The Department of Community Development, as the regulator of licensing and monitoring compliance within Abu Dhabi’s social care sector, has begun implementing penalties on individuals violating guidelines for social care professionals.

This includes both licensed and unlicensed practitioners operating within five social care professions regulated by the department; social service specialist, psychotherapist, applied behavior analyst, specialist psychologist and counselor, whose various specialties are detailed in the approved licensing standards.

This move underlines DCD’s keenness to enhance the quality of services provided to beneficiaries, while also elevating the efficiency and capabilities of social care professionals. Enforcing guidelines helps achieve the department’s aspiration to provide social care services in accordance with internationally recognised best practices.

Mubarak Salem Al Ameri, Executive Director​ of the Social Licensing & Control Sector at DCD, highlighted that the department is dedicated to ensuring the continued development of the social services system in order to provide the highest levels of quality and excellence.

He 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.”

Mubarak Al Ameri added that social care professionals seeking to obtain a license must meet the education and practical experience requirements of the department. DCD will evaluate educational qualifications and practical experience before granting approval for a license, in order to ensure the availability of highly qualified and skilled professionals who will provide excellent services in accordance with the highest global benchmarks.

The Social Care Professional Licensing regulations include 15 violations such as practising any of the social care professions without a license from DCD; failure to renew the temporary license or the professional license 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 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.

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.