Social Workers in China

Social Workers in China

July 30, 2011

In recent years, the demand for the services of social workers with hospitals, trade unions, rest homes and women's associations is surging in China. More qualified professionals are seeking to hire.

In China, there used to be short of professional social workers to provide services, such as taking care of patients and drug users, resolving family problems and so on. This kind of work was usually directed by government departments or organizations. While the professional social workers appeared, the burden on government departments would be eased, the serve social needs would be better and the Chinese society would be much more stable as well. Obviously, professional social services are playing an important role in the society.

In order to enforce the social work, government’s supports are essential. Demand Surging for Professional Social Workers in China (2003) pointed out that China’s first non-profit professional social service agency, Lequn Service, was set up in Shanghai in February 2003. The government strongly supported this social service agency that 100,000 yuan were paid annually to Lequn to provide psychological counseling and other services to six primary schools’ students, teachers and parents. However, the biggest challenge to social work in China is that most of the people do not understand what it really means. Social work does not simply refer to volunteering or community work. Medical care, welfares and the assistance for the elder people even the disabled are covered in social services. Moreover, a critical part of social work, social worker, is not attached important to.

What is social worker? Social worker is uniquely qualified to help people right in their own environment, identifying and solving their own problems through a process with support of resources providing by social institutions. Social workers care for people in every stage of life, from children to the elderly....