One of the most significant and urgent questions in our social welfare field is to establish social work as a specialized profession. Although social workers play important roles in this field, the fact is that they don't have the professional authori...
One of the most significant and urgent questions in our social welfare field is to establish social work as a specialized profession. Although social workers play important roles in this field, the fact is that they don't have the professional authority and the sanction of the community.
On the basis of the reality that social work needs to be established as a profession, this study aims to examine the structural vulnerability of our social work, to introduce the qualification regulations of social workers in America, Japan and Korea, to find problems of the current qualification regulations of social workers in Korea and to suggest the countermeasures.
This study places a special emphasis on improving our qualification regulations of social workers; the study method is focused on extensive research of literature which is related with the main topic.
One of the reasons that our social work is not recognized as a profession is that the qualification regulations of social workers have not been established. Although the qualification regulations of social workers were revised twice since 1983, they were so illogical and irrational that they still have controversial problems for establishing social word as a profession.
Namely, without any measures to improve the current qualification regulations which were designed to get a qualification, we are faced with a great barrier for establishing social work as a profession. As a result of comparative analysis among the qualification regulations of social workers in Korea, Japan and America, this writer suggests countermeasures as follows:
First of all, the separate qualification law of social workers should be enacted. after successful completion of state qualifying examination, social worker qualification should be preperly awarded to qualified social workers who have demonstrated knowledge, skill and added value. Also, the professional social worker qualification should be given to the social workers at the high level who meet fixed standards among them, by the Korean Association of Social Workers. And this writer suggests the quasi-social worker regulation for supporting social work as a prefession.
Finally, the Korean Association of Social Worders has to make a concerted effort for safeguarding social worker's rights and interests as well as for establishing social work as a profession.