Tanzania - Africa Social Work and Development Network (ASWDNet)

Please provide additional information about social services and social work in this country
Names of social work
Definitions of social work
- Local definition of social work
- Definition of social work in Swahili
Training institutions of Social Work
Organisations and associations of social work
How social work started in Tanzania and how it operates currently
Structure of social work and welfare

Ustawi wa Jamii

Contributors: Ibrahimu Hashimu

Not yet received

KiSwahili: Eze nhlalakahle ziwumkhakha ombandakanya ukwe nza ums e be nzi ophathe kayo, uqe qe s ho lwe ze mfundo olukhuthaza uguquko lwe ze nhlalo nokuthuthukis wa komphakathi, ubumbano lomphakathi, ukugqugquze la nokukhulule ka kwabantu. Imigomo yobulungis wa, amalunge lo e s intu, ukubamba iqhaza, nokuhlonipha ukwe hlukana kwe zinhlanga kus e qhulwini e mkhakhe ni we ze nhlalakahle . Ngokus e ke lwa imibono e hlukahluke ne ye ze nhlalakahle , ubuchwe phe s he be ze nhlalo, ubuntu, nolwazi loMdabu, e ze nhlalakahle zix humanis a abantu ne zakhiwo e zilwis ana ne zingqinambaze mpilo ziphinde zithuthukis e ne mpilo jike le le (translation of IFSW, 2014).

University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam
Institute of Social Work, Dar es Salaam
The University of Dodoma, Dodoma
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es salaam
Mzumbe University, Morogoro
Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha
Tumaini University Makumira, Arusha
Ardhi University, Dar es Salaam
The State University of Zanzibar, Zanzibar City
St. Augustine University of Tanzania, Mwanza
Hubert Kairuki Memorial University, Dar es Salaam
St. John’s University of Tanzania, Dodoma
Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial, Dar es salaam
Muslim University of Morogoro, Morogoro
Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza
Mount Meru University, Arusha
St. Joseph University in Tanzania, Dar es salaam
Moshi Co-operative University, Moshi
University of Iringa, Iringa
Teofilo Kisanji University, Mbeya
The University of Arusha, Arusha
Zanzibar University, Zanzibar City
Ruaha Catholic University, Iringa
Mwenge Catholic University, Moshi
Abdulrahman Al-Sumait Memorial University, Zanzibar City
United African University of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam
Sebastian Kolowa Memorial, University Lushoto
University of Bagamoyo, Dar es Salaam

Acknowledgements: Thomas Tomic Simbeye, 2023

Tanzania Association of Social Workers (TASWO)

Acknowledgements: Thomas Tomic Simbeye, 2023

As you know social work is a helping profession. Thus, it was established in order to help people with various needs. The first President of Tanzania Mwl Julius Kambarage Nyerere initiated the welfare service by following the the socialism ideology.

Currently the social work section in Tanzania is a growing profession and is under the Department of Health.

A social welfare department was established after independence in 1961 with the provision of services to the elderly, persons with disability and children started after the Arusha Declaration in 1967 that reiterated on the need of the disadvantaged to live on the ‘sweat’ of able bodied persons.

Thus, in order for people to understand social work they tried to establish an Institute of Social Work. The establishment of the current Institute of Social Work in 1973 formerly known as National Social Welfare Training Institute gave rise to a professional group of social workers particularly in the government structure.

The Institute started operating in 1974 in rented buildings of the Tanzania Episcopal Council (TEC) at Kurasini Dar es Salaam before moving to the Institute’ present premises at Kijitonyama, Dar es Salaam in 1978. The first programme was an Ordinary Diploma in Social Work, which was designed to address the manpower problem facing the Social Welfare Department. In 1977 the Institute began offering an Advanced Diploma in Social Work. This was necessitated by the need to meet social work professional standards. In 1982 the Institute introduced the certificate course in Labour Studies and later in 1990 an Advanced Diploma in Labour Studies was introduced. The purpose of the course was to train Labour Inspectors and Labour Administrators for the Labour Department

Currently social work is taught in different universities such as University of Dar-es Salaam , University of Dodoma , University of Mzumbe and many others.

The department right now is under the Ministry of Social Welfare Services. But also social work department is under the Commissioner of Social Welfare.

We have Regional Social Welfare Officers who run each region, Tanzania has 26 regions, there forever these regional social welfare officers in short term they are named as RSWO’s.

