Circular No. 34/2010/TT-BLDTBXH stipulates the professional standards for social work staff grades.

CIRCULAR

Regulations on Professional Standards for Social Work Ranks

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Pursuant to Decree No. 178/2007/NĐ-CP dated December 3, 2007 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of Ministries and Ministerial-Level Agencies; Decree No. 186/2007/NĐ-CP dated December 25, 2007 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs;

Pursuant to Decree No. 116/2003/NĐ-CP dated October 10, 2003 of the Government regarding recruitment, utilization, and management of cadres and civil servants in state-run units; Decree No. 121/2006/NĐ-CP dated October 23, 2006 of the Government amending and supplementing certain Articles of Decree No. 116/2003/NĐ-CP;

Pursuant to Decision No. 32/2010/QĐ-TTg dated March 25, 2010 of the Prime Minister approving the Project on Developing the Social Work Profession for the period 2010-2020;

Pursuant to Circular No. 08/2010/TT-BNV dated August 25, 2010 of the Ministry of Home Affairs promulgating job titles and code numbers for social work ranks;

After reaching consensus with the Ministry of Home Affairs via Circular No. 2912/BNV-CCVC dated August 25, 2010 regarding the review of professional standards for social work ranks, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs hereby stipulates the professional standards for social work ranks as follows:

Article 1. General Provisions

1. Scope of Application and Applicability

This Circular stipulates the professional standards for social work ranks working in public welfare institutions, including: Social Welfare Centers, Rehabilitation-Counseling-Labor Centers, Convalescent Centers for War Veterans, Social Houses, Child Assistance Centers, and other related centers providing social work services (hereinafter referred to collectively as public social assistance centers).

2. The professional standards for social work ranks serve as the basis for implementing recruitment, utilization, and management of the social work cadre working in public social assistance centers.

3. The service recipients of social workers include: elderly people, persons with disabilities, HIV/AIDS patients, poor people, children in special circumstances; social groups requiring urgent protection as defined in Clause 2, Article 5 of Decree No. 68/2008/NĐ-CP dated May 30, 2008 of the Government stipulating conditions, procedures for establishment, organization, operation, and dissolution of social welfare centers; drug addicts, sex workers; other individuals requiring social work services (hereinafter referred to collectively as service recipients).

Article 2. Professional Standards for Social Work Ranks

1. Senior Social Worker (Code 24.291)

a) Responsibilities

A senior social worker is a professional staff member specializing in social work, assisting unit leadership in organizing, directing, and implementing complex social work tasks requiring advanced theoretical knowledge, methods, and practical skills.

b) Specific Tasks

- Organizing the screening, classification, and reception of service recipients;

- Leading the assessment of mental health, physical condition, background, and social work service needs of service recipients;

- Leading the development of care plans for service recipients within the center;

- Leading the provision of social work services requiring advanced theoretical knowledge, methods, and practical skills such as counseling, therapy, advice, education, negotiation, mediation, and advocacy;

- Leading the monitoring and re-evaluation of intervention activities; adjusting care plans if necessary;

- Leading the collection, synthesis, analysis, and forecasting of the progress of service recipients;

- Organizing the development of plans to discontinue care and integrate service recipients into the community;

- Leading the summary, evaluation, and lessons learned from assigned social work tasks; proposing amendments to professional standards and procedures;

- Leading or participating in research projects and topics on social work;

- Advising on the development of short-term and long-term strategies, plans, projects, and organizational models for social work services;

- Participating in compiling content, programs, and training materials for social work training and vocational training for social workers and social work associates.

c) Competencies

- Ability to lead the organization and implementation of social work professional activities;

- Ability to effectively coordinate with relevant agencies and units during the execution of social work tasks;

- Ability to synthesize and generalize activities related to professional expertise to propose solutions to enhance the effectiveness of social work activities;

- Ability to provide vocational guidance in the field of social work consistent with the trained specialty;

d) Qualifications

- Graduation from a bachelor's degree or higher in social work, sociology, psychology, or other social science fields relevant to social work tasks;

- Knowledge of a commonly used foreign language at level B or above in professional activities;

