The European Research Institute for Social Work
The European Research Institute for Social Work (ERIS) is an institute of the University of Ostrava involved in formal cooperation agreements with six European universities in Finland, France, Germany, Britain and Slovakia and other associated member universities across Europe.
Faculty of Social Studies of the University of Ostrava
Faculty of Social Studies of the University of Ostrava (FSS OU) established 1 April 2008. The formation of FSS OU is a result of a long-term process which started with foundation of the Medical-Social Faculty of the University of Ostrava which offered a five-year graduate study programme “Social Work with Health Care Profile” accredited in 1995. The basic constituent of the Faculty is the Department of Social Work which emerged from the former Medical-Social Faculty of the University of Ostrava.
The FSS goal is to enable the applicants to study the social sciences, primarily the social studies, and to offer the job opportunities to the young scientists.
At present, the FSS OU has two departments, the Department of Social Work and the Department of Social Studies, which offer the Bachelor’s degree programme “Social Work” to both the full-time and part-time (or combined form) students; the Bachelor’s degree programme “Medical-Social Work” with a follow-up Master’s degree programmes “Social Work and Management of Social Work Service Organizations” and a doctoral programme in Social Work. Since its establishment, the Faculty has offered all three degrees of the university education in the field of social work. FSS OU intends to become a base for a life-long education of the social workers.
FSS OU enjoys a wide international collaboration supported by cooperation agreements entered into with 35 universities from 16 countries. Another priority of the Faculty is the scientific research focused on examination of social impacts of modernization and associated globalization and their consequences for the social work. In cooperation with the European partnership universities, the University of Ostrava founded the European Research Institute for Social Work (ERIS).
FSS OU is a member of the Association of Educators in Social Work. It supports ASVSP by being a co-publisher of the Sociální práce/Sociálna práca magazine.