By Janet A. Sesay
Some set of social workers in Sierra Leone have urged the government to provide a quota for social work graduates in the workforce of the country.
There are no available data for the number of graduates in social work, but many believe that it has reached thousands.
Social workers made this call during the launch of the Social Work Week, on Thursday, 7th March, 2024, at the conference hall of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) on Campbell Street in Freetown.
The launch of the Social Work Week was witnessed by students of the social work department of various academic institutions in the country and veteran social workers such as Samuel Bo-John of Don Bosco Fambul, Francess Brown of Lemonade, to name but a few.
The theme for this year’s Social Work Week is “Time for reflecting, examining, taking action for transformative change for the profession”.
Hassan Kamara, National Coordinator, Social Workers Sierra Leone, in his statement described Social Work as a great profession, adding that the profession has not received the recognition it deserves.
He therefore urged the Government of Sierra Leone to see the need to acknowledge social workers in a statutory instrument.
He furthered that if people want to have a productive Sierra Leone, social workers must be incorporated into Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The National Coordinator asserted that social work is like any other profession such as law, medicine, hence the need for it to be recognised.
Veteran Social Worker Samuel Bo-John of Don Bosco Fambul recounted that twenty-six years ago Don Bosco Fambul came into being, adding that he struggled to get social workers to aid the work of the charitable organisation.
Bo-John is however particularly pleased that the trajectory has changed, for the country now has thousands of social workers.
On another note, he made it clear that the social work profession is not meant for somebody who wants to get rich rather it is meant for someone who wants to render services for humanity.
The proprietress of Dele Preparatory School, Francess Brown who is a social worker emphasised the need for forgiveness, gratitude and appreciation which according to her is lacking in our society.
She urged social workers to have passion for what they do, noting that the mental faculties of people is in their hands.
‘If you don’t help Sierra Leone as a social worker, change will not come,’ she opined.
Having spent 43 years in the teaching field Brown also emphasised the need for guidance counselors in schools.
Tamba Musa Senesie, a lecturer at the Milton Margai Technical University (MMTU), disclosed that universities across the country have harmonised the syllabus for social work studies.
Senesie encouraged students to have passion for the profession of social work.
He further disclosed that they offer career guidance in the university, and a conducive atmosphere for the students.