A new book published by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) Press discusses the personal attributes, professional knowledge and interactive skills that social workers need when interacting with service users.

The book, titled More than Just a Job: Qualities that Make a Good Social Worker, exemplifies CityU’s contribution to society through its professional education and research.

The project leader, Dr Kam Ping-kwong, Associate Professor at CityU’s Department of Applied Social Sciences, encourages his social work students to conduct research that benefits society, aligning with the objectives of the Discovery-enriched Curriculum as advocated by CityU.

In this project, the students asked users of local social service organisations about the essential qualities that social workers need in their jobs. The survey results were compiled in this new volume and can be used as a reference resource for the social welfare sector.

A seminar titled “From Service Users Perspective: How Can the Social Work Profession Be Developed?” cum book launch briefing on 17 March served as a forum to discuss the book.

The seminar, which aimed to promote the advancement of the social welfare sector, brought together professionals from the sector and service users to discuss their expectations of what constitutes a good social worker.