Information for:

Director , Training Division

Mobile: +94 71 817 5071

Email: varathagowry@nisd.ac.lk

Mrs. Varathagowry Vasudevan is a Director, Training Division of the National Institute of Social Development (Sri Lanka School of Social Work), Ministry of  Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment, Sri Lanka.

She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Jaffna and a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Sociology from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.  She obtained a master’s degree in social work specializing in Family and Child Welfare from the Tata Institute, Mumbai, India. Her Master of Public Management from the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration.

 Her experiences as a Senior Lecturer in Social work and Director of training have contributed to her grounded and contextualized thoughts for the advancement of social work education and Training. She introduced a reflective learning journal for undergraduate and post-graduate field education programmes at the School of Social Work in Sri Lanka. Her research interests include field education and Training, social work curriculum development, family and child welfare, school social work, Community-based child protection, elder care, Volunteerism, Institutionalized care and Care Leavers. She was a Board Member of APASWE in the year 2013-17.  She can be contacted at gowrynisd@gmail.com or  d.training@nisd.ac.lk, or varathagowry@nisd.ac.lk
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0852-0951

Educational Qualifications

  • Master of Arts in Social Work Specialization: Family and Child Welfare, (Tata Institute of Social Sciences Mumbai, India) – 12.05.2005
  • Master of Public Management (SLIDA, Sri Lanka) – 05.05.2022
  • B.A (Hons-Second Upper Class) (University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka) – 07.03.1996

Completed Postgraduate Diplomas

  • Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Sociology, (University of Colombo, Sri Lanka) – 01.12.2000

Current Position/s

  • Team leader for proposed Department of Anthropology and Gerontology 

Positions Held

  • Senior Lecturer , (School of Social Work, NISD, Sri Lanka) – 03/2013 to 5/2015 
  • Lecturer , (School of Social Work, NISD , Sri Lanka) – 07/2005  to 2/2013
  • Assistant Lecturer, (School of Social Work, NISD, Sri Lanka) – 11/1998 to 6/2005
  • Temporary Lecturer, (University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka) – 10/1997 to 06/1998

Publications

Books

Manual preparation

  • Bachelor of Social Work Program,  Field Education Manual, 2014 National  Institution of Social Development 
  • Diploma in Child Protection Program, Field practice Manual 1&2  2011, National Institute of Social Development. 
  • Training manual on Building governance and Democratic values for sustainable development, 2016, NISD and Stromma Foundation , Sri Lanka. 

Book Chapters

  • Varathagowry,V.(2018). Child Welfare Management and Residential Child and Youth Care in Sri Lanka., Residential Child and Youth Care in A Developing World Middle East and Asia Perspectives. Tuhinul Islam and Leon Fulcher – editors. ISBN 978-1-928212-37-9 Copyright © 2018. The CYC-Net Press. All maps courtesy of Google Earth Published June 2018, PP 252-266.
  • Jeevasuthan,S., Zulkarnain, A.,H., & Vasudevan.V.(2014). Introducing the Innovations in Social Work Teaching and Practice: A Micro   Experience from the National Institute of Social Development, Sri Lanka Social work Education and Practice: Scholarship and Innovations in the Asia Pacific Edited by Nikku,B,R & Zulkarnain A,H. Chapter three.

