ABSTRACT
Efforts towards institutionalizing social work practice in Malaysia have been slow and somewhat stagnant since 2010, despite the robust changes in the socio-economic and socio-cultural structure in the country. The level of awareness of professional social work practice and the profession among the stakeholders is possibly very low, if not completely lacking. With the lack of political will to support the aspiration of professional social workers, social work remains in the back seat of Malaysia’s development agenda. Since May 2018, Malaysia has had a new and, it was initially hoped, more promising government to address the social wellbeing issues of the population. This chapter documents the development of social work practice in the country, which include changes in societal structures, socio-economic and socio-political growth that all have some impact towards professionalizing social work practice. We further discuss if there is potential for a new hope towards a more concerted effort in institutionalizing the social work profession in the country given political developments at the time of writing.
