World Social Work Day 2020 |17 March 2020
Minister Larue
‘Be true and faithful to your profession,’ minister tells social workers
The Minister for Family Affairs, Mitcy Larue, has urged all social workers to remain true and faithful to their profession in promoting the importance of human relationships to heal the broken, give a helping hand to those who have fallen and above all give hope to those who despair.
This comes in Minister Larue’s message on the occasion of the World Social Work Day being celebrated today, March 17.
The full text of Minister Larue’s message reads:
“The World Social Work Day is this year being celebrated on March 17 under the same theme as 2019, ‘Promoting the importance of human relationships’. As we embark on this new decade and at the same time celebrate the 250th anniversary of Seychelles’ first settlement, it is important to reflect on the historical aspect of the social work profession and its way forward. Traditionally, helping others was about charity work and services targeted giving goods to the needy. This approach had its merit then and we are grateful to all the past workers for their contribution towards the wellbeing of our families and our society.
“Over the years, the social work approach has shifted. Professional training has enabled social workers to become more knowledgeable about the broad range of methods, frameworks and theories to be used when intervening in the lives of others to influence change. We are often oblivious of the fact that social work is not the simple task of giving advice, instead it is a knowledge-based profession, which requires in-depth assessment and informed decision-making. By embracing their personal and professional values, social workers aim at reducing the dependency of those they serve and endow them with competencies to anticipate solutions for their obstacles. Indeed, promoting the importance of human relationships has all along been the basis of social workers’ intervention. Today, it is by merging past and present practices that social workers strive to empower others to help themselves and help them maintain the equilibrium in life.
“Faced with the different societal challenges, social workers are called on to be at the service of abused children, elderly people who are neglected, family members who struggle to maintain good relationship in their homes because of family conflict, other vulnerable groups who need to be supported to link them up with other services.
“As a society, we often overlook the contributions of the social workers as they intervene in the lives of many individuals and families to bring solace and empower them to address issues affecting them, help them find short and long-term solutions as the case may be to continue with their lives. Their perpetual existence through the test of time bears testimony to their worth. So let us seize this occasion to express our appreciation to the social workers for their dedication and continuous service to others. The ministry realises that more effort should be placed on social programmes and finding ways to attract the new generation into this noble profession.
“I would like to express my gratitude to all past social workers who have contributed to make a difference in people’s lives. To the current practicing social workers, I would like to thank you for your commitment despite the challenges you face. You are faced with many unsurmountable barriers but you continue to give your best. I urge you all to remain true and faithful to your profession in promoting the importance of human relationships to heal the broken, give a helping hand to those who have fallen and above all give hope to those who despair.
“Happy Social Work Day.”
Contributed by the Ministry of Family Affairs