– to be available by year end

IT is imperative that the Ministry of Social Protection (MOSP), in developing the social work profession towards preventing and responding to the current and emerging challenges, be committed to the planning, developing and supporting of the social workforce here in Guyana.

MOSP, being the largest employer of social workers, is leading several initiatives. These include reviewing the current capacity, profile and competencies of social workers, which will aid in establishing the requirements needed for the eventual licensing of Social Workers and assessing the policy and legislative framework towards the process.

A capacity building workshop for gazetted social workers was hosted on Thursday by the MoSP with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the Savannah Suite of the Pegasus Hotel, which sought to increase the knowledge about and clarify attitudes towards the legal and regulatory provisions for gazetted social workers and increase the ability to respond appropriately when preparing, managing and responding to cases in the court system and to embrace an attitude of sensitivity, care and responsibility in the execution of their duties.

In defining social service workforce, Director of Social Services Mr. Whentworth Tanner told participants that it refers to allied professionals and para-professionals whose focus is normally on preventive, responsive and promotive programmes that support families and children by alleviating poverty, reducing discrimination, facilitating access to needed services, delivering services, promoting social justice and preventing and responding to violence, abuse, exploitation, neglect and family separation.

PLAY A KEY ROLE
Such workers, he added, function in government or non-government organisations, are paid or unpaid, and play a key role in preventing and responding to violence against children and families. They include teachers, educators, mental health professionals, medical practitioners, first responders, policy advisers, programme leads and other.
Additionally, an electronic registry of Social Workers will be created, which will aid in determining the future human resource needed in the country.

Last year, the ministry facilitated the gazetting of in excess of 125 social workers countrywide, and while the intention is to continue the process annually, it is working towards having another group gazetted before the end of this year.

According to the social services director, several pieces of legislation detail the responsibilities and specific functions of social workers, particularly in the court system. They include, but are not limited to, the Domestic Violence Act (1996); Protection of Children’s Act CAP 46:06; Sexual Offences Act (2010); Adoption of Children CAP 46:04 and the Juvenile Justice Act (2018) among others.

In particular, the Domestic Violence Act (1996) makes provision for the gazetting of social workers to perform specific function in the court system, Tanner added, while pointing out that Subsection 4 clarifies that a qualified social worker is one who is approved by the minister by notice published in the Gazette’.

Tanner reiterated that the workshop is evidence that the ministry is committed to the process of developing and implementing programmes and activities aimed at strengthening the capabilities of social workers in the delivery of quality services.
The participants represented several government ministries, agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with facilitators, Legal Officer in the Social Protection Ministry Ms. Telisha Williams; Attorney-at-Law Emily Dodson; Magistrate Leron Daly, and Homophobia Education Coordinator, Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD), Ms Valini Leitch.

Williams spoke on the ground rules of social work, the Official Gazette, and the publication of qualified social workers and Standards for professional social work practice; Dodson addressed Legislation governing the functions of social workers; Magistrate Daly on Experiences from the Court: Perspectives of Magistrates; and Leitch on Gender and Sexual Diversity in Social Work Practice.

Chairperson for the day’s event, Ms. Akilah Dorris, Manager of Sexual Offences & Domestic Violence Policy Unity of the Ministry of Social Protection, noted that while the profession is not quite regulated, the ministry is seeking to raise the bar in the profession and is in the process of developing a registry for social workers.
She recalled that in 2017 Guyana had its first-ever Masters in Social Work being conducted at the University, of Guyana, while discussions are ongoing to have students study for a PhD in Social Work there as well.