Challenges Faced by Lesotho Social Workers

Social Work in Lesotho emerged in response to unjust socio-economic and political conditions, tackling issues like poverty, discrimination, unemployment, and violence. The development of social work training programs was prompted by significant disparities between rich and poor, rural, and urban populations, exacerbated by economic growth. The field began in 1976 with the establishment of the Department of Social Welfare (DSW), which was later called the Ministry of Social Development (MOSD). Given the myriad of political, economic, social and other issues that demand the attention and expertise of qualified Social Workers, Lesotho lacks a nationally formulated regulatory body with standards backed by legislation for overseeing social work education, training, and practice. However, although there is a Social Workers Association Lesotho (SWAL), the absence of a licensing board for Social Workers in Lesotho presents significant challenges for both the Social Work profession and the society it serves.

This lack of recognition affects the recruitment and retention of skilled professionals, hindering ongoing training and supervision opportunities. It also restricts both international and local employment opportunities, exacerbating Lesotho’s unemployment rate, which stands at 22.77% where social workers struggle to access their profession related jobs to improve their livelihoods and serve their client too. Additionally, they are also challenged with staying updated on Social Work’s best practices, ultimately impacting the quality of services they provide. Lastly, the current situation has led to the emergence of orphanages and elderly care homes run by self-proclaimed Social Workers that do not adhere to Social Work professional standards, principles, values, and ethics of social work service provision. This perpetuates instances of poverty porn in Lesotho (which is an unethical way of assisting the poor), rather than promoting genuine standardized Social Work service provision and practices. Furthermore, it becomes challenging to seek legal recourse for unprofessional Social Work-related service provision in the absence of a regulatory body or council overseeing the profession.

Addressing the absence of a licensing board for Social Workers in pursuit of Social Work profession advancement in Lesotho requires government intervention to establish a regulatory body which involves stakeholders for diverse perspectives. Such a board would align with the handling of licensing matters through legislation, regulations, or administrative procedures. This is because the Constitution of Lesotho focuses on the clear separation of powers among the legislative, executive, and judiciary branches of government, rather than specifically addressing professional licensing. Furthermore, commit to increasing the proportion of the national budget allocated to social protection to achieve the current National Strategic Development Plan II Strategic focus 2023/24-2027/28 and those that will come in future iterations thereof. Subsequently, continued strengthening of Social Work-related education and training programs, ongoing investments in accredited Social Work qualifications and strengthening of their monitoring and evaluation. In addition, promoting collaboration between academia and practitioners as a baseline whilst closely with responsible structures for the holistic well-being of individuals and local champions such as chiefs and Councilors among others. Moreover, increased public awareness of Social Work profession at large together with its importance is for advocacy efforts and resource allocation.

Lastly, fostering ongoing collaboration with global partners and International Community to ensure seamless-funding opportunities, thus facilitating the creation of quality jobs for Social Workers, and contributing to Lesotho’s sustainable development. This would also drive a shift in employment patterns for Social Workers, as currently, 4 out of 5 are not practicing in their field but are employed in other careers.

———————————————————————————————————————

Puseletso A. Mpeisa is a national of the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho. She holds a Master of Philosophy in Human Rights and Democratization in Africa (HRDA) from the Centre of Human Rights, University of Pretoria. She also obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the National University of Lesotho (N.U.L) and is a former Advisory Member of the National University of Lesotho Social Workers Association (NULSWA). She is an accredited Children’s Accelerated Trauma Therapist under Care Africa Network (CAN), a transitional justice enthusiast and human rights advocate. Her work spans areas such as children protection, transitional justice, women’s rights, key populations’ rights, democracy and human rights advocacy, research, and policy analysis.