Malaysia’s Dewan Rakyat passed the Social Work Profession Bill in July 2026, establishing a regulatory framework for social workers across the country [1, 2, 3]. The Bill creates the Malaysian Social Work Profession Council responsible for registering, regulating, and setting competency and ethics standards for social workers [4, 1, 5, 2].

Registration is now mandatory for all social workers in the private sector, including NGOs, community organizations, corporate bodies, and independent practitioners. Civil servants who practice social work outside their official duties must also register and obtain approval from their department heads [1, 2, 3].

The law introduces practice certification for citizen social workers, temporary two-year certificates for non-citizens, and interim certificates for trainees [1, 5]. The Council will be led by the ministry’s secretary-general with the Social Welfare Department director-general as deputy chairman, and include members from the public, private sectors, and NGOs [5].

The Bill’s creation took over a decade involving consultations with government agencies, NGOs, and state governments [4, 2, 3]. It responds to Malaysia’s low ratio of 1 social worker per 8,576 residents, compared to 1:490 in the US and 1:1,040 in Australia [4]. Social challenges have increased, with Department of Social Welfare cases rising from 663,628 in 2020 to over 1 million in 2025 [4].

Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said, "Passing this Bill is not merely approving legislation but a message to every social worker that their profession is recognised — a message to every person in need of protection that the nation does not overlook their plight" [1]. She also stressed that the government lacked mechanisms to verify who is qualified beyond civil servants and that the Bill aims to elevate social work into a respected career [4].

Currently, Malaysia has 54,585 active welfare and social service NGOs, but lacks accurate data on private social workers’ numbers and qualifications [2, 3]. The Bill also mandates a public register of qualified social workers and allows disciplinary action, including barring uncertified practice [4, 5].

The Bill was tabled for its first and second readings on July 13 and passed its third reading by voice vote on July 14, 2026 [5, 1, 2, 3]. The next step is full implementation and registration of social workers under the new Council.