Tough Times and the Professional Social Work Practice: Hits and Misses.

The COVID‑19 pandemic has had the entire world grappling with challenges all of a sudden. The UN Secretary‑General calls this viral spread the biggest crisis after World War II. Everything operates under the concept of ‘new normal’, as the ‘old normal’ has become obsolete. From an increased focus on personal hygiene to addressing the anxiety caused by loneliness to helping communities in stress and need, these unprecedented times have opened a new avenue for social work whilst raising some serious questions regarding our preparedness for such times. Revisiting social work’s professional values – dignity, social justice, human rights, integrity, and the importance of human relationships – can alone help us understand the extent to which this pandemic has affected social work as a profession. Professional social workers have been under constant pressure since the outbreak, as lack of resources, broken supply chains, economic deprivation, and social alienation have threatened the dignity of many of us. The lack and collapse of health and medical facilities, impaired accessibility to food and hygiene essentials tell a sad story of a weak and compromised edifice of social justice and human rights. Furthermore, the pandemic has raised serious concerns about the training standards of frontline social workers in addressing a new set of challenges. This study focuses on the pedagogy and methodology social work uses in teaching and training the practitioners to deal with such unforeseen situations, while focusing on curating the local knowledge base to cater to the local community’s needs. Indeed, social work is an eight‑decade‑old profession and has stood the test of time, it, however, has a long way to go; and to advance, it has to keep bridging the gaps by pulling together the missing ends in social work pedagogy, by localizing it yet striving to be at par with international standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]