Department of Social Work

The Department traces its origin to the establishment of the Y.W.C.A School of Social Work in 1946 at Lucknow. It was established by the Y.W.C.A of India, Burma and Ceylon, which later became National Y.W.C.A of India. It started a one year programme to give training in social work to the women who were demobilized by the Armed Services, known as the Women's Auxillary Corps of India, following the end of World War II in 1946.

The school started under the directorship of Ms. Nora Ventura who was then the Secretary of Religious Education Committee of the Y.W.C.A, with two students - one from Sindh and the other from Bengal. Later in 1946 Ms. Elmina Lucke, a noted social work educationist of considerable standing and experience, took over as Consultant Organizer of the School. In 1947 the school moved to Delhi and with the efforts of the then Vice Chancellor of University of Delhi Sir Maurice Gwyer; the old Air Force Barracks located on the corner of the Mall Road and 3 - University Road was given to the School.

Due to the initiatives and efforts of Ms. Lucke, post-graduate programme was started which in 1948 was affiliated to the University of Delhi and the name was changed to Delhi School of Social Work. The school was then governed by a board, which included as members in the board were representatives from the Y.W.C.A, the Ministries of Education and Health and the University of Delhi. Dorothy Moses was appointed as the First Principal of the School. She was succeeded by M.S. Gore and S.N. Ranade as Principals of Delhi School of Social Work. D.S.S.W was taken over by University of Delhi in 1962 and became a post graduate institution maintained by the university. PhD programme was started in 1965 and in 1976 M. Phil Programme was introduced. In 1979 Delhi School of Social Work (DSSW) became the Department of Social Work, University of Delhi.