Abstract
In March 2023, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council jointly released a new Institutional Reform Plan. Compared with the previous two institutional reforms during Xi Jinping’s rule, this time the party-state reshaped the financial, scientific and social management systems. This paper specifically examines the newly established Central Social Work Department. By analyzing the functions of this new Department as revealed in the reform plan, as well as the currently announced personnel and organizational structures of the central and local social work systems, the trend of the Party further consolidating power over the state is seen. The establishment of a complete social work system also suggests a potential shift towards a governance model where the Party exerts overarching control across all sectors of society.