Zambia promises new social work law and regulation in 2010
The Zambian deputy community development minister has bemoaned the lack of licensing and standard certification of social work practitioners in Zambia. “There is no discipline that can claim to be a profession without having the relevant requisites such as a body of knowledge, code of ethics and a professional body. How then can we social workers in Zambia claim to be professionals when we do not have standards of certification as well as practice licences?” he asked. Malwa said social work demanded a legislation that governed and mandated the legal practice of the social work in any given country.
“It is sad to note that as social workers, we have left everything to chance and hence have left every person to practice social work at the expense of the well being of vulnerable Zambians and as such leaving them open to different types of vices. This is why we need a professional body for social workers to address this problem,” he said. The minister underscored the fact that social work was an important profession for the country and announced that his ministry "aims to strengthen social workers through the registration of a control body in 2010 to ensure proper conduct of social workers”.
Source: The Post Newspapers Zambia