Journal articles

  • Varathagowry.V. (2023). The Impact Study of the COVID – 19 Outbreak and Long-term Consequences on Care Leavers. SOS Children Villages-Sri Lanka, Sage publication under review 
  • Varathagowry,V.(2019). Inclusion of Children as Active Citizens and Social Work Intervention with Community in Sri Lanka, Asian Review of Social Sciences  ISSN: 2249-6319 Vol.8 No.1, 2019, pp. 97-101. The Research Publication. www.trp.org.in
  • Varathagowry,V.(2014).Indigenization of Field Practice in Social Work Education in Sri Lanka,  Social Work Research Institute Asian Center for Welfare in Society, Japan College of Social Work and Asian and Pacific Association for Social Work Education. Indigenization and internationalization of  social work education in  Asia, PP 159-180.  Tokyo, Japan, ISBN 978-4-9901612-5-4.
  • Varathagowry,V.(2013).Professional Social Work in Sri Lanka. Social Work Research   Institute Asian Center for Welfare in Society, Japan College of Social Work and Asian and Pacific Association for Social Work education,  Tokyo , Japan.
  • Varathagowry,V.(2014). Child Care institutions as quality family, surrogate (alternative) care services in Sri Lanka. Journal   of Institutionalized Children Explorations and beyond. International Conference On “Institutionalized Children: Standards of Care and Mental Health”,  March 14 – 15, 2014, Amity University, New Delhi, India.
  • Varathagowry,V.(2013). Elderly Women in Institutionalized Care: A Situational Analysis of the Elderly in a Colombo City Neighbourhood, Sri Lanka. International Journal of Social Work and Human Services Practice, Horizon Research Publishing, Vol.1. No.1 September 2013, pp. 9-14, Master’s Degree based publication. 
  • Varathagowry,V.(2010).Community participation and Community development: Role of the Professional social worker. Annual Research Conference 2010, University of Jaffna, Proceeding of the full papers, pp 122-131,  IBSN: 955058501-8. 
  • Higashida, M., Poonpoksin, W., Paul, Varathagowry K. et al. An exploration of contextually relevant curricula in international social work education: learning from the experiences of selected Asian countries. Discoverglob soc 1, 6 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s4428223-00006-8  
  • Vasudevan V, Silva H, Thatparan J (2023) An Impact Study of The COVID-19 Outbreakand Its Consequences for Children and Youth in Two Alternative Care Systems. Adv Pub Health Com Trop Med: APCTM-180. Copyright: © 2023 Varathagowry Vasudevan Advances in Public Health, Community and Tropical Medicine, Volume 2023, Issue 02
  • Varathagowry,V.,& Koichi Yaguchi. (2020). Elderly in Institutionalized Care: Enhancing Interpersonal Relationships as Social Work Intervention: towards Family Social Work in Sri Lanka., EJournal of Social Work 2020 – 4 (1): 24-31, National Institute of Social Development , Sri Lanka, www.nisd.ac.lk
  • Varathagowry,V., Osamu,K., Kazue, K.,  Deepthi,N., &Herath,M.D.S. (2020).Practice of School Social Worker with Children for Facilitating Social Needs in Sri Lanka, Asian Review of Social Sciences  ISSN: 2249-6319 Vol. 9 No.2, pp. 1-7. www.trp.org.in
  • Yaguchi,K., Varahagowry,V.,  et al.(2017). Young People caring for their Parents:A Collaborative study in Japan and Sri Lanka. International Journal of Social Work and Human Services Practice, Horizon Research Publishing,Vol.5. No.4 November, 2017, pp. 157-172.  
  • Kazue, K., Osamu, K., Varathagowry, V., Yaguchi,K., at el. (2017). Exploring the Parents’ expectations on the Sri Lanka’s School system Concerning their Children’s Learning Problems. The Bulletin of School of Health Sciences, Tokai University, Japan.

