KUALA LUMPUR – Stakeholders have made an urgent call for the regulation and official recognition of social work as a profession by law in Malaysia.
Ahead of the third parliamentary sitting next week, both the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and the Malaysian Association of Social Workers (MASW) are urging lawmakers to introduce the Social Work Profession Bill.
Unicef child protection chief Saskia Blume insisted that a strong social workforce is important for the protection of the citizenry.
“It would increase the quality of services, especially for children struggling with domestic abuse and violence,” Blume told a press conference this afternoon.
The Social Work Profession Bill, formerly known as the Social Workers’ Bill, received initial approval from the Cabinet in 2010.
It is currently awaiting parliamentary action and is under review by the Women, Family, and Community Development minister.
According to the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (Mampu), there is currently only one social worker for every 8,576 people in Malaysia.
This ratio is significantly lower compared to countries like Singapore (1:3,448), the United Kingdom (1:3,025), the United States (1:490), and Australia (1:1,040).
“Compared to other countries, it’s long overdue to pass this bill,” Blume said.
Unicef and MASW are spearheading the ‘Heroes Among Us’ campaign to shed light on the challenges faced by social workers in Malaysia.
Due to limited public understanding, they noted that social workers are often perceived as charity volunteers, which discourages demand for their services and investment in the profession.
“Some social workers work up to 18 hours a day, especially in emergency cases, due to their heavy caseloads. It’s high time they are recognised as trained and competent professionals,” MASW Secretary Amy Bala said.
With the implementation of the Social Work Profession Bill, registered social workers would gain credibility through licensing and qualifications.
This move is expected to reduce their workload while simultaneously improving the quality of their work and raising public awareness of the support available to vulnerable groups.
Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz’s Medical Social Work Department head, Intan Nurhaila Meor Safari, said that there are currently 286 medical social workers in the Health Ministry’s hospital system.
“We provide financial help for hospital treatments such as medication to give back to the community and also aid victims of domestic violence with transportation to police stations, as well as liaise with Social Welfare Department to provide shelter for people,” Intan said.
“We also engage with NGOs (non-governmental organisations) for the rehabilitation of victims.”
The exact number of qualified social workers outside the government sector remains unknown.
The stakeholders said that the passing the bill would provide centralised data on the actual number of qualified and licensed social workers.
In emergency situations, the locations of social workers would also be readily available, they said.
MASW president Dr Teoh Ai Hua, in a statement, said that establishing social work as a profession would generate more interest in the field, ultimately addressing the current shortage and elevating standards within the social work labour force in Malaysia. – October 3, 2023