We have District/Town Social welfare officer who runs each district, Town council, and Municipal council. In Tanzania we have more than 184 councils and each council has Social worker and their subordinates (DSWO, TSWO, MCSWO).

Also we have social work in ward level. In Tanzania general we have more than 1000 wards some have a social worker but some they don’t have

Generally, in Tanzania we have more than 1000 social workers who are employed by the government and 200 who are working in private sector.

Social work professionals established an association which is known as Tanzania Social Work Organsiation (TASWO). The organization each year conducts the annual general meeting which comprise all social workers in Tanzania, they discuss various issues so as to upgrade the organization

TASWO is a professional association for Social Workers with zonal offices opened in order to create more participation and stimulate growth of social work at the grassroots together with Social Work Club (SOWOC), the move for globally change is realized through difference programs and service provided by student to save community in need, also being a part of practical learning to student pursue social work.

TASWO, Department of Social Work (DSW) and Institute of Social Work (ISW) are working on the establishment of a Social Work Council in Tanzania A bill is on the process, for establishing the SWC for regulating social work practice and education which will spearhead social work profession to a great extent.

Roles of a professional body or association of social workers

Creating a code of ethics relevant to Africa: To create a code of ethics guided by African values that have been used to provide social services since time immemorial.
Societal recognition: make social work known in families and communities including what social work is in local language, the roles of social workers and how the complement not replace or compete with the roles of families and communities. Presently, in most African communities, social work is not understood and at times it is hated because of its focus on western ideas, knowledge, philosophy, theories, methods and literature.
Creating a local definition of social work: to help social work being understood and appreciated. Definitions in local languages will be more useful.
Creating relevance: making social work in Africa more developmental to enable it to respond to the social issues, challenges and problems on the continent. Social work has to respond to mass poverty in a developmental not remedial way.
Professional recognition: To raise social work to the level of other professions, and to give social workers respect and recognition of their service.
Professional regulation: Ensure that social workers follow ethical principles that make them accountable for any professional misconduct, breach of ethics or confidentiality.
Professional standards: To oversee social worker’s performance, attitude towards families, communities, peers, profession and the society. This builds trust and ensures credibility of social work.
Training monitoring: To monitor social work training and fieldwork.
Produce literature: To research, write and publish relevant literature for social work training and fieldwork.
Advocacy: To advocate for social justice and social services.
Continuous training: To lead continuous professional development (CPD) of social workers and all people providing social services. This is important especially for social workers trained in the colonial period, those trained using colonial syllabus or those trained outside Africa.
Supporting and empowering indigenous services: To support families and communities in their roles of providing social services and not disempower them.
Trade unionism: Act as the trade union of social workers to represent their interests and labour rights as workers, entrepreneurs, volunteers and social innovators.
Consumerism: protect families, communities and employers from poor services from social workers, receiving complaints and dealing with them.
Collaboration with other associations: Work and collaborate with other professional bodies in the country, in the region, in Africa and globally.
Policy work: Creating policies or alternative policies to advance social development and to scrutinize existing policies of the government.
Recognising social workers: Celebrate social workers through national social work day, global social work day and providing awards to social workers, students, academics and social work organisations.
Networking: providing opportunities for social workers to network, share experiences and listen to others through indaba, conference, webinar, newsletters, journals, websites, social media e.g. groups of Facebook or WhatsApp, dinner etc
Decolonising: To decolonise social work to make it relevant to Africa communities, this work involves, among others
- Using African philosophy, including values, ethics, theories, models etc
- Using African ethics and removing colonial ethics
- Using African literature and removing colonial literature
- Using African academics and replacing non-African academics
- Using a home grown syllabus, and replace colonial syllabus – in the process avoid brain drain
- Using and valuing African methods, techniques and strategies of social work and not non-African methods
- Valuing African history of social work and Africans who have contributed to that history
- Contributing African knowledge and methods to global social work and not just receiving global knowledge without scrutiny
- To educate families, communities, organisations and government about how to remove colonial practices, methods, knowledge etc from the social work services that they provide
- Generally, make African social work more developmental in approach so that the profession becomes relevant to our families, communities, organisations and government

Use the form below to add details about this country. The following details can be added: names of social work training institutions, history of social work, details of founders or prominent people in social work and names of social work association or council.