Chartered Institute of Social Work Practitioners (Establishment) Act No. 25 of 2022

An Act establishes the statutory body for social work practice in Nigeria. It empowers the Institute to set professional standards and regulate social work across various sectors, including hospitals and courts. The legislation aims to professionalize the field and improve the delivery of social welfare services nationwide.

What Is This Policy?

The Chartered Institute of Social Work Practitioners of Nigeria (C-ISOWN) Act 2022 establishes C-ISOWN as the statutory regulatory and professional body for social work in Nigeria, empowered to regulate, set standards for, and control the practice of social work to address Nigeria's significant social challenges, including child welfare, domestic violence, disability inclusion, and community development.

Who Does It Target?

Social workers in government agencies, hospitals, schools, courts, correctional facilities, and NGOs Social work graduates from Nigerian universities who must register and be certified before practising Individuals and organisations providing social welfare services without professional credentials Federal and state MDAs with social service delivery mandates, including the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, NCPWD, and NPOWER

What Does It Aim to Achieve?

Professionalise and regulate social work practice, eliminating quackery and ensuring only trained, registered practitioners deliver social services Determine and uphold minimum standards of knowledge, skill, and ethics required of all practising social workers in Nigeria Establish and maintain a national register of certified social work practitioners, updated annually and published for public accountability Promote the rights, welfare, and social development of vulnerable individuals, families, and communities through evidence-based social work practice

Key Features

Practitioner Registration: All social workers must register with C-ISOWN; unregistered persons are prohibited from holding social work positions in MDAs, NGOs, hospitals, and courts Mandatory Training and Retraining: All registrants undergo a mandatory training and examination process before certification; annual CPD requirements apply to maintain registration Professional Stamp and Seal: Social workers with three or more years of practice receive an official C-ISOWN professional stamp and seal, authenticating case reports and legal documentation Ethics and Discipline: C-ISOWN enforces a code of ethics for social workers; the disciplinary committee investigates complaints of professional misconduct State Domestication Drive: C-ISOWN is actively encouraging all 36 state governments and the FCT to domesticate the Act at state level, creating a unified national regulatory framework Diaspora Practitioners: C-ISOWN registers Nigerian social work practitioners in the diaspora through its international membership programme

Current Status

Under consideration by the National Assembly. The bill to establish the Chartered Institute of Social Work Practitioners is at various stages of legislative review.

Legal Framework

Child Rights Act 2003; Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015; National Policy on Disability 2017; Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Section 17)