UNDERSTANDING THE SOCIAL WORKERS ACT

What is the Social Workers Act?

The Social Workers Act is a legislation that seeks to enhance the social work profession as a whole, by registering and licensing qualified and trained social workers to practise in the field.

Licensed social workers are professionals who help people deal with daily problems caused by societal changes, which affect their lives and relationships in their community. They are trained and equipped with special skills to intervene in, and address, specific issues and challenges confronting people with problems.

The Act is a fundamental strategy in the Government’s initiative to introduce a new era of professionalism in social work. By regulating the professional competency of social workers, the Act will strengthen the capacity and quality of overall social welfare services, especially for the care, safety and protection of children in Malaysia.

The Act also spells out the qualifications necessary to become a social worker, defines the different categories of social workers, as well as lays out the organisational functions and structures for the Act to be implemented.

With the Act, the public will be assured that social workers in Malaysia are professionals who are competent and qualified to carry out social work in the field. The public will also have avenues to seek compensation for malpractice, which will boost people’s confidence in social workers and their profession as a whole.

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