Historical Background of the Education of Social Workers in Denmark

The first Danish School of Social Work was established as a private school in 1937. The need for trained social workers was recognised by the Population Committee and by various hospital sections and in 1939 the Maternity Aid Act ratified that counselling should be given by trained staff. In 1974 the schools of social work were transferred from the Ministry of Social Affairs to the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education. In 1980 the Danish Parliament passed the Schools of Social Work Act - and the Schools of Social Work became government institutions.
Aarhus School of Social Work was established in 1957. In 2003 the school moved into new attractive buildings at the University Campus in the centre of Aarhus.

VIA University College, Department of Social Work, Aarhus

As of 2008, approximately 100 individual medium-cycle further education institutions in Denmark were merged into eight University Colleges, covering the entire country. The task of each University College is to develop and offer profession targeted further, continuing and higher education programmes in their respective regions.

University Colleges are state-financed and under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education.

In the process, Aarhus School of Social Work became integrated in VIA University College as The Department of Social Work in Aarhus under The Faculty of Education and Social Sciences.
At present the department admits 240 bachelor students of social work every year.