Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what are the average and median numbers of hours per month a social worker is required to spend on (i) a group 2 case (ii) a group 3 case and (iii) a group 4 case; and (b) if this data is not currently being collected, whether the Ministry will start collecting this data.
Answer
1. Social workers in Family Service Centres (FSCs) partner individuals and families to address their social needs. FSCs refer to the FSC-Code of Social Work Practice (FSC-CSWP) to classify each case into one of four case groups based on its assessed risk and complexity. Cases with higher risks and complexity of needs are assigned higher CSWP groupings and receive more funding.
2. MSF does not prescribe the number of hours that FSCs are required to work on cases in each FSC-CSWP group. The nature of cases may vary even within the same FSC-CSWP group. The experience level of social workers also varies, leading to differing time needed to handle cases. Based on the survey of FSCs’ workload data conducted in September 2020, FSC social workers spent between 3 hours and 5 hours per case per month, with more time spent on cases in higher CSWP groupings. Ultimately, the FSCs have the autonomy to decide on how to distribute cases among their social workers.