Abu Dhabi to have social work training centre

ABU DHABI // An academy to train social workers will be established in the capital, it was announced yesterday. "Based in Abu Dhabi, the academy will be the first provider of specialised volunteerism training in the Middle East," said Dr Adel al Shameri, the chief executive of the Zayed Charity Initiative, according to the state news agency WAM.

The country is short of Emirati social workers who understand the intricacies of local customs and families. In a recent interview, Dr Mona al Bahar, the first female Emirati social worker, said the country needed more social workers in schools, though part of the problem there stemmed from a lack of understanding about the role of a social worker. "A social worker helps students to overcome their difficulties, mental or academic ones, to enhance their performance," she said. "Instead we see social workers assigned to do administrative roles sometimes. This creates more pressure on them and would distract them from carrying out their proper tasks."

The need for social workers had also increased as traditional social bonds such as those of family and religion were weakening. "In the past, the family or religion would be the refuge of a person who had personal worries. Now a person's worth is measured by how much they offer to themselves. An individual is busy all the time and therefore the gap widens between them and their families and friends," she said.