PETALING JAYA: The proposed Social Work Profession Bill 2026 must be amended before it is passed to prevent volunteers from being criminalised and to uphold professional standards, says consultant paediatrician and child-disability activist Datuk Dr Amar Singh HSS.
In an open letter to Members of Parliament dated Monday (Jul 13), Amar-Singh said the long-awaited Bill, which has been in development since 2010, was essential to professionalise social work but its current form could create double standards and compromise the quality of care.
"This is probably one of the single most important Bills we can pass for our children and for our nation," he said.
Dr Amar said the Bill failed to distinguish professionally trained social workers from volunteers, community workers and NGO personnel. Combined with the broad definition of "social work services" under Clause 2, he said Clause 31 could expose unregistered individuals providing community support to fines of up to RM20,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both, while employers could be fined up to RM50,000 under Clause 32.
He said this could potentially affect soup kitchen operators, faith-based counsellors, befrienders, crisis aid workers and other volunteers.
"The law should protect the professional title of 'social worker' from being fraudulently used, rather than criminalising the act of helping others," he said.
Dr Amar also questioned Clause 19(8), which exempts public officers from obtaining practising certificates while carrying out social work duties.
He said this created a double standard because government agencies, including the Welfare Department, handle the country's most sensitive child protection, domestic violence and welfare cases.
"Vulnerable individuals deserve the same standard of professional care, whether they see a public or private Social Worker," he said.
Instead, he proposed a transparent transition period of between three and five years for existing public officers to obtain accredited competency standards, while all newly recruited personnel carrying out professional social work should be professionally trained.
Dr Amar also said the proposed Malaysian Social Work Profession Council lacked independence because its chairman and deputy chairman would be senior government officials, while the remaining members would be appointed by the minister.
He proposed that at least half of the council be elected by registered practitioners and that the minister's power to revoke appointments under Clause 10 be subject to clear statutory grounds.
Despite the concerns, Amar-Singh said the Bill should not be delayed, as Malaysia lagged behind several Asean countries in social work legislation and urgently needed a professional system led by properly trained social workers.
"We implore you to look past partisan lines, listen to the concerns of actual practitioners on the ground and fix these critical amendments before allowing the Social Work Profession Bill 2026 to pass into law," he said.
