Why choose to be a Social Worker at the SWD?

        “Why do you want to be a social worker?”


Almost every social worker has to give an answer to that question, to oneself and most probably to the interviewers as well.

The answer could be quite simple, “To help the needy and the underprivileged.”
 
“Then why do you choose to work at the Social Welfare Department?”

Edmond and Zoe, social workers of the Social Welfare Department, hold their beliefs: to use their abilities to help the beneficiaries.

Zoe worked at an Integrated Family Service Centre when she first joined the Social Welfare Department. Her duties included providing consultation, counselling and referral services, as well as organising counselling groups and activities for members of the public. She regarded the work at the Social Welfare Department different from that in a non-government organisation to a certain extent. Posts such as Probation Officer, Medical Social Worker at a Psychiatric Department of a hospital and Social Worker at the Adoption Unit are unique to the Social Welfare Department. Every day there could be unexpected situations, making the work of a social worker a challenging one.

Edmond is currently working at the Medical Social Services Unit which mainly provides counselling service for psychiatric patients and their families and utilizes available social resources to facilitate their re-integration into society. He pointed out that social workers at the Social Welfare Department are required to perform law-related duties and prepare legal reports, which pose challenges to their abilities in investigation, organisation and report-writing.

It is always the mission of a social worker to do their utmost to help and stand by every beneficiary.

Contributing Editor: Sophie