Challenge

The perception of the profession of social work, both within state agencies and in the public, is a leftover of the Soviet-era social system. Most people see the social worker as a home healthcare aide, someone whose task it is to do invalid care, housekeeping, and shopping.

The understanding of the profession of social work common in the West is hardly known: Uzbekistan is the last part of the former Soviet Union not to have revised its perception of social work. Because of that, and the correspondingly low salary levels, Uzbeks trained in social work are not working in their field.

Response