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Thirty-seven professional social workers started work in Shenzhen yesterday, beginning an era of services provided by professionals to address social problems in the city.
The social workers, all holding at least a bachelor鈥檚 degree, will work for government-run charity organizations for an annual salary of between 30,000 yuan (US$3,947) and 40,000 yuan.
Most social workers will provide services to the elderly and the needy, but four of them will offer 鈥渟ervices with Chinese characteristics鈥 through a government-sponsored social workers鈥 hotline, said Yan Zheng, who is in charge of the hotline.
The hotline, which will be launched by the end of this month, will answer questions regarding the definition and purview of social service, help Party members resist bribery, and offer advice to white-collar workers, said Yan.
Liu Runhua, director general of the Shenzhen Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, was present yesterday as the social workers signed work contracts.
Yi Songguo, who heads Pengxing Social Service Agency, admitted the salary of 30,000 yuan to 40,000 yuan a year was not very attractive, but said that competition had nevertheless been fierce, with 10 people competing for every post.
Social work is still a new concept on the mainland, although it has become a highly respected profession in Hong Kong and the West, said Yan.
鈥淏ut the importance of social work is attracting increasing attention in China,鈥 said Yan.
More than 200 colleges have started training social workers, including Shenzhen University, which opened a department of social work in 2005.
The first national qualification test for social workers will be held by the end of this year.
Liu Runhua said he expected Shenzhen would have 5000 jobs for social workers by 2010.
Some Chinese cities started to hire social workers in as early as 2002. However, in the past, most social workers were in fact government employees, as most social work agencies were run by the government.
Social work is a profession for those with a strong desire to help improve people鈥檚 lives. Social workers often work with people experiencing crisis or people who are socially excluded. Their aim is to provide support to enable service users to help themselves. They maintain professional relationships with service users, acting as a guide, advocate or as a critical friend.
Full-time social workers usually work a standard 40-hour week. however, some occasionally work evenings and weekends to meet with clients, attend community meetings, and handle emergencies.
In a number of countries and jurisdictions where registration of people working as social workers is required there are mandated qualifications. In other places, the professional association sets academic and experiential requirements for admission to membership. In Australia, a four-year Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree is required to work as a qualified social worker.
Editor: Yan
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