FEATURE
Virtually Together: ACSW 2021 Virtual Conference
FEATURE
60th Anniversary Series Growing Social Work
IN THE NEWS 2020 Awards Spotlight
ADVOCATE SUMMER 2021
THE
VOLUME 46 | ISSUE 2
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ALBERTA COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORKERS
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COVID and Addictions in Rural Alberta
1961 - 2021 60 YEARS OF SOCIAL WORK ASSOCIATIONS IN ALBERTA
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ADVOCATE
THE ADVOCATE Volume 46, Issue 2, Summer 2021 Published by: The Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) 550 10707 100 AVE NW, Edmonton AB T5J 3M1 Ph: 780-421-1167/Toll-free (in AB): 1-800-661-3089 Fax: 780-421-1168/Toll-free fax: 1-866-874-8931 acsw@acsw.ab.ca — acsw.ab.ca Registrar (Acting) Associate Registrar: Suzanne MacKinnon, MSW, RCSW associateregistrar@acsw.ab.ca Executive Director (Acting) Associate Director - Professional Practice & Advocacy: Jody-Lee Farrah, MSW, RSW assocdirector@acsw.ab.ca Managers, Regulatory Practice/Complaints Directors: Bruce Llewellyn, MSW, RSW Sheryl Pearson, MSW, RSW, LLB acswregulatory@acsw.ab.ca Membership Activities - Team Lead: Charity Lui, MSW, RSW
COVER STORY 15 COVID and Addictions in Rural Alberta
Social Workers - Membership Activities: Heather Johnson, BSW, RSW Andre Tinio, BSW, RSW Finance & Administration Officer: Kim Hyggen, CPA, CGA Finance & Administration Support: Audrey Kent, CPA, CMA Registration Coordinator: Brenda Gross Tami Carlin Jennifer Vasquez Executive Assistant / Office Manager: Noreen Majek
60TH ANNIVERSARY SERIES 19 Growing Social Work
FEATURES 15 COVID and Addictions in Rural Alberta 19 ACSW 60th Anniversary Series Part Two: Growing Social Work in Alberta 28 Virtually Together: ACSW 2021 Virtual Conference 30 Social Workers are Essential 33 Field Education and Practice Research 38 Poetically Guided Manifesto 40 A Call to Self-Reflection and Action AROUND OUR PROVINCE 4 Around Our Province IN THE NEWS 7 Welcome to New RSWs & RCSWs 26 2020 Awards Spotlight THE BIG PICTURE 8 A Message from the President 9
A Message from the Executive Director & Registrar
FEATURE STORY 28 Virtually Together: The ACSW 2021 Virtual Conference
ETHICS IN ACTION 10 When the Complaints Director Comes Calling SOCIAL JUSTICE WORKS 12 Farmers Protest in India INDIGENOUS VOICES 14 Mental Health Wise Practices VOICES OF PRIVATE PRACTICE 22 Become a Social Work Entrepreneur RESEARCH & LEARNING IN ALBERTA’S COMMUNITIES 24 Fighting Online Pornography DIPLOMA DIALOGUES 25 Celebrating World Social Work Day DAY IN THE LIFE 36 Alycia Berg, BSW, RSW FOR YOUR INFORMATION 42 The Advocate Editorial Policy 43 For Your Information Pictured on the cover: Marianne Wright, Alison MacDonald and Christina Kan in 2002.
Printing on Pacesetter Dull text. 10% post consumer waste. Pacesetter participates in a certified forest program.
Promotions & Events Associate: Crystal King Administrative Support Professionals: Tracy Houben Carlena Johnson Toni Harrison Jessica Atamanenko Online Services Analyst: Laurie Nelson IT Support Analyst: Scott MacPhee ACSW Council: President: Siu Ming Kwok, PhD, RSW Vice President: Peter Baylis, PhD, RSWW Treasurer: Daryl Pamplin, BSW, RSW Secretary: Dayirai Kapfunde, MSW, RSW Members at Large: Baiju Vareed, MSW, RSW Katie Richardson, MSW, RSW Samuel Mammen, MSW, RSW Indigenous Social Work Committee Representative: Carrie Avveduti, BSW, RSW Public Members: Bukola Oladunni Salami Trevor Liskowich Laura Delfs Editorial Board: Samuel Mammen, MSW, RSW & Cardinal Fomradas, MSW, RSW (Co-Chairs) Darnel Forro, MSW, RSW Tasha Novick, MSW, RSW Andrea Newberry-Koroluk, PhD, RSW Kassi McKen SW Dip, RSW Debbie Posey SW Dip, RSW Islam Deyab, BSW, RSW Bukola Oladunni Salami, Public Member Editorial services provided by Bird Communications Advertising space is available. To place an ad, contact memberactivitiesadmin@acsw.ab.ca. The ACSW reserves the right to reject any submissions and advertising. Fall 2021 Issue Ad Deadline: July 15, 2021 Canadian subscriptions are $26/year (outside Canada: $26 US/year). Please immediately update your member profile with any address changes. ISSN 0847 - 2890 PM NO. 40050109 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO 550 10707 100 AVE NW, EDMONTON AB T5J 3M1 The opinions and interpretations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), its editorial board, or contractors. The aforementioned make no guarantee or warranty, either expressed or implied, about the accuracy or links contained in the Advocate, and are not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages that could arise. All material ©2021 by the ACSW or by author. ACSW retains copyright when no author is listed. Reprint or copying (including digital or online reproduction in any form) of any Advocate material requires written consent of the ACSW.
THE ADVOCATE
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AROUND OUR PROVINCE BY CHARITY LUI, MSW, RSW
LETTER OF RECOGNITION Social Work Week is celebrated annually to recognize and honour social workers for their dedication in supporting Alberta’s marginalized and vulnerable populations. This year’s theme is “Social Work is Essential”. In Calgary more than 2,500 dedicated social workers provide professional assistance to people seeking to overcome personal and social problems to lead fulfilling and productive lives. Many social workers have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting clients to maintain housing, food security and mental health. The City of Calgary recognizes March 7-13, 2021 as Social Work Week to acknowledge the many supports and services social workers provide, and celebrate their valuable contributions to our community.
