The Department of Social Work is established in 1995 and belongs to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The Department make use of all opportunities in participating various extension activities in and around the campus. The post graduate programme offered by the Department (MSW) is recognised by the social work accreditation councils of UK, USA, Australia, Canada, and New Zeeland. Our students get their recognitions and accreditations in these countries on the basis of the verification of the course modules they have done in the University and the field practicum they have done here in the programmes.

There are a number of students who have got their professional career in social work in these countries and some of them also pursue their higher education programmes on the basis of the PG programmes offered by our department.

The Social Work discipline and profession aims at planning and implementation of social policies, services and programmes needed to meet basic human needs and to support the development of human capacities and abilities. It facilitates change (1) within the individual in relation to his/her social environment; (2) of the social environment in its effect upon the individual; (3) of both the individual and social environment in their interaction. The ultimate aim of social work is to promote or restore a mutually beneficial interaction ‘inter’, ‘intra’ individual, and society in order to improve the quality of life for every one.

The social work training and profession, despite having an existence of more than sixty years in the country has progressed at snails pace. It is still a yet to be developed profession and only very little effort has been made to make it indigenous or Indian. The profession still holds the theoretical and practical foundations of the west and has not made appropriate Indian adaptations. The picture is same in the context of Kerala as well and people consider it an alien profession. Hence an effort to acculturate and adapt the modern professional concepts and practices of social work with the traditional and cultural perspectives is a long pending plea and needs a pioneering initiation and continuous effort.

The Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit was initiated and formed for the preservation and promotion of social and cultural heritage of India in general and Kerala in specific. The methodological approach was Interdisciplinary collaboration and indigenization of the traditional and modern theoretical and academic discourses in knowledge generation and dissemination for the betterment of the society. The sociological and anthropological ecology around the University is of a rural village inhabited by the middle and lover class people who need lot of assistance and leadership in academic and social initiations.

To be an abode of excellence for nurturing and burgeoning young professional visionary social workers, who contribute to the augmentation of human and social capital for the nation through Participation, strategic change and Empowerment.

"To make a distinction all the way through positive action and live out for establishing the utmost standards of performance in Social Work education and practice with an Indian perspective, through research, knowledge generation, facilitation, Training, consulting and extension works."

"To mould young challenging professionals with right attitude, adequate knowledge, and proficient skill to work with individuals, groups, communities for effecting desired social changes at Local National and International realms".

"To craft a constructive and transformative brunt on the existential conditions of people, academic life of the students within the University, and the communities and society at large"