MEMBERSHIP

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MEMBERSHIP


INTRODUCTION

Kenya Institute of Social Work has started a Membership Division. The Division seeks to register and bring together professionals, academics, organizations, practitioners and students in the fields of social work, sociology, psychology, community development among others. The Division will also play a standardization role over the players in the field of Social work and Community development.

The Division is part of KISWCD and is wholly owned and run by KISWCD. Members registered shall be referred to as “Members of the Kenya Institute of Social Work”

JUSTIFICATION

The Division is meant to fill the gap left by the absence of an Association to register Social Workers and to check professional standards in the field of Social Work and Community Development.

The Kenya Institute of Social Work and Community Development has offered to register interested practitioners in the field of Social work and Community development. KISWCD is also determined to ensure that the professional training offered by KISWCD and other institutions of higher learning (in the fields of Social Work and Community Development) is reflected at work place.

Join us today as an Individual or Corporate Member

Contact  us:   
  +254 713 844 333
+254 724 772 878

OBJECTIVES OF THE MEMBERSHIP DIVISION


  1. To create and maintain a register of the practicing professionals, academics, students and organizations in the field of Social Work & Community Development in general.
  2. To create a forum where professionals in the field of Social Work  can interact, share ideas and exchange knowledge.
  3. To work with organizations and professionals in the field of Social work & Community development to ensure ethics and professionalism are observed in the profession.
  4. To reward organizations and individuals who uphold high standards of ethics and professionalism in the social work profession.
  5. To hold regular refresher trainings forums and conferences for the players in the Social Work and Community Development space.

ELIGIBILITY FOR MEMBERSHIP OF KENYA INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL WORK


  • Be a corporate body or organization that is involved in Social Work or Community Development.
  • Be a continuing student of Social Work or related disciplines from recognized institutions.
  • Be a Diploma or Degree holder in Social Work and the related fields.
  • Be a graduate in another field but with work experience in Social Work or a related field.

 RELATED DISCIPLINES


  • Sociology
  • Community Development
  • Project Management
  • Community Health
  • Leadership
  • All Development related work
  • Counseling related areas
  • Gender & women empowerment
  • Poverty related areas
  • Public Administration
  • Criminology
  • Psychology
  • HIV/AIDS

ETHICS, RULES & REGULATIONS


The Membership Division in collaboration with KISWCD management has drafted a Code of ethics, rules and regulations which guide the membership to Kenya Institute of Social Work. Read more……

LEVELS OF MEMBERSHIP

FELLOWSHIP

This is the most prestigious level of membership. It is granted by Kenya Institute of Social Work after evaluating somebody’s character, professionalism and contribution in the field of Social work and Community Development. It is not applied for and does not attract annual contributions. It is permanent not unless in situations of high level incompetence and contravention of professional ethics where an individual can be stripped off the fellowship title. Individuals who attain the fellowship will be referred to as “Fellows of the Kenya Institute of Social Work” (FKISW)

CORPORATE

In this category, corporate bodies (NGOs, Private Companies, Institutions etc.) that are stakeholders in the field of Social work and Community Development are eligible to apply for membership. They shall be required to pay an application fee of Khs.500 and an Annual Membership fee of KShs 3000.

Download the CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM

GOLD

This category will attract Master’s Degree and PhD holders in Social work and Community Development or related disciplines. They will pay an application fee of KShs 500 and an Annual membership fee of KShs 2000.

Download the INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM

SILVER

This category shall attract holders of 1st degree in Social work and Community Development and related disciplines. They shall pay an application fee of KShs 500 and an Annual membership fee of KShs 1500.

Download the INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM

ASSOCIATE

This category will attract graduates in other fields who have two years or more work experience in Social work or related careers. They shall pay an application fee of Kshs.500 and an Annual membership fee of KShs 1500.

Download the INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM

BRONZE

This category will attract holders of Diploma and Higher Diploma in Social work and related disciplines. They shall pay as follows: Application fee of Kshs.500 and annual membership fee of KShs 1000.

Download the INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM

STUDENT

This category will attract continuing students in Social work and related disciplines. They shall pay an application fee of KShs 500 and an Annual membership of KShs 500.

Download the INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM

ADMINISTRATION OF THE MEMBERSHIP DIVISION

The Division is directed by KISWCD management and run by the head of the Division. The Division operates independently from all other KISWCD programmes.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

The Membership Committee has five members. The committee evaluates membership applications and recommends to the head of Division on whether to accept or reject member’s applications. The Committee’s decision is final.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM

Members are required to fill-in the application forms and attach copies of their certificates and testimonials. They are required to pay an application (non-refundable) fee of KShs 500. Upon receipt of their application they shall then wait for communication from the Division after the committee evaluates their papers.

Download the CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM

MEMBERSHIP CERTIFICATE

All Members shall be issued with membership certificates which shall have one year validity.

