Participants included Ms. Dao Hong Lan, Deputy Minister of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs; Mr. Nguyen Van Hoi, Director of Social Protection Department; Mr. Vu Manh Cuong, Director of International Cooperation Department, representatives of some units in the Ministry, representatives of the Ministry of Education and Training and some institutions which have training social work. On the CFSI side, there was Dr. Steven Muncy, CFSI Executive Director.

According to Nguyen Van Hoi, Director of the Social Protection Department, in implementing the Decision No. 32 / QĐ-TTg dated 25/3/2010 of the Prime Minister on the development of social work, on 22 March 2011, MOLISA and CFSI signed Memorandum of Understanding on "Developing human resources for social work for disadvantaged and vulnerable people in Viet Nam". On March 12th 2014, MOLISA, CFSI, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (GASS) and Asian Institute of Social Studies (ASI) signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Master program on Social work, which is valid until December 31^th 2017. From 2014 to 2017, this program organized 2 training course and provided Master’s Degree for 202 senior social work managers awarded by both GASS and ASI.

Over the past six years of the agreement, the project has achieved important results such as: Vietnam translated training program for senior social work manager of Asian Social Institute in Philippines into Vietnamese. This training program consisted of 7 subjects out of 35 subjects of the Asian Academy of Social Sciences, which was basic reference of social work training framework for other civil training centers. Besides that, 25 teachers have been trained as senior trainers who have extensive experience in social work to teach in the program. 5 training programs were organized to improve skills and abilities for 331 senior social work managers. And they received certificate after finishing the course.

Due to these achievements, in the second phase (2017-2020), MOLISA and CFSI signed a cooperation agreement to increase the knowledge and skills of social work for at least 700 staffs from units under the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and the social assistance facilities of the Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs. After the course, they will receive a certificate for senior social work manager to be able to attend other training programs by the Ministry, CFSI and some institutions. In the addition, CFST committed to support at least 300 Masters in Social Work who already had certificate from one training Centre on the same field in Vietnam. Besides that, CFSI will continue the institutionalization of the SWEP training program for senior management into some training schools in Vietnam; develop link between social work training programs in Vietnam and social work training programs in other regions of the world to share experience, practice and create opportunities for international cooperation.

Mr.Steven Muncy, Executive Director of CFSI

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister Dao Hong Lan highly appreciated the close cooperation between MOLISA and CFSI in the development of human resources for social work for disadvantaged and vulnerable people. The program improved skills for social work staffs, support vulnerable people in the society, develop professional social work through system of high - quality human resources staff in this field, educate extensive experience social work teachers and supervisors. Currently, there were 36 million children, 10 million elderly people, more than 7 million disabled people and millions of other disadvantaged people in need of support of social work services in Vietnam.

Deputy Minister Dao Hong Lan expressed her gratitude to CFSI for helping MOLISA and universities to approach social work field in international perspectives. Schools and institutions also need to corporate actively with the Ministry of Education and Training. At the end of the second phase, the two parties would review the achievements to continue the corporation in the next time period.