NAHEED K. NENSHI MAYOR
The Calgary Tower and Reconciliation Bridge in Calgary, and Edmonton’s High Level Bridge lit in magenta
Social Work is Essential National Social Work Month 2021 Social Work is Essential was the theme of National Social Work Month 2021. The Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW), the Canadian Association for Social Work Education and the Canadian Council of Social Work Regulators shared a statement to recognize the many ways social work is essential during a pandemic: Essential to meeting the immediate needs of those carrying the pain of loss. Essential to those navigating overwhelming uncertainty imposed on peoples’ lives. Essential to addressing the profound systemic racism thrust into the spotlight by the pandemic, and Essential to advocating to reconcile the economic, health and social inequalities glaringly exposed by not only COVID-19, but efforts to flatten the curve as well.
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Social Work Week in Alberta March 7 – 13, 2021 Both the cities of Edmonton and Calgary recognized the passion and commitment social workers bring to their cities. The High Level Bridge in Edmonton, and the Calgary Tower and Reconciliation Bridge were lit up in magenta on March 7 in recognition of Social Work Week.
Activities Earlier this year, the Edmonton and Calgary Area Coordinators hosted virtual New Year Connect events. This included two film screenings. The first was the NFB film John Ware An image from John Ware Reclaimed Reclaimed. The film discussed the legacy of John Ware of Alberta in relation to antiBlack racism. Participants enjoyed the facilitated breakout sessions after the film where they discussed their learning. The second was the animated film Spirit Bear and Children Make History. The film represents more than 165,000 Indigenous children that are impacted by the First Nations child welfare case that was brought before the Human Rights Tribunal. This event was family-friendly and included activities and discussion related to the film. We had the pleasure of being welcomed and introduced to the film by Cindy Blackstock.
ACSW Election Results We wish to thank all members who participated in the ACSW election by voting or running for a seat on Council. Congratulations to: President: Siu Ming Kwok, PhD, RSW Vice President: Peter Baylis, PhD, RSW
CASW Webinars The Canadian Association of Social Workers offered over a dozen continuing education webinars during the month of March. Many were recorded and can be accessed by members of the ACSW. Titles included: • CBT Made Simple (two-part series) • Spirituality and Social Work • Ethical Decision-Making Framework • Panel Discussion: Anti-Racism and Social Work – Moving from Awareness to Action • Disability & COVID-19 Response and Recovery Series • Panel Discussion: Impacts of COVID -19 on Social Work Practice
THE ADVOCATE
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AROUND OUR PROVINCE
GREAT READ! Gweneth Pollitt, Gayle James and Jake Kuiken
Thank You Thank you to Marcus Busch, MSW, RCSW, for identifying Gweneth Pollitt, MSW, in the photo above that appeared in the spring issue of the Advocate in “The Roots of ACSW: 60 Years of Social Work Associations in Alberta.” He shared: Gweneth was a member of the Alberta Association of Social Work Council in 1976, and as chair of the Public Relations and Publications Committee, was responsible for resurrecting the Advocate after it ceased publication in 1974. I was on that first editorial board along with Gweneth (the editor), Timothy Busch (my brother), Walter Coombs, Laurie Hoosier, Harvey Johnson, and Baldwin Reichwein. The first issue of this iteration of the Advocate (Vol. 1, No. 1) is dated Spring 1976, and was the first of three issues published that year. The Advocate has published continuously since then, for 46 years.
Advocate Appreciation Herbert Allard of Calgary was kind enough to call ACSW to offer his appreciation for the latest issue of the Advocate. Allard, now 95, was a youth and family court judge as well as a social worker, and says he was the only social worker judge in Canada at the time of his retirement. About the Advocate, he said “I couldn’t put it down; I read it cover to cover. It makes you feel differently about all sorts of issues.” He closed by saying that although he was in ill health and unable to volunteer, he could at least talk: “I was born talking!” The Advocate offers Mr. Allard sincere thanks and a wish for better health in the days ahead.
Winter 1999 Advocate
CHARITY LUI is the Membership Activities Team Lead. You can contact her at MemberActivitiesLead@acsw.ab.ca regarding submissions for the Advocate.
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IN THE NEWS
Welcome to New RSWs & RCSWs 8,820
TOTAL MEMBERSHIP AS OF APRIL 13, 2021 Miriam Dewar
Regimol Joseph
Halima Ahmed
Mary Cris Ranara Dinopol
Neha Kalia
Yasmin Akhtar
Chelsea Doran
Olufemi Emmanuel Aladeyelu
Amy Easterbrook Easterbrook
Shania Jacqueline Kelly
Amanda-Lee Irene Alook
Nicole Leanne Eastly
Anna Amrom
Andrew Enavworhe
Deanne Portillano Arada
Leah Eppen
Prosper Arku
Vanessa Dedray Evans
Raissa Asongalem
Julie Anna Fagan
Baylee Veronica Bast
Julie Fagnan
Sebastian Benavides
Amanda Erin Fontaine
Katherine Irene Jessica Bender
Cayley Foster
Ifeyinwa Blessing Agunbiade
Leta Dalu Biru Erwin Scott Bolanos Lauren Elizabeth Boulanger Irma Jessica Abigail Brauner
Meagan Nichole Mae Gaalaas Courtney Gee Danielle Gemmell Sharon Anne Gillespie Madisyn Elise Gogowich
Maddison Kelly J BrownAtwell
Kathryn Anna Green
Jennifer Nicole Burback
Janice Longdahon Gullon
Ifeoma Joy Callistus-Orji Chalace Marie Campbell Simone Cattoni
Christina Guilherme
Taitan Hagglund Mariam Hajar
Sarah Chaudhary
Tracy Hart
Courtney Clark
Brittany Heinen
Kennedy Taylor Cole
Cassaundra Henske
Annette Pearl Collins
Eun A Heo
Deborah Kim Cook
Ciara Brielle Ann Herrod
Meghan Yvonne Costello
Lindsey Rachel High
Shannon Cox
Brittany Houk
Kelly Lynn Cummins
Samantha Hung
Jenna Nicole Davis
McKailyn Ives
Lauren Ruth Deane
Madisen James
Heidi Marie DeBusschere
Sophia James
Stacey Carmen Deeg
Kathrynann Canaday James-Loth
Sosina Alemayehu Degefu
Kristina Lynn JohnsonAdams
Kirstin Kapach Rahwa Kibrom Mackenzie Brooke Kipta
Sara Margaret Ann Neilson Fanny Ngumazue Che April Eileen North Sharon Nkohntan Nukuna
