Professionalisation of social work through registration: Issues and challenges for Malaysia

Social work as a profession may have been well established in many countries; nevertheless internationally its professional status and professionalisation process varies from country to country. Social work in Malaysia has come to a new chapter when the government endorsed a proposal to enact a Social Workers Bill as part of its commitment to enhance the quality of social workers and social work practice in the country.One significant aspect of the draft bill is the registration and licensing of social workers.Drawing examples from a few countries that have registration requirement, this paper attempts to highlight some issues and challenges that may arise when the registration and licensing begin after the bill has been enacted.Subsequently, suggestions and implications will be deliberated