Recently, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security ("MOHRSS") and the Ministry of Civil Affairs ("MCA") have jointly distributed the Measures for the Evaluation of Senior Social Workers (the "Measures"), effective from April 1, 2018.
The Measures stipulate that senior social workers shall possess good sense of social responsibilities and sense of mission, embrace professional concepts of social work, observe professional ethics of social work, and actively maintain the professional image. They shall also acquire four types of occupational abilities, including "being proficient in applying professional theories, methods, skills and applicable policies and regulations concerning social work, offering high-quality and professional services, and tackling professional issues that are complicated and difficult". Moreover, the Measures clearly state that becoming qualified as senior social workers shall follow basic steps, including the personal application, recommendation of the employer, examination of qualifications, and expert review, and candidates under review for the title as senior social workers shall satisfy basic conditions, including "his or her certificate on passing the exam is within the period of validity". Furthermore, the Measures note that the evaluation result of senior social workers shall be made public, and the certificate for this capacity, valid across the whole nation, shall not be issued until the publicity period has elapsed without any objection.