- Proficiency in Office Information Technology Level B (proficient in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Internet skills);

- Holding a certificate for vocational training in the rank of senior social worker according to the program issued by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs;

- Having served in the rank of Social Worker or equivalent for nine years or more;

2. Social Worker (Code 24.292)

a) Responsibilities

A social worker is a professional staff member specializing in social work, directly responsible for or directing the implementation of basic social work tasks requiring fundamental theoretical knowledge, methods, and practical skills.

b) Specific Tasks

- Screening, classifying, and receiving service recipients;

- Assessing mental health, physical condition, background, and social work service needs of service recipients;

- Developing care plans for service recipients;

- Directly providing and implementing social work services requiring fundamental theoretical knowledge, methods, and practical skills such as counseling, therapy, advice, education, negotiation, mediation, and advocacy;

- Monitoring and re-evaluating intervention activities as assigned and proposing adjustments to care plans if necessary;

- Develop plans for discontinuing care and community integration for the target group;

- Collect data, compile, analyze, and forecast the progress of the target group;

- Evaluate and draw lessons from social work activities within the assigned scope; propose amendments to standards and procedures for social work practices;

- Participate in research projects and topics related to social work within the assigned scope;

- Participate in compiling training manuals and guidelines for social workers in relevant facilities in accordance with their field of study;

c) Competencies

- Possess the ability to independently and proficiently perform social work tasks within the assigned scope in accordance with their field of study;

- Possess the ability to grasp theories and practical methods during the execution of assigned social work tasks in accordance with their field of study;

- Possess the ability to lead coordination with organizations and individuals during the execution of assigned social work tasks; be personally responsible for the results of such tasks;

- Possess the ability to guide practices, disseminate experiences, and participate in scientific research to serve social work;

- Recognize the assistance needs of the target group and establish measures to address those needs;

d) Qualifications

- Hold a bachelor's degree or higher in social work, sociology, psychology, or other relevant social science fields suitable for social work tasks;

- Know a commonly used foreign language at level B or above in professional activities;

- Proficiency in Office Information Technology Level B (proficient in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Internet skills);

- Hold a certificate for social worker vocational training according to the program issued by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs;issued;

3. Social Worker (Code 24.293)

a) Responsibilities

A social worker is a professional staff member engaged in social work, responsible for performing specific tasks within the social work process that require simple theoretical, methodological, and practical skills as assigned.

b) Specific Tasks

- Participate in screening, categorizing, and receiving the target group as assigned;

- Conduct psychological and physical health assessments, background checks, and identify the needs of the target group as assigned;

- Propose and directly implement care plans for individual or group targets within the specific scope assigned;

- Participate in providing and implementing social services based on the simple application of social work theories, methods, and practical skills such as counseling, therapy, advice, education, negotiation, mediation, and public awareness campaigns within the assigned scope;

- Participate in monitoring, reviewing intervention activities, and proposing adjustments to action plans if necessary as assigned;

- Participate in developing discontinuation care plans for each target within the assigned scope;

- Participate in collecting data, compiling, analyzing, and forecasting the progress of the target group; participate in evaluating care and assistance activities, and propose appropriate measures within the specific scope assigned;

- Be directly responsible for executing certain social work tasks assigned;

c) Competencies

- Possess the ability to work independently, proactively, and proficiently use social work skills and procedures as assigned;

- Possess the ability to work in teams during the execution of assigned social work tasks;

- Possess communication skills with various target groups;

- Possess the ability to identify the assistance needs of the target group;

d) Qualifications

- Hold an associate degree in social work, sociology, psychology, or other relevant social science fields suitable for social work tasks;

- Have Office Automation Level A proficiency (proficient in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Internet skills);

- Hold a social work vocational training certificate according to the program and content issued by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs;

- Know a commonly used foreign language at level A;

Article 3. Implementation Provisions

1. This Circular takes effect forty-five (45) days from the date of issuance.

3. The Minister, Head of a ministry-level agency, agency under the Government, Chairperson of the People's Committee of provinces and centrally governed cities shall be responsible for enforcing the provisions of this Circular;

4. During implementation, if there are any difficulties, please report to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs for timely review and resolution./.