By Aaron Ossai and Disun Amosun
The Senate and House of Representatives have signed into law a Bill for the establishment of the Institute of Social Work Practitioners of Nigeria to regulate the profession among others.
Briefing newsmen yesterday, the Chairman of the Institute, Professor Oluyemisi John said that with the Act in place, the body which has been operating at limbo has repositioned its acts and ways of achieving its mandate of improving the lot of humanity.
The Bill now an Act (No 25, 2022) according to the erudite scholar is conceived on the need for institutionalization of the practice of social work for the purpose of registration, regulation and control of the profession of social work in Nigeria.
She explained that social work is an applied or behavioral profession that simply promotes human rights of social justice, peace and conflict resolutions, engendering social change, problem solving and sustainable development in human relationships while also focusing on the empowerment and liberation of the people and improving on their well-being.
The professional institute she further said is globally recognised as the sole catalyst for improved well-being in the advanced countries and the difference between the developed and the developing countries lies mainly in the level of social work practiced.
The Institute according to her is empowered by the Act to determine the standard of knowledge and skills to be attained by persons seeking to become registered members of the body to be known as chattered social work practitioners.
Other functions of the Institute include licencing and providing the professional proficiencies and guidance to members in the practice and to persons who shall practice as social work practitioners.
It also secures the establishment and maintenance of register members, build professional capacities and provide professional guidance to members for enhanced service delivery in a chosen field or area and many more.
Accordingly the institute, in accordance with the provision of the enabling law has enjoined Nigerians from all professional callings willing to be registered as social work practitioners to approach its secretariat for seamless registration as members.
The Institute also hinted of the establishment’s latest plans to hold an international conference of all registered social work practitioners in Nigeria and globally in November 2022 with a view to harnessing the potentials of these social workers as instrument of social engineering and to reposition the profession.