Tiffany Terry Inna Terry Emily Isabelle Noel Tetrault Rita Thakuri
Azmeena Nurddin
Damilola Toyin-Adeyemi
Magalie Knopf
Chinonyerem Nnenna Nwachukwu
Samantha Jane Tully
Sharmake Said Korane
Vivian Kudzayi Nyika
Godrey Onyinye Umeh
Kathryn Anne Kruisselbrink
Laure Odemilin
Josiane Usabwase
Alexis Knight
James Albert Vickers
Alana Helen Lamalice
Olubukola Abisola Ogunfowora
Nneka Maureen Larry
Samuel Hau Piera
Colin James Vincent
Madison Breanne Lawlor
Marren Joyce Pluchinski
Erin Allen Watson
Brittany Joanne LeBlanc
Hilary-Anne Sunny Poloz
Bryn Morgan Webster
Marilyn Esther Joy Lee
Deepa Pullanikuzhiyil Kuriakose
Kesete Werede Weldegebriel
Mei Le Li Meagan Marie Luif Kathleen Mackey
Grace Dakoykoy Rigodon
Paul Vincent
Jayden Delainey Wickman
Carolina Malloy
Andrea Meghan Rosenberger-Deleeuw
Courtney Rose Manhas
Aerissa Roy-Dupuis
Teresa Lorraine Wolf
Derek Lloyd Martens
Fayiesha Morey Ryan
Brittany Wyatt
Joy Anurika Martin
Carmen Patricia Sadoway
Destani Martinuzzi Scott Wayne Mastel Lesley McCoy Kathleen Michele McDougall Alisha Pearl McKay Stacey McMurrer Monique Celine Methot Garett Miller Jeanette Rae Millington Halimo A Mohamud Tanya Mondragon Carolina Moreno
Hanna Wilson
Linda Sakyi-Akomeah Sophie Elizabeth Samborn Nicole Danielle Scavarelli Sylvia Stephanie Schmidt-Squires Tracey Delaina Schmitz Bincy Sebastian Jennifer Smith Morgan Snape Hannan Sobh Bobbi-Jo Marie Stott
276 TOTAL REGISTERED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKERS AS OF MARCH 31, 2020 Lisa Palmer Wanda Swan
Kaylee Strachan
Heidi Watson Shannon Kane
Jeanna Muir
Taylor Elizabeth Sweeney
Alix McLaughlin
Patience BIH Neba
Chloe Rae Szakacs
Zara Lyttle
Samantha Neil
Teenu Tellence
Shannon Kane
Nozipho Hezel Moyo
THE ADVOCATE
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THE BIG PICTURE
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT HOPE, CONFIDENCE, AND A PLAN. 2021 is a year of transition for the social work profession in Alberta. As the new ACSW president, I am inviting your collaboration to navigate through this year of transition together with hope, confidence, and a plan. SIU MING KWOK is the President of the ACSW Council. He is a full professor and Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs) of the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary. You can contact Siu Ming at president@acsw.ab.ca.
This is a year of transition for ACSW’s governance model. Because of legislated changes introduced in June 2020 by Bill 30: the Health Statutes Amendment Act (2020), ACSW Council is required to increase public member representation from 25 to 50 percent on our Council, Hearing Tribunals and Complaint Review Committees effective April 1, 2021. This increase ushers in a new era from a self-regulated to a co-regulated model of our profession. The equal number of elected members and appointed public members on Council is new to ACSW and requires efforts on both sides to explore a co-governance model for the protection of the public. This is a year of transition for ACSW to revisit its identity. ACSW has a long history of combined regulatory and association functions for the social work profession. Nonetheless, the passage of Bill 46: the Health Statues Amendment Act (2020) last December has not only altered the nature, but also the identity of ACSW. We are required to submit a plan to the Minister for the divestment of our professional association functions in June 2021 and complete the plan by summer 2022. Afterwards, the College will be focused mainly on regulatory functions, such as registration of social workers, competency development as it relates to the Standards of Practice, and disciplinary hearings. This is a year of transition for ACSW in response to racism and embracing diversity in our regulatory functions. In addition to ACSW’s commitment to champion key calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, it is a good time to review our registration process and Standards of Practice in response to the Black Lives Matter movement and the anti-Asian racism exacerbated by the pandemic. My plan for the next year is to ask you to work with ACSW to explore how to operationalize the co-governance model for our Council, to get involved in the new social work association in the wake of the divestment plan completed by ACSW, and to engage in conversations around making our regulatory practices, including registration, complaints and discipline, competence program, and Standards of Practice align with an anti-oppressive and de-colonizing lens. You can write for the Advocate magazine, run for ACSW Council in 2022, join the regulatory committees of the College, contribute to establishing the future social workers association and so on. Engagement with and from members is imperative for an outstanding regulatory college. Lastly, I am a first-generation immigrant from Hong Kong and have social work practice and teaching experiences in child protection, criminal justice and addictions counselling in British Columbia, Ontario, and Alberta over two decades. I came from a thousand miles away to serve and treasure each encounter. I am confident we are working toward the same goal: to make ACSW more solid, strong, and diverse when we emerge from the transitional year of 2021/2022. Siu Ming Kwok, PhD, RSW
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THE BIG PICTURE
A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & REGISTRAR IN 2021, SOCIAL WORKERS are celebrating the 60th year of social work associations in Alberta. Social work in Alberta has a rich history and deep connection to a professional community grounded in core social work values and principles: respect for the inherent dignity and worth of persons, social justice, service to humanity, integrity, confidentiality, and competence in professional practice (CASW Code of Ethics, 2005). Throughout its history, the association’s purpose has been to uphold the protection of the public through ethical and competent professional practice. A New Chapter in Our History
JODY-LEE FARRAH is the Executive Director (Acting) and the Associate Director, Professional Practice & Advocacy, of the ACSW. SUZANNE MACKINNON is the Registrar (Acting) and the Associate Registrar of the ACSW. They can be reached at AssocDirector@acsw.ab.ca, and AssociateRegistrar@acsw.ab.ca.
