The Armenian Association of Social Workers, in cooperation with Yerevan State University, recently held the conference “Problems with Guaranteeing the Professional Competence of Social Workers in Armenia” with the intention of emphasizing the proper reception and reflection of the professional competence of social workers in crisis condition, both during work activities and in educational programs.

Faculty members of the Sociology Department, representatives of the Association, social workers working in a number of Armenian state and non-state governmental organizations, as well as undergraduate and graduate students of Social Work attended and participated in the conference.

The dean of the Faculty of Sociology, Arthur Mkrtichyan, gave the welcome speech.

Mkrtichyan thanked the attendees and presented on the importance and relevance of the conference’s topic given the conditions of existing and possible crisis situations in our country.

The conference agenda’s topics included the role of universities in the process of forming the professional competence of social workers, the role of employers regarding the importance of the professional competence among social workers, the process of organizing the education of social workers on current crises, etc..

“The formation of the profession in our country took place in crisis conditions. Since that moment, certain criteria for selecting the beneficiaries and their intervention have been formed, which have undergone changes due to a number of circumstances from year to year. Now is the time for reforms, the implementation of which is placed on our shoulders,” said the President of the Association M. Antonyan.

The conference was summarized by the Chairman of the Association Council, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Sociology A. Sahakyan, who emphasized the importance of relevance of the discussed topics. Suggestions regarding the topic were made and collected in order to ensure successful planning and coordination of future work.