Testimony heard for social work bill
Dozens of social workers and community members testified on behalf of Bill 461, which would create the Guam Social Work Practice Act during Wednesday night's public hearing.
By KUAM NewsGuam - Dozens of social workers and community members testified on behalf of Bill 461, which would create the Guam Social Work Practice Act during Wednesday night's public hearing. For National Association of Social Workers Guam president Ovita Perez, she was not only in support of the bill but took part in shaping the legislation with the group.
"We must change our laws to ensure that we protect our consumers, we must change our mindsets and no longer settle for the status quo, we must change and bring the profession of social work into a bigger more broader level of competency after all social workers are trained to be change agents," she said. "What is the penalty for failing to comply, is the employee stripped of his or her title, how is this affected by DOL department of labor rules is this considered a demotion, will current social workers be re-titled, will social workers pay be affected?"
However, others like Department of Education social services supervisor Doris Bukikosa had some concerns about the bill, questioning how it would impact those who have been practicing for years. The bill's author, Senator Ben Pangelinan, meanwhile said the bill is long overdue being that Guam is the last U.S. jurisdiction that currently does not have licensed social work professionals.