In December 2020, the Alberta Government passed Bill 46, which implemented a series of amendments to the Health Professions Act (HPA), which will impact the current role of ACSW as both the regulatory college and professional association for social work. These amendments included the requirement for regulatory colleges to cease and divest professional association functions and activities. This means a separation of the professional association from the regulatory college. Over the next year, ACSW will take steps to divest itself of the professional association and discontinue activities and functions such as non-regulated association memberships for retired members and students, publication of the Advocate magazine, member interest groups and committees, regional Area Coordinators, annual events like the conference, social work celebrations, and ACSW awards such the student bursary program and the Honouring Our Own award program. As we undertake these changes, this will be a journey we take together. Building a New Professional Social Work Association In February 2021, the ACSW Council approved a plan for ACSW to support the establishment of a new and separate professional social work association. This includes financial support for a new association to become established as a legal entity and assistance in transitioning important social policy partnerships like the CASW and the TD Insurance Affinity Program. The next steps in building a new professional social work association are to establish a governance structure and form a board of directors. A steering committee, separate from the ACSW Council, will oversee this work. This will allow ACSW to remain at arm’s length from the formation of a new association while focusing on the regulatory mandate. Once the inaugural board is in place, work will begin to establish the new association as a legal entity and organization. The inaugural board of directors will have the job of connecting with members, becoming operational and building partnerships to strengthen and promote the profession. As members of the social work profession, we each have a part to play in the next chapter of our profession’s history. All current and future ACSW members are encouraged to champion the new association by participating in the building of a sustainable and strong professional social work association in Alberta for years to come. THE ADVOCATE
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ETHICS IN ACTION
When the Complaints Director Comes Calling BY BRUCE LLEWELLYN, MSW, RSW
THE ACSW HAS BEEN involved in the complaints process since 1996. It is still shrouded in mystery for most social workers. I would encourage all social workers to take time to review Part IV of the Health Professions Act (HPA). The HPA leaves an open door for any member of the public to file a complaint. Social workers involved in high conflict circumstances are more likely to be the subject of a complaint than low/no conflict practice settings. Inevitably, when there are a number of stressors on the social workers and/or clients, the likelihood of a complaint goes up. When a complaint is received by the ACSW, the Complaints Director is required to act on the complaint within 30 days. Section 55(1) of the HPA provides that the Complaints Director may do any of the following upon receiving a complaint: resolve the complaint with the consent of the parties; request an expert to assess and provide a written report; appoint an investigator to conduct an investigation; or dismiss the complaint if satisfied that the complaint is trivial, vexatious, or if there is insufficient or no evidence of unprofessional conduct. When the Complaints Director calls a registrant to inform them that a 10
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complaint has been received, a few social workers state they “have been expecting” the call. However, many social workers have the experience of being “caught off guard”. Being informed you are the subject of a complaint can give rise to a range of responses, including feelings of guilt and shame, defensiveness, being offended and even resentfulness.
The complaints and discipline process is an opportunity for professional social workers to account for their conduct Don’t panic! There is no presumption of fault; you are not assumed to be a bad social worker. The complaints and discipline process is an opportunity for professional social workers to account for their conduct. In fact, it is the only thing that differentiates us from unregulated people working in the field of human services—we are accountable! What’s more, if a social worker is feeling isolated in the complaints process,
support is available from other social workers who have been through the complaints process. Just ask! In 2020, the ACSW received 134 complaints. A disproportional number of complaints are received involving social workers who work for Child and Family Services and in private practice. Of those complaints, 68 (or 51 percent) were dismissed after initial review as not having grounds of unprofessional practice. Of the 134 complaints, a decision was made to appoint an investigator in 40 of them (30 percent). There are two primary reasons for appointing an investigator: first, the allegations are serious and, if substantiated, could be referred to a hearing. The second and most common reason for an investigation is to gather missing information and specifically to hear from the social worker. Appointing an investigator ensures the Complaints Director avoids a perceived conflict of interest in the process. The Complaints and Discipline process is grounded in principles of natural justice, including fairness and transparency, and the social worker who is the subject of the complaint is provided with a copy of the complaint to be able to respond to the allegations. Following an investigation, the Complaints Director must make another decision. If there is insufficient evidence of unprofessional conduct, the Complaints Director must dismiss the allegations. For conduct to be referred to a disciplinary hearing, the conduct must have fallen below the threshold expected of a professional social worker, it must be conduct considered to be worthy of sanction,
and accountability for the conduct is necessary to uphold the integrity of the profession. Of particular concern are complaints involving repeated incidents/ allegations of unprofessional conduct. Substantiated patterns of unprofessional conduct need to be addressed to prevent future occurrences, and these types of complaints will often be referred to a hearing.
The Complaints and Discipline process is grounded in principles of natural justice, including fairness and transparency, and the social worker who is the subject of the complaint is provided with a copy of the complaint to be able to respond to the allegations
In cases where the complainant disagrees with a decision to dismiss a complaint, the complainant may request a review of the decision by submitting a written request to the Hearings Director within 30 days of being notified of the decision. The review is then conducted by a Complaint Review Committee (CRC). A CRC is comprised of at least fifty percent public members (who are appointed by the Government of Alberta). The other members appointed to the CRC are registered social workers (appointed to the Discipline Committee by the ACSW Council). A CRC may uphold the decision of the Complaints Director, require the Complaints Director to conduct an investigation or refer the matter to a hearing. If you have concerns you would like to discuss, feel free to contact the ACSW. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
BRUCE LLEWELLYN is a Manager, Regulatory Practice / Complaints Director with the Alberta College of Social Workers. THE ADVOCATE
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SOCIAL JUSTICE WORKS
Farmers Protest in India BY DILPREET SIDHU, BSW, RSW
Photo from the farmer’s protest in India
“WHY AREN’T WE TALKING about this?!” American popstar Rihanna tweeted on Feb 2nd and shared a CNN news article highlighting the internet blockade placed on farmers’ protest sites in India. Her one tweet brought international attention to one of the world’s largest protests going on in India. Farmers in India are 12
SUMMER 2021
protesting by living on the highways leading to the capital city, New Delhi. For more than 6 months, they have been protesting against three farm laws recently enacted by the Indian government. Even this scary time of pandemic is not stopping farmers from protesting because they believe that protecting their land for future
generations is more important than the risk to their lives. I, being a farmer’s granddaughter and originally from the state of Punjab, can relate to their sufferings. The majority of protesting farmers are from the Sikh community and primarily from Punjab, one of largest grain producers in India. For Sikhs, farming is not only a profession but has religious and cultural significance. The first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak, did farming towards the end of his life five hundred years ago and promoted farming as a noble profession. Since then, Sikhs proudly produce maximum yields to feed the majority of the Indian population. When farmers realized that the new laws are a threat to their centuries-old livelihood and traditions, retaliation was obvious. Being from a farmer’s family and knowing about the importance of farming in our community, I can relate to their emotions and felt the need to show my solidarity with them. A recent keynote on solidarity presented by Vikki Reynolds at the ACSW conference further encouraged me to bring people’s attention towards the issue. As a social worker, I felt that there are many aspects of this movement that coincide with social work values and need to be highlighted. According to the ACSW core social work value of social justice, “Social workers promote social fairness and the equitable distribution of resources”. Farmers are fighting on similar lines of social justice. They are fighting against the Essential Commodity (Amendment) Act (one of the three laws) which will allow big corporations to store as much
essential food items as they want with negligible government regulation. Farmers fear that this law will make food resources inaccessible for the poor because corporations will buy cheap grains from farmers and sell them at higher prices when prices increase to maximize profit. One of the social work principles in the CASW Code of Ethics also highlights that “Social workers promote social development and environmental management in the interests of all people”. Farmers are also fighting in accordance with this principle, against contract farming and privatization of grain markets.
