Guyana closer to licensing social workers involved in ‘tireless & thankless’ work

Legislation governing social work in Guyana will soon be tabled in the National Assembly and, among other things, it will provide a framework for local practitioners to get licensed.

“Our country benefits from social work and I believe the time has come to improve the architecture and framework,” Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr. Vindhya Persaud said on Tuesday.

She spoke at the Guyana Social Work Education and Practice Conference at the University of Guyana. Acknowledging that many of Guyana’s social workers either work with or interact heavily with her ministry, Dr. Persaud emphasised that key legislation must be in place.

That’s why a Social Work Bill has been in the works for about two years’ now. It enjoyed several rounds of consultations and input from key stakeholders including those from the Department of Social Work at the university.

“The Social Work Bill will be tabled in Parliament this year.

“… We have the final draft, just waiting on the final comments, if there are any,” Dr. Persaud said.

Once that process is completed, the Bill will be taken to Cabinet for review and then to the National Assembly. And once enacted, it will pave the way for social workers to be licensed.

The Human Services Minister stressed that social workers must be supported, since they do crucial work and help people who are vulnerable.

“They (social workers) see themselves doing tireless work in a thankless way. They feel as though there is no end to what they are doing,” Dr. Persaud acknowledged, urging social workers to take stock of their own well-being.

She added, “None of us are robots and I can tell you robots will never replace social workers… you need to be around for a long, long time.”