Dialogue with Students of the Educational and Professional Programme “Post-War Socio-Psychological Rehabilitation”: Discussing and Improving the Educational Programme

During the public consultation period for the draft Educational and Professional Programme “Post-War Socio-Psychological Rehabilitation”, meetings between the Programme Guarantor and full-time and part-time students have already become a traditional format of interaction. Informal communication complements other mechanisms of public consultation and provides students with an opportunity to share their learning experiences, make suggestions regarding the programme content, and identify issues they consider important for their future professional practice.

This year, considerable attention during the discussions was focused on the practice-oriented nature of the training and the relevance of the educational components. Students contributed to discussions on proposals aimed at strengthening the coverage of social support and rehabilitation of people affected by the war, addressing the complex and multidimensional needs of social service recipients, and applying contemporary social work approaches and technologies.

One area that attracted particular interest was case management in work with military personnel and war veterans. The discussion included proposals to strengthen the practical aspects of this training, particularly social support and assistance with veterans’ employment, support for people who have undergone amputations, as well as approaches to working with substance use and other dependencies. These issues were considered within the broader context of comprehensive support and social rehabilitation of military personnel, veterans, and their family members.

Another group of proposals concerned the content of social and psychosocial support for individuals, families, and social groups affected by the war. During the meetings, participants discussed the importance of addressing ethical aspects of professional interaction, international experience in post-war rehabilitation, specific features of social support for families, as well as psycho-emotional self-regulation and the prevention of professional burnout among social sector professionals.

At the same time, students’ proposals were not limited to the content of compulsory educational components. During the discussions, they expressed interest in expanding additional educational opportunities in the field of psychology, including certificate programmes. As the implementation of such a proposal falls beyond the authority of the Guarantor of an individual educational programme, it was forwarded to the relevant departments for consideration.

The opinions and proposals expressed during the informal discussions were systematised and considered alongside the results of the online survey and other proposals received as part of the public consultation. Proposals concerning the content of the Educational and Professional Programme and aligned with its objectives and programme learning outcomes were considered by the project group during the programme revision process. Issues falling beyond the direct authority of the Programme Guarantor and the project group were referred to the relevant university units for consideration.

Informal meetings with full-time and part-time students make it possible to complement survey findings with direct feedback from those who have first-hand experience of studying within the programme. This format helps not only to hear students’ proposals but also to discuss them, relate them to the objectives and content of the Educational and Professional Programme, and identify opportunities for their consideration in the programme’s further development.

We thank our students for their active participation, constructive suggestions, and commitment to the development of the educational programme!

Based on materials provided by
the Department of Social Work and Inclusive Education