Social workers promote social development and environmental management in the interests of all people Farmers fear that privatization of grain markets will finish governmentrun markets which in turn will also end tax money which has been used for development of villages. Another aspect of the farmers’ protest that fascinated me as a social worker is how communities developed at these protest sites, which are national highways. Social work considers three level of practice: micro, mezzo and macro. When I analyzed this farmers’ protest, I found that they are working on all three levels to raise awareness and organize the protest. On micro and mezzo levels, farmers have organized free community kitchens to feed not only thousands
of protesters everyday, but also locals. They are collecting money from each household in their village for food, shelter and transportation. They have made toilets from recycling materials like cardboards and tin sheets, constructed mini emergency hospitals and clinics, a school and libraries for low-income children and protestors. They are also building mini gardens on the roadsides for protestors to enjoy in coming summer months. On a macro level, they are publishing their own newspaper (Trolley Times), running a YouTube channel, Facebook page and Twitter account (Tractor2Twitter) to bring awareness. We know that empowerment is central to social work. Farmers working in different sectors is an example of how people can be self-sustaining and resilient when empowered. Farmer associations empowered and encouraged farmers to take care of themselves and of others participating in the protest. Despite human rights violations by the Indian government, like arresting journalists, activists, cutting internet and water supply, these farmers show resilience, courage and solidarity to keep the protest going for almost four months now. Many international leaders and human rights activists like Greta Thunberg reacted by raising their voices against these human rights violations. I am gratified to notice that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the first international leader to recognize this issue. Other Canadian leaders like Jagmeet Singh and the public in general stood in solidarity with the protesting farmers in India. I am proud to be in a country which stands in solidarity against injustice
anywhere in the world. Lastly, I cannot resist to talk about the role of women in this protest. Time magazine published a cover picture and an article on how women are contributing to the protest by not only cooking and feeding farmers, but also by participating at all levels of the protest including collecting funds, mobilizing people and attending rallies in large numbers. In the end, I want to conclude by quoting Micah White who rightly said in one of his articles in the Globe and Mail, “Power needs protest because many of the problems we face – climate change, in particular – are existential, not political and are unsolvable without a large-scale global mobilization.” Farmers in India are protesting not only for their rights but also for social justice and equality in accordance with the core values of social work. They are working in accordance with empowerment theory by involving all sectors of society, especially women, and are developing new communities at protest sites that are self-sustaining. I believe as a community of social workers, we can make ourselves aware of international social issues like this farmers’ struggle, try to make others aware and stand in solidarity with these farmers fighting for social justice.
DILPREET SIDHU is a social worker currently working at Misericordia Hospital, who emigrated from Punjab, India in 2009 and completed her BSW from the University of Calgary.
THE ADVOCATE
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INDIGENOUS VOICES
Mental Health Wise Practices BY AMANDA BALSILLIE, MSW, RSW
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE of Canada impacted Indigenous people. As social workers, taking the time to (inclusive of First Nations, Inuit, and learn Indigenous ways of knowing Métis people) have their own skill set and knowledge passed down through and protocol can speak volumes of unspoken words with the Indigenous generations. The rich culture and people we work with. traditions that Indigenous people were proud of were Practicing social quickly disrupted work with by colonization. Indigenous people The pivotal point is is a journey of that colonization Practicing social work healing and hope. unfortunately Westernized views, with Indigenous people structure, and shifted how Indigenous is a journey of healing the fast pace of people lived and life is an obstacle and hope traumatically to building solid impacted a whole roots in working nation. In the realm of social work, it with Indigenous people and their is imperative that we know and learn communities. “Primary and mental about the cultures that surround health services have generally not us. Practicing social work with been adapted to serve the needs Indigenous people is a modality that of Indigenous patients, which is takes time and patience. reflected in relatively low rates of The mental health of Indigenous people and their communities is an area that needs attention across Canada. Statistics have shown over and over that rates of suicide, posttraumatic stress, addictions, and depression are leading causes of mental health issues in Indigenous people in Canada. Even though these statistics highlight the mental health issues impacting Indigenous people and their communities, there is much social fluidity of how intergenerational trauma has 14
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utilization. Identified reasons for this reluctance to access mainstream health care include racism, ‘being treated as second class citizens’ and lack of Indigenous staff and cultural practices.” (Tu, Hadjipavlou, Dehoney, Elder Price, Dusdal, Browne & Varcoe, 2019, p.276). As social workers and agents of change, we need to sculpt a holistic change to how we deliver services, to bring a sense of personal growth for Indigenous people, social workers, and our communities.
