Abu Dhabi: Social workers, psychotherapists, applied behaviour analysts, psychologists (non-clinical) and counsellors in Abu Dhabi - take note.
The Department of Community Development (DCD), as the regulator of licensing and monitoring compliance within Abu Dhabi’s social care sector, has begun issuing violations in breach of regulations with regard to practitioners operating within the above five social care professions.
Mubarak Salem Al Ameri, Executive Director of the Social Licensing & Control Sector at DCD, said, “The department pays great attention to fostering capabilities and competencies needed in areas of social care, which are based on professional ethics, high efficiency, and the foundational principles of the profession. These attributes help achieve a positive impact for all beneficiaries, in order for them to obtain services in an optimal manner.”
He said social care professionals seeking to obtain a licence must meet the education and practical experience requirements of the DCD.
The departnment will evaluate educational qualifications and practical experience before granting approval for a licence, in order to ensure the availability of highly qualified and skilled professionals who will provide excellent services in accordance with the highest global benchmarks.
15 violations
The Social Care Professional Licensing regulations include 15 violations such as practising any of the social care professions without a licence from the DCD, failure to renew the temporary licence or the professional licence without an acceptable excuse, practising the social care profession outside the scope of the profession’s specialisation that he/she is authorised to practice, refraining from providing the DCD with any data or information that may be requested related to the practice of the social care profession, and not maintaining the confidentiality of data related to beneficiaries, with the exception of authorised cases.
The DCD began working on the licensing of social care professionals at the end of 2020. This was initiated in order to ensure that individuals working in social care services in the emirate are duly licensed. Moreover, this helped monitor the extent of their commitment to providing the optimum level of quality in accordance with the applicable legislation and in coordination with the relevant authorities.
