Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) for the past five years, how many complaints have been made against social workers annually; (b) what are the most common complaints made; and (c) of these, how many complaints are made against unaccredited social workers.
Answer
1 The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) appoints the Social Work Accreditation and Advisory Board (SWAAB) to uphold standards of professional conduct and code of ethics of the social work profession. A complaint may be lodged to SWAAB against an accredited social worker for breaching the Code of Professional Ethics.
2 SWAAB received a total of 22 complaints from 2017 to 2021, 5 of these were against unaccredited Social Workers. Of the 22 complaints, the most common ones were on practice concerns and service quality, these were referred to the Social Worker’s employer to address the issues raised by the complainant.
3 MSF will continue to uphold standards of professional conduct and code of ethics of the social work profession in the sector through SWAAB.