IN commemoration of World Social Work Day, the Ministry of Social Protection hosted a luncheon at the Marriott Hotel on Tuesday, to honour social workers for the tremendous roles they play in society.

The programme was designed to show appreciation and to publicly recognise the profession and the driving forces that aid in the proper execution of their daily tasks.

The audience was made up of social workers from across the length and breadth of Guyana, and several distinguished guests from agencies such as the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Prison Service, Women Across Differences, Child Link, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), just to name a few.

Permanent Secretary of the said ministry, Lorene Baird, MS, told the gathering that World Social Work Day is a key day in the year of social workers worldwide.

“In this regard we celebrate the achievements of the profession and take the theme message into communities, workplaces and governments to raise awareness of social work contributions and need for further action,” she said.

Giving a brief history on the day, Baird said that “World Social Work Day was launched by The International Federation of Social Workers in 1983, and is celebrated every third Tuesday in March. This year’s theme is, ‘Promoting the Importance of Human Relationships’ and aims to focus on the social relationships between people’s essential relationships with each other, their environment and their future.”

She stressed that social work is a multi-faceted practice profession which aims to improve people’s lives by helping with social and interpersonal difficulties, promoting human rights and well-being.

This, she said, is a major contribution to fostering a better society, a better country, and by extension, a better world.

Baird urged the workers to renew their commitment to the notion of social justice and take pride in social work at all levels of service.

“In keeping with the theme, let us be cognisant of the numerous aspects of human relationships that social work encompasses, namely, empowering individuals and families, managing agencies and organisations, building communities and crafting policy and legislation. I implore you to be proud to be a social worker on the frontlines of the fight for social justice and to continue to forge positive relationships and outcomes,” she opined.

Further stressing the importance of the role of social workers, Deputy Director of Social Services, Abike Benjamin-Samuels, said that the profession is growing world-wide, and it is clearly contributing to positive individual and societal changes.

“Our social workers take on some of the most serious and complex issues facing society – poverty, mental illness, racism, child welfare, domestic violence, sexual violence, and trafficking in persons, among many other issues. It is a very difficult and very demanding profession, which requires a high degree of understanding, consideration, patience, compassion and no less important, deep financial resources,” she said.

She further lamented that “Today, it’s not about the doctors, lawyers, teachers, sociologists,[and] accountants, though their work contributes in no small way to the profession, and they must be appreciated for their services, today is all about Social Workers!”

The programme saw other presentations; Presentation of Social Work Education in Guyana done by Undergraduate Coordinator, University of Guyana, Shonnel Smith-Enoe; and Presentation on the Professionalisation of Social Work in Guyana, by retired Chief Probation Officer, Sylvia Conway.

After the formal ceremony, the Director of Social Services, Whentworth Tanner, announced the launch of the ‘Guyana Social Work Practice Standard, which he handed over to three social work agencies.

Tanner said that they are working towards creating a Social Workers Act, and pushing for the licensing of social workers in Guyana.

The people were treated to dances, spoken-word presentations, testimonies, tokens of appreciation, and a hearty meal.