(....) establishing the association of professional social workers of cambodia (apswc) bora chun,...

1

សមាគមអ្ន�កវិជ្ជា� ជី វិ�សង្គ�មក�ច្ច�កម��ជ្ជា (ស.អ្ន.វិ.ស.ក)

Establishing the Association of Professional Social Workers of

Cambodia (APSWC)

Bora Chun, President, APSWCPhina So, Vice President, APSWC

Professional Social Work in SE Asia: Education and QualificationJuly 21-22, 2015, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Sunway Hotel

Association of Professional Social Workers of Cambodia (APSWC)

2

Contents

• Social Work Background and Social Work Education• Formation of APSWC• About APSWC– Vision and goal– Membership (categories and benefits)– Rights and Privileges of Members– Board of directors– Certificate/Licensing Commitee– Technical committees– Financing

• Issue in process• Next Steps

3

Social Work Background in Cambodia

“Social Work” can be translated literally into Khmer, however it does not have the same

meaning with the international definition e.g. by IFSW or IASSW

4

SW Background in Cambodia Cont.• Different views

Charity workers - “Aren’t social workers the one who donate stuff to poor people?”

• Social workers narrowly defined as helpers or supporters (micro-level)

• Perhaps feared by people– SW definition and terminology: “social changes”,

“empowerment and liberation of people”, “make a difference”…?

5

SW Background in Cambodia Cont.• Only a dozen have gone abroad for their graduate

degrees in Social Work• Until recently there was no degree program in our

country• No Cambodian national has a PhD in Social Work

(at DSW) • At any point in time ~12 BSW/MSW/PhD foreigners

present in-country functioning as advisors, consultants, or managers

6

SW Educational Development in Cambodia

• RUPP approached University of Washington in 2004• Develop local capacity and ownership of a Social Work

degree program• 1st SW Education Program (DSW/RUPP) established and

approved by MoEYS in 2008 • 4 current SW Education Programs (3 BSW & 1 MSW)

(RUPP, NISA, and Saint Paul Institute)

7

Social Work Professional Developmentin Cambodia

Cambodia does not have

• Agreement of competencies upon graduation across all BSW programs or clarity on how MSW links to BSW

• Job classification within government• Recognition of minimum standards of knowledge

and skills to hold the title of “professional social worker”

8

Formation of APSWC

• Cambodia clearly needs social work• Necessary to unite the social work profession and

workers• Association of Professional Social Workers of

Cambodia (APSWC) established late 2014• By-laws were drafted and consulted broadly with

social workers in Cambodia• The APSWC officially registered with the Ministry of

Interior on May 05, 2015

9

About APSWC

• Is non-political and follows the Laws and Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia

• Is a professional association, independent and autonomous

• Will be comprised of professional social workers, students, and as well as individuals without a social work degree but who work in the field

10

APSWC’s Vision

APSWC’s vision is to see social work become a profession in Cambodia with a high code of conduct, a

strong support network and a commitment to excellence in practice.

11

APSWC seeks to advance social work as a profession and to foster a high standard of social work in Cambodia by:

• strengthening the competence of its members through the provision of educational opportunities, sharing professional experiences, & professional development opportunities at national, regional, and international levels;

• building and promoting a professional Social Worker’s network to create a sense of solidarity and commitment to excellence in the practice of the profession;

• taking effective action to achieve legislation to promote the general social welfare and the position of social work in society;

12

• promoting social work research focused on local context;

• work with relevant government institution in offering recognition for those who demonstrate minimum qualifications through successful completion of a BSW, MSW or PhD in SW and passing of an exam that is created and administered by APSWC; and,

• maintaining a Social Work Code of Professional Ethics, which is to be strictly observed as a condition of membership benefit.

13

Membership

1) Professional Member: a social worker who is licensed in Cambodia.

2) Affiliate Member/Para-professional: an individual who has been employed in social work related position for at least three (3) years of practice.

14

Membership (Cont.)

3) Student Member: an individual currently enrolled in a university SW degree program (BSW, MSW, or PhD).

4) Honorary Member: an Non-Cambodian individual holding a social work degree (BSW, MSW, or PhD) with at least three (3) years of practice experience by full time/recognized/authorized, but is not registered as a social worker in Cambodia.

For those who have Social Work Degree, but who do not meet criteria to become an honorary member can be an “Observer”.

15

Rights and Privileges of Members

• Professional members can be nominated for the Board of Director positions. Student member are nominated as their representative by other students

• Professional members have voting rights for elections and other policy decisions at the General Assembly;

• Professional and Honorary members may be involved with mentoring, coaching peers, and/or supervise international and national social work students;

16

All categories of members can:

• Participate in relevant institutes, seminars, workshops, and other activities offered by the APSWC;

• May call on assistance from the APSWC to advocate for development in the society

• Receive APSWC publications and other reports when available.

• Participate in open business deliberations during the General Assembly, special meetings, or any other meetings;

17

• The Executive Board of Directors consists of 9 (nine) members:– President– 1st Vice President– 2nd Vice President– General Secretary– Treasurer– Student Representative– 3 Executive Members

The Executive Board of Directors

18

Executive Committee for Certification/Registration/Licensure:

• Identify minimum qualifications to practice under the title of professional social workers;

• Develop exams, procedures, and to periodically review to implement, maintenance, and administer the Professional Certificate/Registration/Licensure process & guidelines; and,

• Appointed by the BoD & comprised of individuals with relevant professional knowledge.

19

Technical Committees

1) Resource Development

2) Continuing Education

3) International and Public Relations

4) Policy and Legislation

5) Project, Publications, and Research

20

Financing

• This organization will rely on membership fees to support operations.

• Annual fee structure yet to be developed.

21

Issues in the Process

• No recognition or limited presence in many sectors such as health care, mental health, schools and education, judicial, human rights, policy (macro) level

• Advocate to creating government positions, that social workers can do in different ministries/sectors/institution

22

• Cambodian Medical Council—Royal Decree- Licensure is officially required

• APSWC-licensure is voluntary

CMC Vs. APSWC, pros and cons of being gov/law/policy/association