- Saturday, December 16th, at 14:00 to 16:20 in the branch campus Flex Room

[Photo] 2023 International Academic Conference - Strengthening the Competence of Social Workers in Response to Diverse Social Welfare Needs in the Public and Private Sectors

The university will host the 2023 SCU International Conference on Social Welfare on Saturday, December 16th, from 14:00 to 16:20 in the Flex Room (Room 501, Building A). The conference will address the theme of 'Strengthening the Capacities of Social Workers in the Public and Private Sectors to Respond to Diversifying Social Welfare Needs.'

The upcoming international conference will initiate with presentations on 'Public Sector Social Work in Sweden - Challenges and Opportunities' by Emelie Shanks (Vice Head of the Department of Social Work, Stockholm University) and 'Social Work Practice with Clients with Disabilities and Their Families' by Carolyn McAllister (Professor and Graduate Coordinator, CSUSB School of Social Work). Following these talks, Professor Park Hyeongwon from the Department of Social Welfare will lead a discussion. The program will then proceed with research presentations on 'Safety Culture Awareness and Human Rights Sensitivity in Relation to Safety Management Activities: Focused on Elderly Care Facilities' by Shim Seonkyung (Welfare Management Major) and Lee Seoyoung (Elderly Welfare Major). Kwon Geumju (Social Welfare Major) will delve into 'Secondary Traumatic Experiences of Social Workers: Focused on Elder Protection Agencies.' To wrap up, Professor Park Gihun from the Department of Social Welfare will conduct a discussion, offering a comprehensive and multidimensional perspective on the capabilities of social workers.

The university's College of Social Welfare, a co-host of the current international academic conference, stands as the pioneer among cyber universities. Led by Dean Im Sehee, it is the largest in Korea with majors in Social Welfare, Elderly Welfare, Welfare Management, and Child Welfare. Dedicated to nurturing skilled social welfare professionals, the College obtained accreditation in 2011 for the first graduate program in social welfare from the Ministry of Education, making a substantial contribution to talent development in the field. The College remains at the forefront of online social welfare education.

The Institute for Future Social Strategies (headed by Director Lee Woo-Kyung), co-hosting the academic conference with the College of Social Welfare, was established in 2009 with the mission of proactively researching and providing educational services from a preventative and problem-solving perspective regarding potential issues in future society. It is organized with an editorial committee and eight specialized research labs, covering areas such as Research on Future and Aging Society, Crisis Management, Global Partnership and Unification Issues, Cultural Architecture Design, Future Economics and Management, Smart Innovation Technology, Digital Future Education, and Climate and Environmental Studies. Hosting over 30 diverse academic seminars and colloquiums annually, the institute's academic journal 'Future Society' earned recognition as a KCI-listed journal in the 2022 evaluation by the Korea Research Foundation.

Additionally, to cultivate creative knowledge and individuals capable of navigating life's continuous changes and enriching their own lives, we have established a Lifelong Education Center. Offering differentiated education programs to meet various learner needs, including courses for certified psychological counselors recognized by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, certification acquisition courses, specialized self-development programs for creating highly skilled professionals, and humanities and culture courses for leisure enjoyment and life enrichment.