MEMBERSHIP CARDS

Members shall be issued with membership cards. The card shall bear the member’s photo, ID No. Passport No. profession and level of membership

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

  • Membership card and Certificate
  • Allowed entry to KISW conferences and dinners ( Conditions apply)
  • Listing in the KISW list of Social work professionals
  • A quarterly magazine on Social work and Community Development
  • Refresher trainings for Social work professionals
  • Joining the biggest social work forum in the region.
  • Giving you a chance to interact with other members/professionals.
  • Linking with interrelated organizations
  • Direct exposure to job opportunities

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION


The procedure for membership application and registration will be as follows:

Step 1. An interested member fills in a membership application form. (This can be done manually or online).

Step 2. The applicant hands in the filled form together with copies of testimonials, two passports sized photos and pay the application fee (KShs 500).

Step 3. The Division enters the applicants data in the applicants’ file (both electronic and manual).

Step 4.The Division forwards the list of applicants and their credentials to the membership committee.

Step 5. The committee evaluates the list and creates a short-list of the qualified members which is handed to the Division for publishing in the manual and electronic registers. NB: The committee’s decision is final.

Step 6.The Division notifies the successful members to pay their membership fee.

Step 7. After paying the membership fee, the members are issued with membership cards and certificates.

VALIDITY OF THE MEMBERSHIP CERTIFICATES

The membership certificate shall be valid for one calendar year (running from January to December). All the applications made before 30th June, will be valid for that particular year in which they are made. Applications made from 1st July will be valid for the following calendar year.

DURATION FOR APPLICATION & REGISTRATION

NB: Within one week after submitting their applications, members will be notified of the status of their applications i.e., whether they are successful, which category they can join and the required membership fee.

Application and registration will take at least two weeks (14 days) which shall be broken down as follows.

One week to allow the committee to review the applicant’s papers. The committee will be meeting once every week most preferably on Thursdays.

One week for the Division to prepare members’ ID cards and certificates.

The onus of accepting a discipline or profession as admissible to the Kenya Institute of Social Work shall lie solely on the membership committee. The committee shall evaluate contents of different disciplines and professions to determine which ones are admissible to the Kenya Institute of Social Work. The committee shall review the list from time to time.

BUDGET FOR THE MEMBERSHIP DIVISION

The membership Division runs its own budget which is independent from the mainstream KISWCD budget.

The budget is funded from the Kenya Institute of Social Work Membership Kitty. The financial autonomy of the Division will help in evaluating its financial strengths and weaknesses. It may also guide the future operations and collaborations with other professional bodies.

ACCOUNTING

The membership Division shall keep its books and records giving a proper break- down for its expenditure and collections. This will help KISWCD Management in auditing the Division and gauging its own financial viability and strength.

SOURCES OF FUNDS FOR KISW KITTY

Members Contributions

The key source of funding for the KISW kitty will be the fees raised from members’ contributions. The contributions are as follows:

a) Application fee (Kshs.500)

b) Annual membership fees

Conferences

Another addition to the kitty will be funds raised from members’ conferences. Members will pay a discounted entrance fee while guests and non-members will pay the full conference rate.

Dinners

There shall be dinners and round-table events for members. Such events will contribute greatly to the KISW Kitty.

Publishing Materials

The Division shall raise funds by publishing a quarterly journal for Social workers and Community Development that shall be sold to members (at a discount) and other interested public.

Donors and well-wishers

The Division will also raise funds from donors and well-wishers who may be willing to contribute to the kitty. Some of them may be our members or other individuals and organizations.

USES OF FUNDS FROM KISW KITTY

The KISW kitty shall be managed jointly by the membership Division, the membership committee and the management of KISWCD. Funds from the kitty shall be prioritized in such a way as to achieve the following.

  1.  Deliver services and value to members
  2. Promote the membership Division
  3. Assist KISWCD in reaching its long term goals

The funds from the kitty shall be spent to accomplish the following tasks.

  • Printing membership documents.
  • The most important expenditure for the Division will be to print certificates and identification cards for members.
  • Marketing and promotion of membership.
  • The main goal of the Division is to recruit as many members as is possible. This will therefore demand that a sizeable percentage of funds from the KISW kitty will be spent in promotions and marketing of the membership idea.
  • The Division shall spend a percentage of the funds from the kitty to create some income generating activities like the following;
  • Publishing professional journals for sale to members and non-members.
  • Organizing conferences, dinners and refresher trainings.
  • Running the Division.
  • The Division shall operate using funds from the kitty. This will increase the autonomy of the membership Division
  • A certain percentage of surplus funds from the kitty shall be spent to offer bursaries and sponsorships to needy students willing to study in KISWCD. This will be part of KISWCD Corporate Social Responsibility.
  • Rewarding members and outstanding non-members.
  • The Division shall spend another percentage of the extra funds to reward loyal and faithful members and outstanding non-members of the society.

For more details contact:
The Membership /Marketing Executive
(Membership Division)

KENYA INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL WORK
Southern House
P.O. Box 57961 00200 NAIROBI
Tell +254 724 772 878/ 0713 844333

Email: Marketing@kiswcd.co.ke
Website: www.kiswcd.co.ke