Abstracts

  • Varathagowry,V. (2020). The impact of the skills training on young persons and their families  July 15 to 19, 2020, IFSW online Conference on Social Work and Social Development. 
  • Varathagowry,V. (2019). Social Work Partnerships: Building Partnership to promote social work education: Reflection from an Exposure visit, 2019 Asia Pacific Regional social work Conference, Bengaluru, India18-20 September 2019.
  • Varathagowry,V. (2017). Child protection Practice, Conference on Social Work for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development (NCSW) – 2017, BMICH, Colombo, 13th and 14th of December 2017. 
  • Varathagowry,V. (2016). Training on social work skills of community volunteers for promoting community-based Child Protection system, International Conference on Social Development and Sustainable Development Goals, organized by ICSD and University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka 29-30 Sep 2016. 
  • Varathagowry,V.(2012).Institutional support and social work in a post – war context, Mrs. V. Vasudevan,  20-21 of July 2012,  Jaffna University International Conference on Capacity building in a post war context, Sri Lanka.
  • Varathagowry,V.(2011).Teaching skills in social work with groups, 21st Asia-Pacific Social Work Conference on Crossing Borders: Interdependent Living and Solidarity, Tokyo, Japan. 15-18 July 2011.
  • Varathagowry,V., Ramesh.R, (2011). Building International solidarity beyond borders through social work training, 21st Asia-Pacific Social Work Conference on Crossing Borders: Interdependent Living and Solidarity, Tokyo, Japan. 15-18 July 2011. 
  • Varathagowry,V., (2011). Inclusion of children as active Citizens and Social work Intervention with Community in Sri Lanka Citizenship Practices: Transnational Identities, Human Rights and Social Justice in a Globalizing World 26-27 September 2011 Calman Learning Centre, Durham University, UK.  Presented  by Lakshika Liyanake. 
  • Varathagowry,V. (2010).Elderly Women in Institutionalized care: A situational Analysis of the Elderly in a Colombo city Neighborhood,  at Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development: The Agenda, 10th – 14th June 2010, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong, China. 
  • Varathagowry,V. (2010). Community Participation and Community Development: Role of the Professional Social Worker at Annual Research Conference at University of Jaffna on  15/11/2010. Supervised Research 
  •  Varathagowry,V.(2021). A Study on Effectiveness of Child Welfare Management Practices on Employee Satisfaction (A Special Reference to Department of Probation and Childcare Service in Northern Province, Sri Lanka) Supervised by Ms. Thanuksha Abeywardana, Master of Public Management, School of Postgraduate Studies, Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration, Colombo, Sri Lanka (04 credits out of 22)
  •  Varathagowry,V.(2005). Living Conditions of Elderly Women in Institutionalized Care: A Study in Colombo,  Sri Lanka 2005, Supervised by Prof.S.Sivaraju, Professor, Master of Arts in Social Work,  Unit for Urban Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Deonar, Mumbai 400 088, India. ( 6 credits out of 69 Credits)
  •  Varathagowry,V.(2000). Problems of School- going Adolescents of Migrant Parents, 2000  Supervised by Dr. Gameela Samarasinghe, PGD in Applied Sociology, Department of Sociology, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka . (One of 10 units)
  •  Varathagowry,V.(1996).A Sociological Study of the Socially Backward Areas in Jaffna Town, Sri  Lanka, 1996 Supervised by Prof. N.Shanmugalingan, Bachelor of Arts ( Hons ) in Sociology, Department of Sociology, University of Jaffna, Jaffna, Sri Lanka   ( One unit )

Editorial work

  • NISD Training Directory, 2020, National Institute of Social Development, Seeduwa, Sri Lanka

Awards/Scholarships/Medals/Prizes

  • Scholarship – Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development: The Agenda, 10th – 14th June2010, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong, China

Memberships

  • Member, International Consortium for Social Development 1998   to  present    
  • Member of Association of Professional social workers, Sri Lanka.  2013  to 2017. 
  • Board Member- APASWE ( Asian Pacific Association for Social Work Education for 2013-2015 and 2015/2017  2013 to  present
  • A member, Professional Youth Workers Association

Teaching (Courses Conducted)

MSW Courses

  • MSW 503: Philosophy and Principles of Social Work 
  • MSW 504:Method and Techniques in Social work 1 (Case work) 
  • MSW 509: Methods and Techniques in Social Work 11 (Group and Community work) 
  • MSW 511: Social Policy  SWK 610:  Holistic practice with Clients of Complex Needs

BSW Courses

  • BSW 111:Orentation to Social Welfare Organizations 
  • BSW 112: Introduction to Social Work  
  • BSW115: Practice Lab 
  • BSW212: Social Work with Social groups  
  • BSW 312: Social Work Management 
  • BSW 322: Social Policy

Diploma Courses

  • Developmental Psychology  Social Problems  Social work and Child protection  
  • Practice Lab : Skill development 

Research Interests

  • Family and Child Welfare
  • Family strengthening
  • Out of home care
  • Field education and training
  • Program evaluation
  • Child welfare training
  • Child protection
  • Volunteerism
  • Working parents
  • Care leaver  

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