Social Work Field Practicum in Government Initiated Projects

Abstract

Voluntary Executives of Kudumbashree (VEK) is an innovative concurrent fieldwork program introduced in Kerala in 2004 to provide opportunities for social work students to work with the State Poverty Eradication Mission (Kudumbashree), where social work students get exposed to the prestigious governmental initiatives for poverty eradication. The program has provided students with the knowledge and skills to work with government systems to reduce poverty. Since social work student trainees work in the field with formal approval and backing from the government, they can quickly establish connections with community power structures and become actively involved in the work of grassroots-level women's organizations. By accomplishing the various tasks assigned by the Kudumbashree mission, the student trainees have acquired competence in social work's micro and macro methods. The findings highlight advances in the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of students who worked with Kudumbashree Mission.