Having been in the works since 2010, the long-awaited Bill to regulate the social work profession has finally reached the Dewan Rakyat.
The Social Work Profession Bill 2026 was tabled for the first reading in the Dewan Rakyat by Women, Family and Community Development Ministry Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri yesterday, with its second and third readings scheduled within the current meeting of the Dewan Rakyat.
The Bill provides for the establishment of the Malaysian Social Work Profession Council, which will report to the Women, Family and Community Development Minister.
The Council will be chaired by the ministry’s secretary-general with the social welfare department’s director-general serving as deputy chairman.
According to Section 19 of the Bill, social workers are required to obtain a practising certificate unless they are civil servants performing social work as part of their official duties.
An applicant must be a Malaysian citizen, hold a bachelor’s degree in social work or have qualifications related to the profession, be registered as a social worker in a foreign country recognised by the designated council and have the required work experience.
The practising certificate will be valid for two years and must be renewed before it expires.
The Council will oversee applications for practitioners and establish professional and ethical standards, among other responsibilities.
Its secretary will also serve as the Registrar, whose main responsibilities include issuing practising certificates to qualified social workers and temporary practising certificates for eligible foreign social workers.
Disciplinary action can be initiated against a practitioner or trainee if they are found to have committed professional misconduct or to have breached the regulations under the Act, based on the findings of a proposed investigation committee and disciplinary committee.
Under Section 26(1), the Council may suspend the practising certificate, temporary practising certificate or interim certificate of a practitioner pending the completion of an investigation, with those breaching this regulation liable to a fine of up to RM10,000 or a prison term of up to a year, or both.
The Bill makes it an offence for unregistered individuals to provide social work services, falsely claim to be social workers or obtain registration through fraud.
Employers who knowingly hire unregistered social workers may also face criminal penalties.
The Bill further requires practitioners and council members to keep client and official information confidential, with breaches punishable by fines or imprisonment.
Individuals who unlawfully practise as social workers, falsely claim to be registered or obtain registration through fraud may be fined up to RM20,000, imprisoned for up to two years, or both.
Employers who hire unregistered individuals to practise may face fines of up to RM50,000, imprisonment for up to three years, or both, while breaches of confidentiality carry the same maximum financial penalty or three years’ imprisonment, or both.
The Social Work Profession Bill was originally scheduled to be tabled in 2024. Groups have since said the delay in tabling the Bill is hindering the regulation of the profession and the development of the necessary manpower to support the sector.
