This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 11, 2019 - November 17, 2019

Social work is an acknowledged activity of potential professional standing, apart from being a study subject of widespread academic interest. Its close relation, social care, is a broader and more generic activity representing a major lifeline for many. Both are mainstream occupational undertakings by practitioners and formal and informal caregivers, care workers, support workers, to name some common titles used elsewhere, although social work is the more sophisticated form.

Their standing as a profession has not grabbed headlines as such, nor interest among the rakyat or the major news media. For reasons that are not unsurprising, many are either unaware of what the professional activity (social work and social care) encapsulates — beyond general altruistic intent and interventions for and on behalf of individuals and families.

The campaigns over the years to advance social work as a practice-led profession, suitably fit for purpose, present to us an opportunity to significantly improve lives and protect the vulnerable. The social work fraternity collectively must redouble its efforts to promote its activities to increase public education and recognition, not forgetting the vital role social care plays, too.

It is with great excitement and relief that I hear that social work will soon become a recognised profession following plans to table laws to upgrade the status of social workers. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said on Oct 9 in parliament that the move is aimed at improving efficiency in case management of targeted groups while ensuring adequate qualified social workers for the country.

“The ministry is taking several steps to ensure that the Welfare Department will change its focus on social workers’ job scope so they will conduct case management for the targeted groups. Among the changes is the introduction of the Social Workers Profession Act, which is expected to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in December this year,” she said.

The recent Budget 2020 does not allocate any specific funds for the development of social work. There are, however, related themes towards creating an inclusive and a more equitable society and general measures to address low wages, raise income benefits for specified groups, increase maternity leave and improve access to housing.

In the light of this long-awaited proposed legislation, the following is an illustration of the impact of the profession on the lives of the most vulnerable in our society. In other words, it is my wish list for a more comprehensive environment, where social work is woven meaningfully, usefully and inextricably, as it should be, into various areas of need.

Child protection: The social work role in this area is enormous and significant — social workers would primarily be involved in doing assessments for eligibility for help and services, and they would be at the front line of child protection activity, leading the prosecution while working closely with enforcement agencies such as the police.

Courts dealing with children can also rely on reports from social workers and, in many developed countries, social workers are regularly appointed as guardians ad litem to assist the courts in the determination of the child’s welfare and future. This happens, for example, in cases involving matrimonial disputes and in fostering and adoption cases. Social workers are often approached for their assessment of families, ranging from sentencing and disposal of cases with juvenile offenders to complex decisions on wardships (in the higher courts). They underpin the principle that the interest and welfare of the child is paramount.

Social workers would also intervene directly, with judicial powers to remove children from family households where the children’s safety and welfare appear compromised. They would seek suitable substitute families for abandoned babies, work with neglected children and assist those in long-term children’s homes in promoting their life chances.

Care for children with disabilities: The social work task here is primarily to assess, support and enable caregivers and families to obtain assistance and respite in their care tasks. The government intervenes only to lessen the burden, not to assume care, unlike cases of child neglect and abuse where governmental bodies may assume parental duties or loco parentis.

In some instances, the professional social work task of assessment will end with the assignment of a care worker (caregiver) to assist the family in coping with a severely disabled child as part of a time-limited support plan.

Women: Social workers are common in this area of activity because women play a vital and yet primary role in families, which is often taken for granted, with regards to safeguarding, protection and nurturing. The social work task would be to offer advice and support, including assistance in the prosecution of domestic violence cases and in measures to uphold both the children’s welfare and the interest of the main caregiver.

Social workers and care workers may work from community advice centres, women’s aid shelters and community homes to support the victims and their dependents.

Adults with disabilities, including HIV/AIDS and drug dependency: Social workers will be case managers in this field to ensure that support, treatment and care are effectively targeted, followed up and monitored, as current legislation provides. There is scope for joint approaches, including shared supported housing placements in order for a streamlined service (including health and welfare services). Social workers in community-based drug rehabilitation centres and non-governmental organisations would perform outreach work as well as in public education. Many daycare staff or support workers would also perform duties that overlap the social work task.

Mental health: Social workers are a major occupational stakeholder in mental health. In developed countries, they hold powers that can override an individual’s civil rights through involuntary admissions to a place of safety, a hospital for example, for observation and treatment. They also work within the judicial process in matters such as the protection of property and safeguarding and protecting individuals and the public.

Social workers are considered part of a multidisciplinary team in specialised psychiatric facilities, including direct involvement in therapeutic programmes alongside other paramedics such as occupational and speech therapists, to name a few. The social worker’s main tasks are to undertake assessments of the individual’s living conditions and family circumstances and contribute to the medical team in drawing up individual treatment plans.

In mental health services for children, social workers have a crucial role in providing the link between the medical and psychological staff and the patient/family. In developed countries, children and adolescent mental health services are common and often jointly provided by the government health and welfare ministries.

The elderly: The social work role in the area of elderly support and care is, again, enormous. Social workers often assist the medical team in providing social histories and ongoing reports on rehabilitative treatment regimes. They can be pivotal in convincing elderly people to face the realities of daily living and in coping with the significant changes in their lives, including residential care, perhaps, away from immediate family members. They can act independently to prevent elder abuse, either within the family or outside, including matters related to inheritance and finance.

Crime and probation and after-care services: Suffice it to say, within the constraints of this area, probation officers in my view are essentially social workers in a criminal justice setting. The social work aptitudes and skills share commonalities, although conservatively inclined lawmakers would prefer to see probation officers move away from a social work welfare perspective and towards more of a criminal management one.

Working in partnership and inter-agency: Social workers play a key role in medical settings, especially cases of severe or terminal illness or where legal decisions rest on balancing risks as to complicated continuing care. Likewise, social workers are relied upon as a service to the courts and protection tribunals. In adoption panels, the social worker’s recommendations are part of the essential prerequisites for a successful permanent placement decision. Social workers are often also integral members of multi-agency disaster relief teams.

In many Western countries inter-agency working is the norm. Their joint activities range from basic information sharing to joint planning at the strategic organisational level. This is the established modus operandi in child protection work — social workers, police, schools and health personnel work in tandem. There is considerable overlap in services among different departments and breaking down any barrier among them can only be positive for the consumer or service user.

Jim Lim Teik Wah is a former director of social services (UK), CEO of a London-based mental health charity, UK judiciary member on protection and regulation and in academia. He is a fellow of the Institute of Directors (UK). Retired now, Lim divides his time between his beloved Penang, the UK and Italy.

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