The Institute

Established in 1984, the Institute of Social Work and Social Policy is the first academic institution offering social work degree in Macedonia. Along with 9 other Institute’s (departments) it is part of the Faculty of Philosophy, the first academic institution for higher education in Macedonia.

The Institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, which are developed according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

The Institute’s staff is actively involved in teaching and research activities, and also in advising and mentoring students. In working with social work students, the Institute seeks to foster creative problem-solving and leadership skills for the social work profession. The research activity at the Institute spans throughout all fields of social policy and social work. Institute staff is engaged in research and consultancy activities in the fields of: (a) Social Welfare: Protection of children and families at risk, Street children/children on the streets, Social status of Roma population, Educational and social services for elderly etc.; (b) Social Policy: Europeanization of social policies on regional and national social policies, Poverty reduction analyses, Pension reforms, etc.; and (c) Social Work: Supervision in Social Work, System approach in social work, Mapping of local capacities for social development, etc. As part of the Institute, few long standing research and applicative centers have been created:

• National Center for Training in Social Development;
• Resource Center for Street Children/Children on the Street;
• Association for support and protection of children and families at risk - “Happy Childhood”.

Important part of the Institute’s work is cooperation with other academic, governmental and non governmental organizations. Many of the academic cooperation’s established have had an important influence on staff’s and students professional development. Some of the most prominent cooperation’s include:

• On academic level: The Katolische Fachhochschule NW (Abteilung Paderborn, Germany); Department of Social Pedagogy of the University of Lodz, European Faculty of Applied Sciences "Alice Salomon“ in Berlin, Germany; SWEBIH project (academic cooperation between Social Work faculties in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and Sweden); European Institute of Social Services – University of Kent, Canterbury, England;  Institute for sociological, political and judicial research in Skopje, Economic Institute in Skopje, etc.
• INGO’s/NGO’s: AGEH (The Association for Development Cooperation) - Köln, Germany; HelpAge International; UNICEF; Save the Children; First Children Embassy Medzasi; Institute Open Society Macedonia; Fondation Fridrich Ebert Stiftung; Center for Assistance of Children with Learning Disabilities “Poraka”; Center for Social Inititatives “Nadez”,  Third Age University; Union of Associations of Social Workers in Macedonia; Union of Women Organizations in Macedonia, etc.

The Institute is also member of the European Association of Schools of Social Work as well as International Network of School Social Work.