UAE: Abu Dhabi calls for official licenses for social care professionals – News

Ministry of Community Development working to enforce penalties for licensing violations

The Department of Community Development (DCD) urges all social care professionals to be licensed to practice. This is part of the DCD’s mandate to regulate Abu Dhabi’s social sector under the laws of the emirate.

It is part of the department’s efforts to regulate the social care sector. The department imposes penalties for violators of licensing regulations under the Abu Dhabi Social Care Professionals Administrative Offenses and Fines Schedule.

Saeed Mubarak bin Amro, Manager, Social Control Department, DCD, said: “Since the initiation of licensure for social care professionals and the adoption of licensure standards, the department has organized several awareness workshops for social care service providers to emphasize that social care service providers Role played by the regulatory and licensing sector for workers in the social care sector.

“As part of its support programme, it has also developed a professional diploma in collaboration with UAE universities to enhance the qualifications and effectiveness of professionals in the social sector. Apart from this, the ministry has organized competency tests at several testing centres, including locally and globally. It also automates the submission of the licensing process through the ‘Tamm’ platform, the official electronic platform of Abu Dhabi Government Services.”

He also added that the department was keen to introduce administrative fines which would help organize the social care services provided and ensure they were of the highest quality and delivered by professionals licensed to approved standards. Furthermore, it will ensure the development of a social care sector based on ethics, high efficiency and best professional practice.

The social care professions licensed by the department include five main categories: Social Worker, Psychotherapist, Applied Behavior Analyst, Psychologist, and Counselor—each designating a different profession based on approved standards.

The DCD started work on a project for the licensing of social care professionals at the end of 2020 to ensure proper coordination of social care professionals and to monitor their commitment to deliver the highest quality services in accordance with the law and in cooperation with relevant authorities.