The Maltese Association of Social Workers has contradicted what Social Policy Minister Michael Falzon has said, insisting that “unqualified people” are getting employed as social workers.

In comments given to The Malta Independent on Sunday, Minister Michael Falzon said that the government is not recruiting unqualified staff. He said this in reply to what PN MP Graziella Attard Previ said in Parliament and to the newspaper, that government state agencies are resorting to quick fixes to bring in unqualified social workers.

In reply to this, the Maltese Association of Social Workers expressed its disappointment that the minister refused to admit that unqualified individuals are carrying out the role of social workers.

For over a year the Maltese Association of Social Workers has been expressing its growing concern directly with the minister in relation to the employment of social welfare professionals - individuals who the minister himself recognised are not qualified in social work - to fulfil the role of social work.

The association is concerned that unqualified staff are carrying out the duties of social workers, are leading cases and attending case reviews and are sometimes referring to themselves as social workers with service users and with other professionals. The solution to the problem of lack of social workers is not to replace such a vital role in society with unqualified staff and allocating sensitive cases to them as the lead professional, the association said.

This completely undermines the expertise of the social work profession and further discourages new students from entering the profession when they are allowed to do the same work without the required qualifications, it added.

It is a major concern that social welfare professionals are not obliged to abide by a code of ethics nor are they bound by The Social Work Profession Act, have not undergone the necessary training which equips them with the right knowledge and skill set to carry out assessments, create care plans and professionally support individuals and families across society. This training ensures that the right ethics are used, that the approach is evidence based and that the vulnerable in society are safeguarded.

To allow anyone unqualified to carry out any social work duties, is a significant risk to all of these principles. The Maltese Association of Social Workers insists that the only people allowed to carry out social work duties or refer to themselves as social workers should be qualified social workers in line with the laws of Malta.

The association also requested that the use of current social work resources is reviewed to avoid duplication of work when some service users are allocated numerous social workers. Conditions for social workers need to be improved and the profession given the deserved recognition. This will retain social workers and encourage new students to embark in this rewarding profession, it said.