The social workers' association said on Wednesday it was "appalled" by a parliamentary address by Michael Falzon about the social work profession and the engagement of unqualified people to do their job.
In a fiery speech in parliament on Tuesday, the family minister appeared to take a number of digs at the Maltese Association of Social Workers (MASW) and University's Faculty for Social Wellbeing.
During his 30-minute speech, Falzon accused "those who should be encouraging students to take up the social work profession" of turning the issue into a partisan one.
He warned social workers not to let anyone use them for partisan reasons, saying he was not just referring to the Opposition, but also "those who should be at the forefront of encouraging more social workers".
Without mentioning names, he claimed there were "interested parties" who were lying about the issue and twisting facts and decried the "tone" used by unnamed critics.
During his speech, Falzon also accused university representatives on the board that issues warrants for social workers of "gatekeeping", claiming it was not true the faculty's dean wanted to encourage more people to take up the social work course.
Some were using their position to be a "Messiah, or the solution to all", he said.
He also obliquely accused local social workers of lobbying international associations to criticise the government: social workers had gone abroad to meet with the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), and "coincidentally" (Alla jbierek) the IFSW had written to Malta repeating the Opposition's requests, he said.
In May, members of the MASW executive attended an IFSW conference.
Concerns about underqualified workers
The minister's broadsides come after social workers, the University faculty and IFSW all flagged concerns about the way in which the government is hiring unqualified individuals and assigning them sensitive duties such as case reviews and risk assessments of vulnerable children.
Social workers told Times of Malta that these individuals – engaged by the state as ‘social welfare professionals’ – sometimes refer to themselves as social workers with other professionals and with people who use their services.
So-called social welfare professionals need a degree in humanities to qualify for the job. But the concern is that they have not done the necessary training, are not regulated by the social work profession board, are not obliged to abide by the social workers’ code of ethics and are not bound by the Social Work Profession Act.
In May, the IFSW (Europe) expressed its “deep concern” with the prime minister over the state of the profession in Malta and the engagement of unqualified individuals to carry out social work.
The Faculty for Social Wellbeing shared the federation's concern and suggested a revision of social work stipends and academic requirements to increase the supply of qualified social workers.
The government has argued that it has resorted to hiring these 'social welfare professionals' because there is a shortage of social workers in Malta, as in the rest of Europe.
'We are not partisan'
In a statement on Wednesday, the Maltese Association of Social Workers said it was appalled by the minister's speech in parliament.
"While the Minister expressed respect and appreciation for the profession, the reality is unfortunately proving the opposite and this is causing possible irreversible damage to the profession by the very people who are entrusted with its promotion and maintaining of standards."
The association said that while the minister had discussed the issue with MASW over the past two years, social workers had not been provided with a solution about unqualified individuals carrying out social work roles.
"Why should it take more than two years to be resolved if social work is regarded with the appreciation mentioned? It is then extremely concerning for the association to hear speeches such as that delivered in parliament yesterday which shows oblivion and denial of the problem, which directly contradicts the reality of the situation," MASW said.
The association insisted it was not a partisan entity and its members had varying political views.
It said despite four major stakeholders in Malta (MASW, Malta Social Work Profession Board, Faculty for Social Wellbeing and the Malta Federation of Professional Associations) and the IFSW bringing the issue to the attention of the minister, the government was still in denial.
"The message across stakeholders is of course nearly a replica, as the same message has been continuously repeated.
"This is not about being territorial as was suggested but about the retention of standards that can only be delivered by qualified professional social workers and the protection of vulnerable service users who deserve the right to receive a service from individuals who are adequately qualified and legally accountable for their role. Anything less just will not do."
Faculty will speak up if people do work they are not trained for
Faculty for Social Wellbeing dean Andrew Azzopardi said on Wednesday afternoon he will not be drawn and will not engage in a tit-for-tat.
"The minister must have been advised badly on a whole array of issues he mentioned during his speech in parliament yesterday.
"The truth of the matter is that as a faculty we pride ourselves on a social work program which is meeting the needs of the community so much so that the ministry and the social entities keep asking us to find ways how to encourage more students to read a degree in social work."
Azzopardi noted that in the same speech, the minister said he prided himself on the quality of social workers so he could not understand what got him to speak in that way.
"We need to focus on ensuring that more people study with us, that the ministry and the FSWS channel money into promoting the courses and the beauty of the profession, that the different entities that represent the profession are respected and allowed to operate in serenity, that the long-awaited promise to increase the stipends to entice more students will come into fruition.
"We will, however, continue to monitor and call out if and when people who are not graduated in social work are doing work that they are not trained or warranted to do," Azzopardi said.
He said that his appeal was to focus on the cause: "that of providing a good service to the people who are most vulnerable".
As a faculty we remain committed and open to providing our expertise and support, he promised.