Dubai’s Community Development Authority and The British University in Dubai have signed a memorandum of understanding to expand training, licensing and research pathways for social professionals, marking a further step in the emirate’s effort to build a regulated social care workforce aligned with Dubai Social Agenda 33.
The agreement brings together the Authority’s regulatory mandate and the university’s academic capacity to create a structured framework for qualifying practitioners, assessing professional competence and supporting career progression across the social sector. It is designed to improve the quality of care and protection services while preparing citizens for specialist roles in a field that is gaining greater policy attention as Dubai’s population and community needs expand.
Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid, Director General of the Community Development Authority in Dubai, said the partnership reflects the Authority’s direction towards a sustainable and integrated ecosystem for social professions, built on governance, efficiency and quality. She said the collaboration would support clearer career pathways, stronger service standards and a model linking qualification, employment and professional sustainability.
The MoU places licensing at the centre of workforce development. Social professionals in Dubai are required to meet qualification, experience and assessment criteria before practising in regulated categories. The Authority has been moving to tighten standards across fields such as social work, psychology support, behavioural services, learning support and care provision, with the objective of ensuring that vulnerable groups receive services from trained and accountable practitioners.
Professor Abdullah Alshamsi, Vice Chancellor of The British University in Dubai, said the agreement strengthens the university’s academic role in serving society and supporting Dubai’s social development priorities. He said the partnership highlights the value of integration between academic institutions and government entities in preparing qualified national cadres through advanced education, training programmes, research and knowledge transfer.
The agreement will cover specialised academic and professional training programmes for practitioners and applicants seeking licences in social professions. It also includes professional assessments aligned with approved standards, postgraduate support, research collaboration, publication of priority social studies, conferences, forums and community-focused initiatives. These measures are expected to feed into policy development and improve evidence-based decision-making in social services.
The partnership follows a period of expanded licensing activity in Dubai’s social sector. A second cohort of 49 licensed social professionals for 2026 took the professional oath in April at Al Khawaneej Majlis after completing all licensing requirements. That cohort brought the total number of licensed social professionals in Dubai since the launch of the initiative to 1,109, with the framework extending across government and public sector institutions and including 186 citizens.
Dubai’s social policy agenda has increasingly treated professionalisation as a core element of service quality. The Dubai Social Agenda 33 places quality of life, family stability, social cohesion and protection at the centre of long-term development. A better-trained workforce is intended to reduce uneven standards, strengthen prevention-focused interventions and ensure that social care keeps pace with demographic change, economic shifts and demand for specialised support.
The British University in Dubai brings an established higher education role to the partnership. The university, based in Dubai International Academic City, offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes and has developed professional development and research activities across education, business, law, engineering and technology. It has also worked with the Authority on licensing qualification training, including programmes covering assistant psychologists, behaviour analysts, assistant behavioural analysts and learning support teachers.
For the Authority, the agreement supports its wider regulatory function in licensing social care professionals and organisations, monitoring standards and strengthening public confidence in social services. Professional licensing exams, training requirements and competency-based pathways are intended to create a more transparent system for employers, practitioners and service users. The approach also helps differentiate regulated social care from informal or unqualified practice, a key issue as demand grows for services involving children, families, people of determination and vulnerable groups.
The agreement brings together the Authority’s regulatory mandate and the university’s academic capacity to create a structured framework for qualifying practitioners, assessing professional competence and supporting career progression across the social sector. It is designed to improve the quality of care and protection services while preparing citizens for specialist roles in a field that is gaining greater policy attention as Dubai’s population and community needs expand.
Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid, Director General of the Community Development Authority in Dubai, said the partnership reflects the Authority’s direction towards a sustainable and integrated ecosystem for social professions, built on governance, efficiency and quality. She said the collaboration would support clearer career pathways, stronger service standards and a model linking qualification, employment and professional sustainability.
The MoU places licensing at the centre of workforce development. Social professionals in Dubai are required to meet qualification, experience and assessment criteria before practising in regulated categories. The Authority has been moving to tighten standards across fields such as social work, psychology support, behavioural services, learning support and care provision, with the objective of ensuring that vulnerable groups receive services from trained and accountable practitioners.
Professor Abdullah Alshamsi, Vice Chancellor of The British University in Dubai, said the agreement strengthens the university’s academic role in serving society and supporting Dubai’s social development priorities. He said the partnership highlights the value of integration between academic institutions and government entities in preparing qualified national cadres through advanced education, training programmes, research and knowledge transfer.
The agreement will cover specialised academic and professional training programmes for practitioners and applicants seeking licences in social professions. It also includes professional assessments aligned with approved standards, postgraduate support, research collaboration, publication of priority social studies, conferences, forums and community-focused initiatives. These measures are expected to feed into policy development and improve evidence-based decision-making in social services.
The partnership follows a period of expanded licensing activity in Dubai’s social sector. A second cohort of 49 licensed social professionals for 2026 took the professional oath in April at Al Khawaneej Majlis after completing all licensing requirements. That cohort brought the total number of licensed social professionals in Dubai since the launch of the initiative to 1,109, with the framework extending across government and public sector institutions and including 186 citizens.
Dubai’s social policy agenda has increasingly treated professionalisation as a core element of service quality. The Dubai Social Agenda 33 places quality of life, family stability, social cohesion and protection at the centre of long-term development. A better-trained workforce is intended to reduce uneven standards, strengthen prevention-focused interventions and ensure that social care keeps pace with demographic change, economic shifts and demand for specialised support.
The British University in Dubai brings an established higher education role to the partnership. The university, based in Dubai International Academic City, offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes and has developed professional development and research activities across education, business, law, engineering and technology. It has also worked with the Authority on licensing qualification training, including programmes covering assistant psychologists, behaviour analysts, assistant behavioural analysts and learning support teachers.
For the Authority, the agreement supports its wider regulatory function in licensing social care professionals and organisations, monitoring standards and strengthening public confidence in social services. Professional licensing exams, training requirements and competency-based pathways are intended to create a more transparent system for employers, practitioners and service users. The approach also helps differentiate regulated social care from informal or unqualified practice, a key issue as demand grows for services involving children, families, people of determination and vulnerable groups.
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