China plans major expansion of professional social workers

Beijing is moving to build a much larger corps of professional social workers.

March 14 guidance from the Party Central Committee and State Council instructs authorities to (Gov.cn):

• Expand the number of professional social work positions
• Improve social workers' "professionalization and specialization"
• Ensure social services reach underserved regions, including rural areas, central and western provinces, and ethnic minority regions

ICYDK: This is part of a broader push to strengthen Party-led grassroots governance capacity that began with the setup of the new Central Social Work Department (CSWD) in 2023.

The guidance gets super specific about what the expanded corps of social workers should be doing, including:

• Handling petitions and mediating disputes
• Providing services for gig workers and other "new employment groups"
• Supporting youth and providing child welfare services
• Providing employment assistance and vocational training
• Supporting health care, eldercare, and disability assistance services

Get smart: Social service provision is a favorite approach for improving public welfare and trust in government throughout the G7.

• Done right, this initiative could expand employment, improve access to public services, and contribute to social stability.

Get smarter: Getting social work right is brutally hard – even in some of the wealthiest welfare states, the field is chronically understaffed and underfunded.

• We expect most localities will miss the mark, adding another layer of bureaucracy rather than supporting average folks with their most intractable problems.