Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Social Work in Latin America
Social Work in Latin America
Social Work in Latin America
In the first half of the s. xx the first school of social work in Latin America in
Santiago de Chile was created by Doctor Alejandro del Ro, training in medicine
in 1925; in Puerto Rico it was created in 1934; Continuing along the same lines,
the first school of Social Service in Colombia, was founded by Mara Carulla de
Vergara in the city of Bogot, DC, on October 22, 1936, however it began
operating on April 3, 1937, the group consisted of 20 students and was called
"School of Social Service of the College"; in Argentina, the first school was
founded in 1940 in Ecuador in 1945, in Venezuela in 1956; in 1966 the first
school of Social Service in Dominican Republic is created.
Another important aspect is that has to do with vocational training, in Latin
America, and initially curricula in which matters of medicine, law and a most
practical materials are included, as are the household economy, first aid,
nutrition, among others. "(...) That, in order to equip students with skills that
enable them to address various issues and offer expertise in arts and crafts
within the practice of social work with groups so that these skills could be used
in the generation income of the participants. "
It is from 1950 that is included in the curriculum of different universities, the
chair of social service group, this was a slow and gradual inclusion that
spanned different schools of social work in Latin America, after being proposed
in the First Latin American Congress of Social Work, held in Chile in 1945.
Vocational training in Latin America has been less fragmented, because in the
curricula of universities have included the three methods of Social Work, Case,
and Community Group, which generates a comprehensive intervention and
complementarity between these when interacting with subjects and their
realities. But it is necessary to clarify that this was not always ASI- In the
decade of the 70s, even 80s retired from the Social Work curriculum of
universities courses and Case Social Work Group, for political reasons.
Because it was considered that these methods did not respond to Latin
American needs. Academic production and teaching method was favored
community social work.
In Latin America the first residences were generated in the first decades of s.
xx, who have received different names since its inception as are social homes
and community centers. The services of these centers are aimed at children,
girls, young men and women, the adult population and family.
1 http://hablandodetrabajosocial.blogspot.mx/2009/11/trabajo-social-enlatinoamerica.html
These community centers and the social workers are those who have had the
greatest presence, these guide their participation through the methods of Social
Work with individuals, community groups and the provision of services.