Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 1) | Page 6
Social Work Scene in Singapore: From its Beginnings till Present
Dear Students of Social Work,
Oftentimes as students or even social workers, you may become frustrated
that social work becomes interpreted into a profession that is misunderstood
and denied professional credibility. It is a profession where the good work is
often seen and felt behind the curtain.
Our Humble Beginnings…
So you may ask: where did this profession begin in Singapore? When can
we say that social work as a discipline began here? One starting point is the
setting up of the Department of Social Work at the University in Singapore in
1952. You can read about this in the book by the department. The beginning
areas of social work intervention were poverty, public assistance, poor
nutrition, child welfare and girls in moral danger. The leaders in the early years
of the social work movement were involved in implementing social assistance
schemes, participating in the juvenile court and justice system, the running of
juvenile detention centres and crèches and medical social work. The work was
largely in the remedial services. The work of Children’s Services in the early
years focused more on child welfare rather than child protection. Protection
took the form of ensuring that children who were transferred to non biological
guardians were supervised and that children thrived under the care of their
guardians. The next phase of development was in the pioneering efforts
of the Probation Services and the distinctive Volunteer Probation Officers
scheme that is now widely known for its capability and capacity to win the
support of volunteers to be trained to deliver statutory service.
Our Journey to Recognition...
If we are to determine a point in time when social work began its journey of
recognition as a profession, it would be in the late 1990s.
The first speech dedicated to the development of the social work profession
could be one that was delivered by Mr Moses Lee, when he was PS of Ministry
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