Malaysia’s Women, Family and Community Development Ministry is pushing for the much-anticipated Social Work Profession Bill to be tabled in Parliament, with a target set for the first reading to be carried out in the final Dewan Rakyat sitting of 2024, scheduled between Oct 14 and Dec 12.
Those involved in drafting the Bill told Twentytwo13 that its minister, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, is “determined” to get the much-anticipated legislation approved to finally recognise social workers in the country.
“An internal meeting regarding the Social Work Profession Bill was held last week, and the minister voiced her wish to see the first reading carried out this year,” said an insider within the ministry.
“Also, the meeting saw Nancy and her officials ironing out several matters pertaining to the Bill, including the composition of the Social Workers’ Council, the implementation of the Act, and funding.”
The council would be responsible for recognising, registering, and overseeing social work practices nationwide.
It is understood that some of the matters discussed during the meeting included who would chair the Social Workers’ Council, whether civil servants who are social workers with the Social Welfare Department would be subject to the decisions made by the council, and who would fund the council.
“There were suggestions for the government to fund the council first, but would that mean having a representative from the ministry chairing it? These were some of the conversations during the meeting.”
While ministry officials continue to iron out these matters, Nancy envisions that this council would finally give social workers the recognition they deserve and encourage more people to take up careers in the field.
“Some decisions have been made following last week’s meeting. These decisions are expected to be deliberated by the Cabinet soon,” said the insider, who is involved in the discussions.
The Social Welfare Department is overwhelmed due to the lack of social workers and the number of cases requiring their intervention in Malaysia. Other non-governmental organisations have lent a helping hand in their own way over the years. However, there has also been confusion as to what defines a social worker.
“A social worker is not a volunteer or a welfare worker. A social worker is supposed to complete the full circle when a case is handed to them. For example, if there’s a child who has been abused, the social worker will step in to rescue the child. The child will then be evaluated by professionals based on his or her mental and physical state. If there are issues that need to be dealt with, the social worker will then ensure that the child receives the help she or he needs. If the child has not undergone any formal education, he or she needs to be equipped with the basics so that the child can start the learning process,” said the insider.
“These steps take time, and it’s way beyond a person cooking and feeding the homeless. So the distinction must be made.”
Twentytwo13 understands that the ministry is also exploring ways to ‘privatise’ certain functions of social workers to generate income and ease the workload of those in the Social Welfare Department.
“One suggestion was that registered social workers would facilitate the adoption process of a child. The adoptive parents will pay the social worker a service fee that will include vetting the new parents and ensuring that the adoption papers are all in order. If there is any form of abuse, that’s where the council steps in.
“The main goal is to ensure that social work becomes a career path. There are diplomas and degrees for social work offered by local and private higher learning institutions, but let’s be realistic, how many people know about these qualifications or are eager to take up such jobs? Will parents allow their children to pursue a career in social work? We need to shift the mindset, and to do so, we need to show there are opportunities in this area.
“The idea is to assist our community, and to do so, we are adopting the ‘Whole-of-Nation’ approach by getting everyone involved,” the insider added.
Last week, Unicef Malaysia Chief of Child Protection, Saskia Blume, said Malaysia should seize the opportunity to push for profound reforms and increase investment in child protection, in light of the recent Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISBH) scandal.
The increased investment, according to Blume, includes the tabling of the long-awaited Social Work Profession Bill.
Malaysia continues to lag behind its regional neighbours in recognising social work as a profession.
Countries like the Philippines (since 1965), Singapore (2009), Thailand (2013), and Indonesia (2019) have enacted laws and policies to professionalise social work, enhancing support for their social service workforce.
