Human Development Ministry Struggles to Recruit Social Workers

The government is having difficulty finding social workers to fill key positions in the Ministry of Human Development, Family Support and Gender Affairs. Minister Thea Garcia-Ramirez spoke about the recruitment challenge as the ministry seeks personnel to provide assessment, rehabilitation and support services.  A recent recruitment notice advertised Community Rehabilitation Officer positions in the Court and Case Management Unit, which works with juveniles in contact with the justice system, and the Adult Probation Unit, which serves adults in conflict with the law. Garcia-Ramirez explained the situation.

Thea Garcia Ramirez, Minister of Human Development and Gender Affairs: “We need more social workers, that is not a secret. Social work is hard. Not everybody has the stamina to work as a social worker. It means listening to people’s problems all day and you go home and everybody has their own issues at home and their own lives which undoubtedly isn’t always smooth sailing. And so social work is not for the weak and we do need more social workers. We’re actively asking for applications as you can see to fill in a lot of slots. We also have a new department opening for probations and due to our having the alternative sentencing so we do need more social workers so I encourage everyone to apply. There’s a lot of different vacancies and I think we need people going into social work definitely.”

The advertised posts cover stations in Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize City, San Pedro, Independence and Toledo. Applicants are required to have a bachelor’s degree in social work or a related field, along with at least three years of relevant professional experience.