Department of Social Work and Health
The Department of Social Work & Health is an organizational unit and center of excellence of the FHV.
The department's tasks include teaching in the generalist bachelor's degree programme in Social Work and in the bachelor's degree programme in Health Care and Nursing, as well as in the master's degree programme in Social Work with the two focal points of Social Spatial Work and Clinical Social Work.
The department is concerned with the further development of Social Work as a discipline and profession. To this end, the department is involved in various national and international networks and cooperations and works closely with social organizations in Vorarlberg.
The aim is to further establish professional standards, to take up social issues and to enable and advance social discourse and development.
Health Care and Nursing as a new program at the FHV is the foundation and the first step in academic nursing education in Austria.
The expansion is taking place in close coordination with the relevant system partners in the region.
The department is working closely with the Research Group on Empirical Social Sciences and the HCT at the FHV.
Focus
Over 20 internal lecturers, as well as about 50 external experts, are active in teaching.
In addition to teaching state-of-the-art knowledge in social work science and related sciences, as well as improving the students' self- and social competence, the linking of theory and practice takes a high priority. To this end, the department cooperates with more than 100 practice organizations.
In the master degree programme, the focus is on teaching specialisation in subject-specific and scientific skills, as well as preparing students for leadership tasks.
In nursing, competencies are developed and expanded by internal and external specialists. An extensive network of internships ensures practice-oriented training and enables close contact with current developments in inpatient and outpatient nursing care.
The department is represented in various national and international committees and cooperates with more than 20 universities.
The department itself also offers platforms for professional debate on topics and issues that have people at their center.
The focus is on the classic social fields of action in Social Work and Nursing.
The department offers professional support and expertise in Social Work and Health and conducts joint professional events and projects.
Projects/Services
- Cooperations and projects with social and health care organizations on various specialized topics such as labor market integration, community work and social space orientation, education, prevention, etc., as well as health care institutions
- Collaboration in social, health and socio-political concept developments
- Events on current social, health and socio-political topics
- Scientific work in close collaboration with social and health care institutions
- Research projects on current issues related to Social Work, such as migration, diversity, health care and promotion, and building research capacity in the field of care and health