Social work requires patience and empathy
Drug trafficking, teenage pregnancy, suicide, bullying – the list of the city’s youth problems is endless, and schools and parents must join hands to tackle them. Social workers are the bridge between schools and families to help students get back on the right track.
Social workers can be employed by social service groups such as the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) and Caritas, and then be assigned to work at schools, or they can be employed directly by schools.
In 2000, the profession got a boost when the government spent a lot of money on its “one school social worker for each secondary school” policy.
“Teaching staff will refer students to be counselled and the social worker will also discover cases on their own,” says Carrie Leung