Department of Social Services

My name is Taner Artan. I am the vice dean of Istanbul University - Cerrahpaşa, Faculty of Health Sciences. I also work as the head of the Social Work Department. Social Service Department aims to produce graduates who take important roles in eliminating the problems arising from the individuals themselves and their environment and to increase the life quality of the individuals. It is a department where graduates receive the title of Social Worker. In our department, we have many courses on human psychology, anthropology, social work theories, poverty, women, children, and disabled people, as we work with poor people in need. We have 2 types of internship programs. In the first one, which is completed in the spring semester of the third grade, our students work as interns for one day as a part of the community and social work courses. Also, in the spring semester of the fourth grade, our students go to the internship every day of the week for one semester. The institutions where they undertake these internships are mainly The Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Health. We have Farabi and Erasmus agreements in our department. Students come to our university as part of the Farabi Program, both from abroad and from our own country. In addition, we send our students to countries such as Germany and Belgium for internships within the scope of Civil Society Organizations. There are various activities organized by our department both nationally and internationally. Our university conducts many activities with social service departments in different faculties, which it accepts as partners in the accreditation process. We also organize various events with the Social Services Association. Our graduates have a wide range of fields that they can work in. Especially within the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services. There are many other places that we can count. They can work in nursing homes, care and rehabilitation centers, kindergartens, children’s homes, orphanages, social service centers, and they can work for the benefit of children living in the streets and working on the streets, and women's guest houses. Our social workers can work for the Ministry of Justice, in family courts and detention houses. In the medical field, they can work in the field of psychiatric social work. Social workers are included in healthcare teams in the treatment of many diseases such as cancer in Community and Mental Health Centers and Health Hospitals.
The courses that our students have difficulties with are the ones which involve practice. The reason for this is the fact that we are dealing with trauma, violence, and victims of abuse. We work with children, women, disabled and elderly people. They may have problems from time to time in the practical applications of courses such as social work theories, human behavior and social environment, as these are theoretical lessons at the beginning. Of course, we can easily overcome these problems with the support of our professors at our university, our assistants and the supervision support we receive from time to time. I would definitely recommend candidates to choose our department. Especially in recent years, this profession’s employment rate has increased by 600%, USA included. The Covid-19 pandemic also proved that social workers have important roles and responsibilities, supporting people in terms of social aids, family relations, working in elderly care centers and rest homes. In this context, the people who will choose this department should be loving people, giving priority to helping people. Candidates who have the ability to communicate with people will be successful in this line of work. Of course, knowing a foreign language well also provides our students with options for international employment, it also increases their competitiveness. I’d like to say this to the candidates who will choose our department. Social Work is a field which provides many areas to work, and finding employment is not a problem. It is among the most preferred occupational groups, especially in the United States, with an employment rate of 600%. There are similar rates in European countries. In parallel with the increasing isolation of individuals, the reflections of social problems and urban structure within the family, violence against women, abuse of children and the elderly, and negative treatment of disabled people, the need for social service is also increasing. The lonelier the individual gets, the more they need social services. For these reasons, we suggest the candidates to choose our department. We believe that those who receive training in this field will be successful both in terms of employment and in the field. Istanbul University - Cerrahpaşa, as it is known, is a well-established and recognized university. Our university has many campuses. As the Faculty of Health Sciences, Social Work Department, we are located in the Büyükçekmece Campus, which is one of these campuses. Istanbul University – Cerrahpaşa offers an education in a campus environment, as well as opportunities for them to benefit from dormitory services and to perform many sports activities. We are waiting for the students who will choose Istanbul University - Cerrahpaşa, Faculty of Health Sciences, Social Work Department and hope to meet them as soon as possible.