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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)

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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

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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

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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”…?

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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

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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)

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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”

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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

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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

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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.

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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;

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• 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.

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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.

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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”.

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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;

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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;

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• 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

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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.

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Technical Committees

1) Resource Development

2) Continuing Education

3) International and Public Relations

4) Policy and Legislation

5) Project, Publications, and Research

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Financing

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

• Annual fee structure yet to be developed.

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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

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• 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