Representative Governance: Regional Professional Associations and the National Federation
The rule of one regional professional association per administrative region, continuing education missions, and the statutory role of the National Federation of Social Workers (drafting the code of ethics and national representation).
Part IV of Law No. 45.18 (Articles 12 to 15) structures the collective representation of the profession around a two-tier institutional model: Regional Professional Associations federated within a single National Federation of Social Workers (الجامعة الوطنية للعاملين الاجتماعيين).
1Regional Professional Associations: The Rule of One Association per Region (Articles 12 and 13)
- Exclusivity Rule (One Association per Region): Accredited social workers practicing within a given administrative region organize into a regional professional association governed by Dahir No. 1.58.376 of November 15, 1958 on associations, subject to the special provisions of Law No. 45.18. Crucially, the law stipulates that no more than one regional professional association may be established in each region of the Kingdom (لا يمكن تأسيس أكثر من جمعية واحدة في كل جهة).
- Filing and Statutory Compliance Obligation: Each regional professional association must submit a copy of its bylaws (أنظمتها الأساسية) to the governmental authority in charge of social development.
- Statutory Missions of Regional Associations:
- Ensure that members uphold the principles of integrity, ethics, and professional conduct;
- Defend the moral, social, and professional interests of social workers at the regional level;
- Organize continuing education, training workshops, and peer-learning exchanges;
- Contribute to structuring the profession and represent practitioners before regional and provincial authorities.
2The National Federation of Social Workers (Articles 14 and 15)
Legally constituted regional professional associations join together to form a single National Federation of Social Workers (الجامعة الوطنية للعاملين الاجتماعيين), which serves as the official representative body of the profession before the Government. Its statutory responsibilities include:
- Officially representing the social work profession before national public authorities and international organizations;
- Drafting and updating the Code of Conduct and Ethics (مدونة السلوك وأخلاقيات المهنة) and contributing to the Competency and Occupational Framework (مرجع الكفاءات);
- Issuing advisory opinions on all matters relating to the organization, training, and practice of social work referred to it by the administration;
- Proposing reforms and recommendations aimed at enhancing the quality of social services delivered to citizens.