[Gov] Assistant Social Work Officer

An Assistant Social Work Officer is mainly deployed on -
(a) providing social welfare services in various departmental services units, such as integrated family service centres, medical social services units, probation and community service orders offices, etc. as well as administering or assisting in the administration of a social welfare office / institution / centre;
(b) assisting in planning and development as well as coordination and monitoring of various social welfare services in the districts and service branches;
(c) assisting in processing applications from non-governmental organisations, monitoring their performance and rendering necessary support to them;
(d) handling matters related to enforcement of statutory duties under various licences schemes and contract management of social welfare services / institutions;
(e) assisting in planning, implementation and administration of training programmes for staff of the department and non-governmental organisations; and
(f) assisting in planning, implementation and supervision of information technology projects within the department and with the social welfare sector.
(Note : An Assistant Social Work Officer is required to undertake outdoor work and emergency duties; and may be required to perform shift, on-call or stand-by duties.)

Candidates should have -
(a) registered as a registered social worker (category 1) under the Social Workers Registration Ordinance, Chapter 505 [Note (1)]; and
(b) (i) a bachelor’s degree majoring in social work from a Hong Kong university, or equivalent [Note (2)]; or
(ii) a bachelor’s degree from a Hong Kong university (other than (i) above), or equivalent, and have successfully completed an approved post-graduate programme in social work, or equivalent, from an approved institution; or
(iii) a bachelor’s degree from a Hong Kong university (other than (i) above), or equivalent, and a recognised master’s degree in social work, or equivalent, from an approved institution [Note (2)]; and
(c) a pass result in the Aptitude Test in the Common Recruitment Examination (CRE) [Notes (3), (7) to (9)]; and
(d) met the language proficiency requirements of ‘Level 2’ results in the two language papers (Use of Chinese and Use of English) in the CRE, or equivalent; and be able to speak fluent Cantonese and English [Notes (3) to (9)]; and
(e) a pass result in the Basic Law and National Security Law Test (Degree / Professional Grades) (BLNST) [Note (10)].

A new recruit will normally be appointed on civil service probationary terms for three years. Upon passage of probation bar, he/she may be considered for appointment on the prevailing permanent terms.

Applicants must apply online through the G.F. 340 Online Application System of the Civil Service Bureau (https://www.csb.gov.hk) on or before 8 October 2026. Applications which are late or incomplete, or submitted in person, by post, by fax or by email will not be accepted.
Applicants should provide a detailed account of their academic attainments, professional qualifications and working experience in their applications. The information should include –
(a) gradings of the subjects taken in public examinations from secondary education onwards; and
(b) employment records with detailed description of duties.
For qualifications awarded by local institutions / Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, copies of the relevant transcripts / diplomas / certificates / other qualification documents are not required to be submitted at this stage of application [except the required documents as stated in Note (7)].
As for qualifications obtained from institutions outside Hong Kong, copies of the relevant transcripts / diplomas / certificates / other qualification documents should be submitted by email to appsectionenq@swd.gov.hk on or before 15 October 2026. The title of the post being applied for and the online application number should be quoted in the subject of the email and on every page of the copies of the relevant supporting documents. If applicants fail to provide the relevant supporting documents by the above specified date, or if the relevant supporting documents are incomplete or not received by the Social Welfare Department by the above specified date, such applications will not be considered.
For applicants who have made a separate application for taking the coming CRE on 3 October 2026 in Hong Kong, copies of supporting document should be submitted by email by the specified deadline as stated in Note (7).
Candidates who are selected for interview will normally receive an invitation (by email or by post) in about five to eight weeks from the closing date for application. Those who are not invited for interview may assume that their applications are unsuccessful.

(a) Candidates must be permanent residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at the time of appointment unless specified otherwise.
(b) As an Equal Opportunities Employer, the Government is committed to eliminating discrimination in employment. The vacancy advertised is open to all applicants meeting the basic entry requirement irrespective of their disability, sex, marital status, pregnancy, age, family status, sexual orientation and race.
(c) Civil service vacancies are posts on the civil service establishment. Candidates selected for these vacancies will be appointed on civil service terms of appointment and conditions of service and will become civil servants on appointment.
(d) The entry pay, terms of appointment and conditions of service to be offered are subject to the provisions prevailing at the time the offer of appointment is made.
(e) The information on the maximum pay point is for reference only and may be subject to changes.
(f) Fringe benefits include paid leave, medical and dental benefits, and where appropriate, assistance in housing.
(g) Where a large number of candidates meet the specified entry requirements, the recruiting department may devise shortlisting criteria to select the better qualified candidates for further processing. In these circumstances, only shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend recruitment examination and/or interview.
(h) It is Government policy to place people with a disability in appropriate jobs wherever possible. If a disabled candidate meets the entry requirements, he/she will be invited to attend the selection interview/written examination without being subject to further shortlisting. Applicants who have declared disabilities found suitable for appointment may be given an appropriate degree of preference over other applicants whose suitability for appointment is considered comparable to that of the former. The Government policy and other related measures on employment of persons with disabilities are set out in the booklet “Employ People Based on Their Abilities – Application for Government Jobs by Persons with Disabilities” which is available for reference on the Civil Service Bureau's website at https://www.csb.gov.hk under “Administration of the Civil Service – Appointments”.
(i) Holders of academic qualifications other than those obtained from Hong Kong institutions/Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority may also apply but their qualifications will be subject to assessments on equivalence with the required entry qualifications. They should submit copies of their official transcripts and certificates by email.
(j) Towards the application deadline, our on-line system would likely be overloaded due to large volume of applications. To ensure timely completion of your on-line application, it is advisable to submit the application as early as possible.
(k) As part of the selection process, candidates who are invited for interview will be required to complete a written assignment on the interview day.