One of the very silent achievements of the current administration for which the National Assembly should take credit is the enactment of the Social Works Act of 2022. Many Nigerians may not immediately attach value to this achievement since it doesn’t bring food to households, it doesn’t solve the problem of incessant scarcity of petroleum products nor does it address the scarcity of both old and new naira notes. Nevertheless, I am quite sure that if the Nigerian government in the past had realised the need to support the practice of Social Works early enough, certain societal ills would have been nipped in the bud and would not advance to the national scene.
The need for Social Work practice became expedient in many African societies as modernity gradually adjusted the family structures from the large compound extended family setting to the smaller nuclear family arrangement. With this order, some efficient functions of the large family structure would soon be noticed and most times in the very hard way.
President Muhammadu Buhari last December signed the National Council for Social Work Establishment Bill 2022 as part of measures to effectively regulate the social work practice in the country. The law seeks to legalise social work practice in the country and bring it in tandem with global best practices.
The Social Works Act No. 25 of 2022, is the law is the regulatory framework that will regulate, legalise, monitor and control the activities of social workers in the country the way it is done in other countries.
But this is not enough to address the social problems. Most of these functions are also domiciled by the state government. Without a strong Social Works structure in the states, the law is as good as a sleeping giant. I seriously doubt the existence of a social works department in the civil service structure of the states, maybe in Lagos State and a few others.
The Chartered Institute of Social Work Practitioners of Nigeria (ISOWN) recently urged the 36 state governors and state‘s houses of assembly to expedite action towards domestication of the Act establishing the Chartered Institute of Social Work Practitioners of Nigeria.
According to Act No. 25 of 2022, Social Work means an applied or behavioural profession that simply promotes human rights, social justice, peace and conflict resolutions, engendering social change, problem-solving and sustainable development in human relationships focusing on the empowerment and liberation of people and enhancing the well-being of individuals, families, groups and communities, and utilising the theories of human behaviour and social system.
The roles of social workers in our society include but not limited to identifying people and communities in need of help; assessing clients’ needs, and situations, strengthening and support networks to determine their goals; helping clients adjust to changes and challenges in their lives, such as illness, divorce or unemployment; research into, refer and advocate for community resources, such as food stamps, childcare and health care to assist and improve a client’s well-being.
In addition, Social Workers are expected to respond to crises such as child abuse and mental health emergencies and follow up on clients to ensure that their situations have improved; maintain case files and records; develop and evaluate programs and services to ensure that basic client needs are met; and provide psychotherapy services.
Since the practice of Social Works is just emerging in Nigeria, my greatest fear would be the seeming inadequate expertise to drive the process. However, it is interesting to note that some universities have over the years trained experts in the social work field at different levels. While some already are offering Social Works as a discipline at First Degree level, Second Degree and beyond that.
The study and practice of Social Works will eventually stem the tide of several social problems in society, therefore, the state houses of assembly should get familiar with the bill and domesticate same in their various states.