HONOUR ING SACR ED R ELATIONSHIPS
WISE PRACTICES IN INDIGENOUS SOCIAL WORK The Indigenous Social Work Committee is pleased to share a practice resource with social workers to help guide your work with Indigenous people and communities. This resource is a beginning place – to remind you of something you already know or an invitation to learn more. Seven key themes are offered with the understanding that this general information invites further discovery and dialogue through local relationships between social workers and the Indigenous people in their community – whether that community is a geographic location or a circle of professional allies. You can find it on the ACSW website under About Us, Indigenous Social Work Committee.
References are available by emailing MemberActivitiesLead@acsw.ab.ca.
Originally from Yellowknife, NT, AMANDA BALSILLIE now resides in the Peace Country with her fiancé and three children. A proud member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Amanda’s social work career is about helping others and creating an opportunity to learn about Indigenous history, intergenerational trauma and the hopes of healing through reconciliation. Amanda is also a member of the ACSW Indigenous Social Work Committee.
COVER STORY
COVID AND ADDICTIONS IN RURAL ALBERTA BY KRISTIN BAKER
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS BEEN WITH US FOR WELL OVER A YEAR NOW. IT HAS BEEN A TIME IN WHICH ALBERTANS HAVE FACED A RANGE OF UNCERTAINTIES AND CHALLENGES. ALONG WITH THE WORRY OF CONTRACTING THE VIRUS CAME OTHER CONCERNS, SUCH AS SERVICE DISRUPTIONS AND DECREASED TIME WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY. MANY FACED SIGNIFICANT LOSSES SUCH AS THAT OF A JOB, A BUSINESS, OR A LOVED ONE.
Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), loneliness, and reduced access to services. “I think it was the isolation and the fact that there weren’t as many agencies available to support them and check in on them as there would have been normally,” she says. COVID-19 also complicated the implementation of treatment plans for clients. Even something as simple as transporting a client to a recovery centre became impossible, especially to a facility located far from the Cold Lake area.
FOR THOSE WHO WERE ALREADY LIVING with mental health or substance use disorders, the pandemic only increased difficulties. This is especially so for people living in the province’s rural areas, where COVID-19 heightened isolation and amplified an existing shortage of supports.
Diane Gillan
“Finding access to treatment that could be successful for those individuals has been quite a challenge,” says Diane Gillan, RSW. “It always was a challenge but COVID has made it bigger.”
Gillan recently worked as a post diagnostic outreach worker at Lakeland Centre for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Cold Lake (she left the position at the end of 2020). In the first 10 months of the pandemic, she saw a marked upswing in substance use amongst clients as well as in other community members. She believes several factors may have played a part in people’s increased use, such as the extra funds available through the Canada
“The pandemic has added another layer of challenge. In the past you could set up those connections so that when the bus arrives, someone will pick you up [to take you directly to a designated recovery facility]. Without the ability to make those connections now, it’s pretty tricky.” Some facilities near Cold Lake have strict detox requirements or medication rules; this makes it difficult for a number of clients to obtain a treatment bed in the area. Gillan used to be able to refer some of those clients to a Saskatchewan-based rehabilitation centre, but during the pandemic, health regulations restricted out-of-province patients. Since there is often a sense of urgency from clients when they decide to access treatment, these extra obstacles affected some clients’ ability to pursue help. “We tried really hard to constantly think outside of the box and come up with ways that would allow a client to get access to services. But sometimes all you can do is a regular check-in, so they know you’re available if something goes sideways.” Gillan is also on the board of the John Howard Society in Cold Lake. In early 2021, they were able to open a new men’s shelter and hire a part-time outreach worker. “That THE ADVOCATE
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“When people with addictions are forced to be at home alone or in unhealthy, toxic situations 24 hours a day with nowhere else to go, that compounds and exacerbates the situations
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has helped for people on the street that have nobody and nowhere to go. It helps those that are falling through the cracks with access to services in the system and setting up appointments.”
The staff and social workers adapted in ways that amazed Kuypers. They increased outdoor programming, created smaller groups to allow for distancing, and invited community agencies to make online
presentations to the residents. Emmy Kuypers, MSW, RSW, is the clinical director at Thorpe Recovery “I’ve seen a resilience and a way of accepting that’s Centre, a detox and residential extraordinary. There’s also compassion for clients – about treatment program in Lloydminster. how hard this must be for them as well.” She also saw Kuypers says that for people with an increase in Emmy Kuypers addictions, connections to services substance use and such as counsellors and support relapse amongst clients, especially after the first wave of COVID-19 I’ve seen a resilience and groups are important to ongoing recovery; these need to be set up when people were unable to leave a way of accepting that’s before a client leaves the facility. This their homes. extraordinary has changed now given the altered “Clients identified the time when service landscape. things first got shut down as the point where they stopped going out and stopped seeing “We’ve partnered with a lot of agencies to provide even their support groups,” she says. “The idea of attending more programming than before, but it’s just a different them online wasn’t set up yet, and by the time it was, format,” she says. “We’re getting clients on board with they’d already started isolating again, which is a big red access to services looking different and showing them that flag for relapse.” the digital version or a phone call is still a bonus.” She says that quarantine, sometimes paired with the stress of job loss, created a negative situation for many clients. Going to work (or their partner leaving the home to go to work) might once have provided a regular reprieve from substance use. That break was now missing. “When people with addictions are forced to be at home alone or in unhealthy, toxic situations 24 hours a day with nowhere else to go, that kind of compounds and exacerbates the situations,” she says. Reduced access to doctors or the cancellation of counselling appointments also intensified the issues. Added to that was the temporary closure of most of Lloydminster’s non-government funded social services. “A lot of recovery supports are built around connections and attending groups, and all of a sudden, the world shut down,” she says. “The majority of my clients who came in during that period said the isolation of COVID-19 and being alone, not going to meetings, that was a big push for relapse.” The pandemic also created challenges for Thorpe Recovery Centre staff. In early 2020, the facility expanded from 24 beds to 72 beds. Pandemic health orders required them to quickly re-evaluate the design and delivery of programming while ensuring the needs of residents were still met.
