable, and sustainable development.

The Sub-themes for the conference are :Sub-Theme number will be used in process of submitting online registration

1. Professional Social Work- From Welfare to Wellbeing

	Welfare to Wellbeing: Philosophical contours, Changing paradigms, approaches; Welfarism; Inclusive and empowering social work interventions; Wellbeing- as concept, as goal, and various facets.
	Rights-based, strengths-based, and community-centered practices; New intervention methods, practice models, theoretical frameworks, and indigenous approaches for human capabilities, wellbeing, and quality of life.
	Social Work Education and Professional Excellence for Viksit Bharat; Addressing complex and emerging societal challenges, curriculum innovation, competency-based education, fieldwork transformation, professional ethics, accreditation, regulation, and continuing professional development; Professional Organisations for strengthening social work education; Professional standards in line with the aspirations of Viksit Bharat.

2. Social Work Education and Social Development in North Eastern States

	Growth of Social Work Education in NE States; Growing recognition of social work as a profession, its contribution to regional development, Challenges and opportunities for social work and interdisciplinary learning and practice.
	Contemporary Issues, Challenges, and Social Work Responses in North East India
	Aligning social work education with the goals of inclusive, sustainable, and culturally responsive development in the Northeastern region; Strengthening indigenous knowledge, community resilience, and Professional Social Work for inclusive development in North Eastern India

3. Education as key for Viksit Bharat

	Quality and Inclusive Education; NEP 2020 as a Roadmap; Skill Development and Employability; Digital Literacy and Technology Integration.
	School social work; NEP & School Education; Education for vulnerable children; School Complex and professional social workers; School Mental Health policy.
	Knowledge society: Social Equity and Justice, Democratic Citizenship – Fosters constitutional values, civic responsibility, critical thinking, and active participation in democracy.

4. Health, Mental Health, and Holistic Wellbeing

	Health and Wellbeing: Issues and Responses; Interconnected dimensions of physical, mental, social, and emotional wellbeing; Wellness and wellbeing.
	Preventive, promotive, and holistic approaches that enhance the wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities; Public health social work, mental health promotion, psychosocial support, disability inclusion, Ageing, rehabilitation, and community-based care systems.
	Emotional and Spiritual Health; Religion, Spirituality and Social Work for well being ; UGC policy on mental health and wellbeing.

5. Good Governance, Social Justice, and Human Rights

	Relationship between governance, accountability, social justice, and human rights in promoting societal wellbeing; Participatory governance, democratic citizenship, policy advocacy.
	Access to justice, and protection of rights; Legal literacy for Social Workers; Role of social workers in strengthening institutions, promoting transparency, and advancing equitable and inclusive development.
	Addressing the issues and rights of vulnerable communities: transgender rights, rights of persons with disability, and rights of ethnic minorities
	Addressing regional disparities and developmental inequalities. Strengthening Democratic Governance, Participation of indigenous communities in development planning. Civil Society catalyzing change and leading development

6. Tribal and Rural Communities and the State of Development

	Tribal and rural populations - Issues, barriers, challenges and opportunities related to education, health, livelihood promotion, and social protection.
	Government welfare schemes and rights-based programs; Capacity building, community organizations and self-help groups strengthening local development, local leadership and customary institutions and partnership in social development efforts.
	Social Work contribution to the field; Integration of indigenous perspectives and traditional community support systems; Efforts for improving QoL, participatory development and community empowerment.

7. Children, Youth and Women: Aspirations, Issues and Challenges

	Children and their issues; Government and non-governmental efforts; Policies and programmes; Problems confronted by children and their complexities and responses; child rights.
	Youth development and employment- youth aspirations, skill development, entrepreneurship, and career guidance; Gender responsiveness; Peace building and social cohesion; Issues related to health, addiction, mental health, life skills, innovation, and youth participation in social transformation. Youth as active contributors to a developed and inclusive India.
	Gender Justice and Women's Empowerment; Addressing gender-based violence and discrimination, Enhancing women's participation in governance and leadership; Women-led Development and Gender-Responsive Social Work.

8. Poverty, Livelihoods, and Social Protection

	Addressing multidimensional poverty, social exclusion, livelihood promotion, financial inclusion, and social protection mechanisms; Empower disadvantaged communities; Welfare of SC, ST and OBC communities.
	Evolving discourse from poverty alleviation to sustainable prosperity and wellbeing; Farmers wellbeing and rural communities; climate resilience, sustainable livelihoods, community institutions, cooperatives, and resource management.
	Sustainable Livelihoods; Employment generation and decent work opportunities; Self employment, entrepreneurship, and micro-enterprises, Green jobs and sustainable economic opportunities; Social Protection, Poverty Reduction and Economic Inclusion./td>
	Work, Workers, and Workplaces-present and in viksit bharat; Decent Work and SDG-8; social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility, environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks, labour welfare, and community-based economic initiatives; CSR and social work profession.

9. Social Work and Global Perspectives

	Service delivery systems-opportunities and challenges; Artificial intelligence, digital inclusion, technology-enabled interventions, data ethics, and innovative service delivery models.
	Digital Social Work; Technology to improve social outcomes and expand access to services. Vibrant knowledge ecosystem that supports the goals of Viksit Bharat.
	Climate Action, Disaster Resilience, and Eco-social Work; Ecological sustainability, disaster preparedness and recovery, environmental advocacy, and eco-social approaches integrating social and environmental concerns in development practice.
	India’s experiences, innovations, and indigenous approaches to social work; International Social Work-n perspectives and global challenges; Addressing South-South cooperation, localization of global development goals, knowledge exchange; and the role of Indian social work in shaping the future of the profession globally.

10. Building Bridges and Bridging Gaps

	Influencing and changing policies, Linking research and practice, Social Work response to emerging realities, Participation of stakeholders, models of practice, advocacy and networking.
	Role of the government, Civil Society Sector, Funding agencies- National and International, ideas and learnings from other countries.

Abstracts on any other overarching issues concerning social work education and practice beyond these suggested sub themes are also welcome.