News Archive
The 17
th ERIS Annual Conference, titled Building Resilience in Social Work in a Divided Society, took place in October at the Faculty of Social Studies, University of Ostrava. Participants discussed how social work can enhance resilience amid rising polarization, crises, and digital change.
Representatives of the FSS OU went on an autumn study visit to Ghent, Belgium. "What we took away from our trip to Belgium was, above all, confirmation that social work is based on relationships and the courage to protect them even in changing social conditions," they note in their report.
For the third time, the FSS UO hosted international students within the week-long Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP). This year’s edition was entitled "Communities in Action: Urban Sustainability & Engagement" and organised under the auspices of the NEOLAiA alliance.
8–10 October 2025, Ostrava, Czech Republic.
The term may have ended, but development at the FSS is far from idle, continuing in both fieldwork as well as on the international stage. Doctoral students and academics travelled to Innsbruck, where they took part in the Action Research Summer Camp.
This July, Prof. Oldřich Chytil, a recognized authority in the field of social work, founder and later dean of the FSS UO, celebrated an important life milestone. The interview reflects on the over five decades that he has dedicated to the development of social work in the Czech Republic.
Prof. Soňa Kalenda Vávrová became the Dean of the UO Faculty of Social Studies on 1 May. The Academic Senate of the Faculty unanimously elected her at the end of November. She aims to build on the work of the previous leadership team, with a key goal of strengthening internationalisation.
The 18
th edition of the Spring School of Social Work took place from April 23 to 25, 2025, at the Faculty of Social Studies, University of Ostrava. This traditional international educational event is organized as part of the ERIS network – European Research Institute for Social Work.
Kath Khangpiboon moved to Ostrava for her doctoral studies at the Faculty of Social Studies. We talked about how she is doing, her life in her new country and city, the challenges she faces, as well as about her PhD studies.
The Faculty of Social Studies of the University of Ostrava hosted the Spring School of Social Work again this year. In mid-April, students and academics from different parts of Europe visited Ostrava.
Kath Khangpiboon moved to Ostrava for her doctoral studies at the Faculty of Social Studies. She discusses what she does professionally, why she decided to study at the University of Ostrava and answered many other questions in the interview below.
Within its International Project Management Programme, the FSS UO again welcomed students from abroad. Together, they focused on deepening their knowledge of social policy and social work in Czechia and on the application of new findings from project management in selected social work organisations.
During September 2023, people with any form of disability involved in co-teaching as “experts-by-experience” met in Trondheim, Norway. Their meeting was made possible thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ project (SEKEHE) of the University of Ostrava.
The Faculty of Social Studies, University of Ostrava, hosted an onsite segment of the Erasmus Blended Intensive Programme entitled “Addressing socio-spatial exclusion with the focus on the participatory approaches, Jílová Case Study”. A total of 23 students from five countries attended the stay.
On 20 and 21 October 2023, the ERIS International Conference took place in Würzburg, Germany. The topic was The Social Work in Crisis: Solution or Part of the Problem?.
The Faculty of Social Studies, University of Ostrava welcomed a special visitor—the inventor of the PARO therapeutic robot. The robotic seal pup is used at FSS UO both for research and for teaching. It is even possible that in the future one of PARO robots will keep astronauts company in space.
The UO Faculty of Social Studies hosted the 16th International Spring School of Social Work last month. Contributions were submitted from different areas of social work, such as family social work and social work with people at risk of social exclusion.
My name is Giulia and I study at the University of Trento. For the whole winter semester I have had the opportunity to study at the Faculty of Social Studies as an Erasmus student.
More than 50 professors and students from different parts of Europe were in Ostrava for the 16th International Spring School of Social Work, taking place from 11–14 April 2023 at the Faculty of Social Studies. The conference gives an opportunity to new, young scientists and researchers and welcomed a participant from as far away as Nepal.
During the winter semester, the FSS UO welcomed several foreign professors. The students discussed with foreign experts, for example, the non-profit sector and volunteering in the USA or child welfare and protection services in the UK.
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