Kanakii Mekaisto, MEd, BSW, RSW, is a teacher and knowledge keeper in Siksika Nation. She says the pandemic has had a huge impact on Siksika residents already living with Kanakii Mekaisto
mental health issues and substance
dependencies. It has also contributed to social disorder and more people trying drugs. “Because of COVID-19, there is a really high rate of addiction and suicide. Our people, because they have nothing to do, they try [meth] once, then they get hooked,” she says. “And also due to mental health issues, we have high rates of criminal activity.” Siksika Nation is located 126 kilometres east of Calgary. An existing lack of services in the area combined with pandemic closures and restrictions has led to isolation and a shortage of things to do. On top of this, many of the community’s traditional ceremonies have been modified or cancelled. This affects the healing that in-person connection and support can provide. “Kids and young people don’t have anywhere to go and people can’t even get a ride anymore because of COVID19,” she explains. “A huge part of this is kids in care; they can’t even visit their family because of COVID-19’s effects.” THE ADVOCATE
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Mekaisto says that for Siksika residents to begin healing from pre- and post- pandemic issues, there needs to be an investment in educating Siksika people – especially its youth – in the traditional ways. “Our real traditional knowledge people have empathy and are the ones that are helping people and connecting with people. If they had more of that, people would feel more safe asking for help.” She explains that outsiders are often brought in to aid the Siksika community. It should instead be Siksika elders and knowledge keepers who provide this help to residents – and they should be compensated for their teachings. “They don’t get any support, but they’re the ones who should be getting paid the most. They already have relationships with people, people know them and that they live a life of care and compassion,” she says. “People can go to them and feel good and safe. If they had more of that, they’d be able to flourish.” Mekaisto notes that due to past experiences and trauma, many people in Siksika feel ashamed to admit they have a problem or to ask for help. Even if they do reach out, limited access to substance dependency and mental health assistance is an ongoing frustration for residents. Though the community has an addictions support group, generally people must go off reserve to obtain services.
Our real traditional knowledge people have empathy and are the ones that are helping people and connecting with people
“The mental health workers come and go, and people don’t want to go see them because they think they could be gone tomorrow. They don’t help our people with learning traditional knowledge and the therapy and healing that comes from our ways.”
Mekaisto cites several factors that have contributed to – and continue to affect – Siksika peoples’ ongoing mental health and dependencies. These include intergenerational trauma resulting from residential schools; racism; past and present governmental decisions; regulation issues; authority figures’ unwillingness to understand underlying causes; and inadequate traditional teachings. The pandemic has only added more issues to those already faced by the community. 18
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COVID-19 has obviously presented additional challenges to those already facing addiction and mental health issues in Alberta’s less-populated areas. But there’s hope for the postCOVID-19 world. “I always try to have hope,” says Gillan. “But I think it’s going to take a bigger effort to give access to services to those who can’t advocate for themselves very well.”
Kuypers is optimistic that because Albertans didn’t see each other in person very much during the pandemic, they’ll recognize how important that is going forward. “I’m hoping that once things are different, that because of the way we’ve been living for so long, people will really embrace connections and supports.”
KRISTIN BAKER is a communications consultant based in Edmonton. She’s active in her community and often can be found reading or running.
1961 - 2021 60 YEARS OF SOCIAL WORK ASSOCIATIONS IN ALBERTA
GROWING SOCIAL WORK AC S W 6 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y S E R I E S • PA R T T W O • BY S H AW N A D I R K S O N
THE 1990s AND EARLY 2000s brought exciting changes to the social work profession in Alberta. This was a decade when the profession of social work realized their longtime goal of mandatory registration, a major achievement that many people had worked for over many years. This accomplishment brought greater recognition and more credibility to the profession as a whole.
“It was a good Act as far as it went because it was clear on the authority Council had, who was able to join [the association], et cetera. Given the circumstances at the time, and except for [not including] mandatory registration, it was a reasonably good piece of legislation.”
This was a time when legislation around Alberta’s health care professions was evolving. While this ultimately meant opportunity for the social work profession, the path forward wasn’t always clear, and certainly wasn’t straight.
The fact that the Social Work Profession Act, as it was in 1995, still didn’t require social workers in Alberta to be registered, though, meant that lobbying and advocating for mandatory registration would need to continue.
Part two of the Advocate’s 60th anniversary series explores this important decade in the profession and how it affected the Alberta Association of Social Workers (AASW), as it grew into the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW). This is the story of what becoming a regulatory body looked like for social workers in Alberta from 1991 to 2001. The Social Work Profession Act is Proclaimed The Social Work Profession Act was an important milestone—it meant that social work would be better recognized as a profession in Alberta, alongside other health professions, and the AASW would become the Alberta Association Jake Kuiken of Registered Social Workers (AARSW), controlling the title of “registered social worker”. The Social Work Profession Act was passed in 1991; however, it wasn’t proclaimed until 1995. Jake Kuiken, PhD (retired social worker), who was ACSW president from 1995 to 2003, says that, overall, the Social Work Profession Act was a positive thing for social workers in Alberta.
The Act also required the hiring of a separate registrar, a position first filled by Karen Blakely, MSW, RSW.
The Health Professions Act Margot Herbert, MSW (retired social worker), past president of AASW (1991 to 1995), recalls that some pretty momentous things happened within AASW during her years as president of the association, including the Margot Herbert provincial government introducing new legislation that would consolidate all of Alberta’s health professions under one act. “I remember in about 1995, I was hearing lots of muttering about something called the Health Professions Act (HPA). I was concerned that social work might not fare very well if it was swallowed up by this broad-based piece of legislation.” Herbert and other social workers were concerned that their professional identity could be lost, diminished by being under the umbrella of health legislation. However, as more information about the Health Professions Act came to light, it turned out that the social work profession was not included in it. More social workers THE ADVOCATE
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1961 - 2021 60 YEARS OF SOCIAL WORK ASSOCIATIONS IN ALBERTA
began to see that if their profession was not included in the Act, it could be a major problem. Social work’s inclusion alongside groups like psychologists, registered nurses and doctors (some of 29 professions now included in the HPA) might mean stronger recognition for the profession.
