The Ministry for Social Policy has announced that, in an effort to promote the field of social work in the country and entice more students to enter this sector, the government is preparing legal amendments to recognise the qualifications of all social work graduates, including those from MCAST, to make more graduates eligible to receive a warrant.

Should an agreement be reached by both sides of Parliament, social work graduates from MCAST will attain the same level of qualifications as students who have completed the equivalent bachelor’s course at the University of Malta. These legal amendments will reach the committee stage in Parliament in the coming days.

Social Policy Minister Michael Falzon announced these incoming changes in a press conference where he stated that this step is being taken to increase the influx of social workers and to consolidate the profession.

Through this change, the Social Work Profession Board will be able to grant warrants to students with qualifications deriving from other institutions aside from the University of Malta, as long as these qualifications are equivalent to a BA Hons. At the moment, students who do not attain a BA Hons. from the University of Malta are not eligible to receive a warrant to begin practising the profession. These proposed changes will therefore recognise the qualifications of MCAST and other institutions to lead more students to get their warrants to become social workers.

“We will continue to do our best to encourage more students to invest in this profession,” said Minister Falzon, “I commend this campaign that the Foundation for Social Welfare Services (FSWS) is doing to encourage more students to enter this course.”

“This is a very rewarding career that paves the way for other sectors in the social field,” Minister Falzon said.