By Lemuella Tarawallie
The Professional Social Workers’ Regulatory Bill of 2025 has been committed to the parliamentary Legislative Committee for proper scrutiny.
After the Bill was debated in the well of Parliament, the Acting Leader of Government Business, Hon. Emerson Sahr Lamina, committed it to the Legislative Committee.
The Minister of Social Welfare, Melrose Kamity while tabling the Bill, stated that it made provision for the establishment of “The Professional Social Workers’ Regulatory Council with the responsibility of regulating professional social workers, social workers’ activities, social workers’ organisations, social workers’ institutions in Sierra Leone, including licenses, the registration and discipline of professional social workers in Sierra Leone and to provide for other related matters”.
She said the Bill would ensure that “all social work practitioners adhere to the uniform code of ethics, competent and professional conduct enhancing the overall quality of the social service provided for communities especially the vulnerable”. She added that by instituting a regulatory Bill, “clients of social workers would have re-cost the cases of malpractices or unethical behaviours as the creation of a complaint mechanism, promote accountability and thereby enhancing their rights and protection, and provide a means to enable clients seek justice.”
The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Social Welfare Committee, Hon. Miatta Amara of the All People’s Congress (APC) representing the Western Area Rural in her submission in the well of Parliament, noted that though the Bill was a little bit delayed “we are all beneficiaries of this Bill”.
She observed that the Bill would speak for the betterment of the most vulnerable people in society, and that most importantly, a cooperate body having a Council “and this is the first time the Ministry is having such a Council”.