To Seek Professional Competency In Social Work Practice, Education And Research
Malaysian Association of Social Workers Welcomes You
Here at Malaysian Association of Social Workers (MASW), we see the value in everyone. We want to be a catalyst for positive change, and since our beginnings, we’ve been driven by the same ideas, support, empowerment, and progress. Learn more about our mission, our vision, and how we go about making the changes we want to see.
THE BEGINNING OF SOCIAL WORK IN MALAYSIA
In Malaysia, professional social work was introduced by the British Colonial Administration as early as the 1930s but it was mainly focused on problems of migrant labourers from India and China. It was only after World War II, when social problems of displacement, juvenile delinquency and poverty became more prominent, that a Department of Social Welfare was formerly established in 1946. Social work services were introduced in terms of financial aid for the needy, probation programs for juvenile delinquents, protection homes for women and girls, and residential care for the disabled and the aged.
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​The first specialisation in social work began in the early 1950s with British expatriates posted to local government hospitals as ‘Almoners’ until local trained social workers replaced them following the end of British administration. A second specialisation was in probation work with juvenile delinquents, where welfare officers were sent overseas for special training.
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The Malaysian Association of Social Workers (MASW) was formed on the 3rd of March 1973, and registered with the Registrar of Societies on the 28th of March 1974 (ROS 1387 Selangor). Its formation was the result of a general agreement among social workers in the welfare services and in hospitals, that there should be one umbrella body to meet their professional needs.
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Before that, the medical social workers had already established a Malayan Association of Almoners in 1954, which was later re-named the Malaysian Association of Medical Social Workers (MAMSW) in 1965. Their members had been successful in obtaining professional recognition from the Public Services Department (Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bil. 9/1977), were active in promoting social work-related activities on a regular basis, and were instrumental in lobbying for improved salaries and a scheme of service for hospital social workers. It was proposed that the MAMSW be dissolved and its members absorbed into the Malaysian Association of Professional Social Workers (MAPSW). The dissolution became effective on the 16th of May 1975.
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In 1989, MAPSW members thought it was redundant to have the qualifying description Professional in its name and it sought, and was allowed, by the Registrar of Societies to drop the term from its name. It has since been known as the Malaysian Association of Social Workers. The logo of the Association was adopted in April 1984.
The Brief History of Malaysian Association of Social Workers (MASW)
At Malaysian Association of Social Workers (MASW) we’re raising funds and promoting initiatives to serve the people who need them most. We believe in taking action with urgency in order to raise public awareness about some of the most pressing issues facing today’s society. Please join us by supporting our efforts to make a measurable difference in the lives of others.
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In Malaysia, professional social work was introduced by the British Colonial Administration as early as the 1930s but it was mainly focused on problems of migrant labourers from India and China. It was only after World War II, when social problems of displacement, juvenile delinquency and poverty became more prominent, that a Department of Social Welfare was formerly established in 1946. Social work services were introduced in terms of financial aid for the needy, probation programs for juvenile delinquents, protection homes for women and girls, and residential care for the disabled and the aged.
The first specialisation in social work began in the early 1950s with British expatriates posted to local government hospitals as ‘Almoners’ until local trained social workers replaced them following the end of British administration. A second specialisation was in probation work with juvenile delinquents, where welfare officers were sent overseas for special training.
The British Almoners had formed the first professional body for social workers, the Malayan Association of Almoners (MAA) in 1955. In the late 1960s it was re-named the Malaysian Association of Medical Social Workers (MAMSW) which successfully fought for a professional scheme of service within the civil service. In the early 1970s, medical social workers thought it was necessary to establish a national body to include their peers from social welfare,prisons and social work education programmes.The Malaysian Association of Social Workers (MASW)was thus formed on the 3rd of March 1973, and registered with the Registrar of Societies on the 28th March 1974 (ROS 1387 Selangor), while the MAMSW was dissolved on the 16th of May 1975.
MASW is registered as an affiliate member of the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) since July 1974, and with the Malaysian Professional Centre (BIM) since July 1975. It ia also an Associate Member of the Commonwealth Organisation of Social Workers since 1993, and has a representative on the IFSW- Asia Pacific Executive Committee as Publications Secretary. Its members are also actively involved with the Asia Pacific Association of Social Work Educators and the International Association of Schools of Social Work.