The licensing body for Hong Kong’s social workers will be overhauled to allow government appointees to command a majority, after the welfare chief said changes were needed to “better protect national security.”
The Executive Council, the government advisory body, approved on Tuesday to adjust the composition of the Social Workers Registration Board, which currently has 15 members. The proposed changes wouldtake the total number of members to 27, with 17 seats to be appointed by the government.
A bill to amend the city’s Social Workers Registration Ordinance is expected to be submitted to the Legislative Council (LegCo) next Wednesday, when it will be discussed by lawmakers.
The proposed amendment would retain the eight seats of social workers who are elected into the board by their peers. The number of government-appointed seats will increase from six to 17, and similar to the current rules, those appointed by the government do not have to be registered social workers themselves.
And instead of just one government representative – the director of social worker – the new board will include a second official who holds a social worker qualification.
The proposal also states that the board should permanently suspend the qualifications of social workersconvicted of offences including endangering national security, ill-treating a child, and indecent assault, according to a government document submitted to LegCo.
“Registered social workers (RSW) shoulder great responsibilities and have far-reaching impacts. As social workers have the trust of their clients and exert on them significant influence, they are more obliged to honour the rule of law, and consciously safeguard national security, social order and public interest, while performing their duties in a fair and impartial manner,” a spokesperson for the Labour and Welfare Bureau said in a statement on Tuesday.
The bill would expand board membership for “broader and more balanced participation” as well as allow for “prompt removal of RSWs convicted of serious offences,” the statement added.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said the amendment would enable the board to better balance public and professional interests and enhance social workers’ professionalism and credibility.
Under the amendment, at least 14 of the 27 board members must be social workers, Sun said, maintaining a professional majority in the board.
Sun added that the amendment would also require all board members to take an oath affirming that they would uphold the Basic Law and bear allegiance to Hong Kong, as well as require the board to set professional development goals for social workers.
Ng Yut-ming, chairperson of the board, said on Tuesday that he was disappointed by the “hasty” amendment, which he said may not protect professional autonomy due to a higher proportion of government-appointed members, according to RTHK.
Ng also questioned the need for social workers to take an oath beyond their professional requirements.
‘Systematic imperfections’
Last Friday, the labour and welfare chief slammed the current board for failing to establish a mechanism barring those convicted of national security offences from becoming registered social workers, even after an amendment was passed in July 2022 preventing such appointments.
In a Facebook post, Sun also said the board – which began its three-year tenure in January 2022 – had approved by a majority to appoint a social worker who faced a rioting charge onto a panel of reserve members for its disciplinary committee. The approval came despite “strong opposition from members of the board,” he said.
Sun is believed to be referring to Jackie Chen, a social worker who is facing a retrial after being acquitted of a rioting charge linked to a pro-democracy protest in Wan Chai in August 2019. Chen was cleared in 2020, but the Court of Appeal ordered a retrial, which is expected to begin in December.
Ng told Commercial Radio on Monday that he had invited Sun to a meeting in hopes of “clarifying misunderstandings.” He also said Hong Kong upholds the principle of presumption of innocence and the board would not easily remove a social worker’s professional registration.
But Sun on Monday said there was “no need for clarification” and maintained that there were concerns about the board deviating from legislative requirements.
Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday said he supported any measures by the Labour and Welfare Bureau to rectify “mistakes and systemic imperfections” in the Social Workers Registration Board.
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