In the association’s final preparations for social work to be officially proclaimed under the Health Professions Act, AARSW became the That moved us from Alberta College of Social Workers. having one of the weakest This meant setting up new regulatory college functions in areas such as registrations in North registration, continuing competency, America, I think, to one of and the clinical registry. A person to Richard Shelson, the strongest specifically manage complaints and MSW, RCSW, who discipline became necessary, and served on the ACSW Alison MacDonald, PhD, was hired under the working title Council for many years, explains, “In of associate registrar. a nutshell, once the new Social Work Richard Shelson “We had to figure out how to be a Profession Act was passed in 1991, the professional regulatory body,” says Rod government began to introduce [new Adachi, MSW, the executive director legislation] that included all the health professions. I got of ACSW from 1995 to 2011. “We a copy of that from my local MLA and social work was not had to develop our own set of social included on the list to be part of this new legislation.” work-specific regulations, outline the Rod Adachi Including Social Work in the HPA registration process, receive complaints By the summer of 1995, the Council presidency was and manage discipline processes. It was often challenging changing hands from Herbert to Kuiken. to know what directions to take, not knowing what the future held.” Kuiken recalls that Herbert had introduced a motion to get a stand-alone act or to get social work into the Health Professions Act. “That became the most important motion in the eight years that I was president because it basically said, ‘We are going to get mandatory registration. We are going to do this and we are going to be successful.’ And we were.” A lot of work went into getting social work included in the Health Professions Act, which included frequent meetings between social workers and others who were helping move this mandate forward, and consistently lobbying various MLAs and cabinet ministers. Becoming a Regulatory Body Finally, decades of hard work and dedication paid off. The Health Professions Act came into force for the social work profession in 2003, and along with it came mandatory registration. “If you were doing work within the social work practice [and had social work credentials] or if you were supervising someone else who was doing work in the social work practice, you had to be a member of ACSW,” explains Shelson. “So, that moved us from having one of the weakest registrations in North America, I think, to one of the strongest.” 20
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A New Registration Process Elaine Paras, MSW, was the professional affairs coordinator at ACSW from 1998 to 2006. “I think the change to being a regulatory college really provided a focus, Elaine Paras amalgamated all the areas of practice and strengthened the profession in very real and tangible ways.” Although social workers had been championing mandatory registration and recognition as a profession for several years, once these efforts were realized, things changed rapidly. Paras remembers, “Things just went crazy in terms of all the issues that had to be dealt with and the exponential growth of the membership because there was mandatory registration. It was quite a dramatic shift!” At the time, Paras was one of three professional staff members within ACSW. Together, in addition to their regular responsibilities, the team processed well over 2,000 submissions the year after mandatory registration came into effect.
But, to Paras, all the extra effort was worth it. “I think [mandatory registration] did a lot in terms of getting social workers to really understand that registration meant accountability and also pride, and that they had the right to be promoting the profession.”
SHAR ING MEMOR IES
FUN FACTS ABOUT ACSW Registration Coordinator Brenda Gross has been with the Alberta College of Social Workers for over 28 years! She shared some memories from her years in the office.
Accountability through Complaints and Discipline Adachi explains that the disciplinary process— receiving and investigating complaints and conducting disciplinary hearings—previously applied only to social workers who voluntarily chose to register. “Becoming a regulatory body meant the disciplinary process had to be strengthened. The HPA provided broad parameters, but we had to fine tune what that meant for social work,” he says. Debra Best, MSW, RCSW, who joined ACSW Council in the mid-1990s, was a complaints investigator and the Discipline Hearings Chair during this period. The Council acted as the Hearings Tribunal until the Debra Best association became a regulatory college, when managing discipline passed to the Hearings Committee volunteers. “The Hearings Committee volunteers were immediately responsible for hearing any complaints about social workers, so we were completely under-prepared. We were a group of people who suddenly became responsible for hearing cases that were of concern. The gift, however, was that there were very few complaints in those early days.” Best also notes that they had to essentially create this new disciplinary function from scratch. “When we were first starting to hear complaints, I don’t have any recollection of us drawing upon other professions for direction. Who we really depended on was the association’s lawyer; he provided his expertise on professional regulation from other bodies. He gently led us to a common understanding of the things that would be required to do a self-regulated professional hearing.” The addition of continuing competence requirements was also new. It required every member to show evidence that they were participating in professional education. “It was quite the process,” Adachi remembers. He recalls that ACSW responded to that need by offering well-attended conferences that could
• When she started as a part-time employee in Membership Services in 1993, there were 1,200 members. Today’s total membership is 8,298. Brenda Gross
• In 1993 there were two employees―Gross and one fulltime staff member. Today there are 20. • The ACSW office has moved once in Gross’ time (from 106 Street to 100 Avenue in downtown Edmonton), but Gross has heard that the ACSW office was initially a room in a hotel with files stored in the bathtub! • Gross says the most impactful change in ACSW during her time with the organization was the declaration of the Health Professions Act. “All exemptions ended, the provisional registry was introduced and the basis for the Alberta College of Social Workers as we see today was created.”
often fulfill competency requirements easily and affordably. The End of an Era Not only did the 1990s and early 2000s finally bring mandatory registration to social workers in Alberta, these years also mark the transformation from a social work association to a regulatory college. This was the beginning of a new phase for Alberta’s social workers, as they turned their efforts to helping the Alberta College of Social Workers develop robust regulatory functions.
SHAWNA DIRKSEN is a freelance writer based in Alberta. She loves skiing in the winter and running outdoors in the summer, and when she’s not doing that, she’s probably writing something about being minimal-ish for her blog . THE ADVOCATE
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VOICES OF PRIVATE PRACTICE
Become a Social Work Entrepreneur BY KAYLA DAS, MSW, RSW
MANY SOCIAL WORKERS dream to one day own their own private practice and finally achieve autonomy, freedom, and flexibility in their careers. As social workers, we often believe that there are only two routes in our social work career: working for others as an employee or owning a one-to-one private counselling practice. What if I told you there are other ways to be a social work entrepreneur? I know this may sound unbelievable, but stay with me here, I’ll tell you how. Many social workers fear making the leap into owning and operating their own business as they fear they won’t have consistent and sustainable income as one-to-one clients come and go. I am a big proponent of adding multiple income streams to your private practice and business to prevent inconsistency in your earnings and the worry that goes with that. As many private practitioners know, there are times throughout the year when the demand for one-to-one counselling is lower. Due to this trend, private practitioners often try to increase their caseload during the busier months, which often leads to burnout. When private practitioners provide one-to-one services, revenue is tied to hours spent with clients. By adding other income streams into your private practice and business, you can help 22
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more people, increase your income potential and prevent burnout. How can you do this, you ask? Okay, let’s go there. Below are seven strategies to build your private practice beyond one-to-one counselling: 1. Group counselling: If you provide one-to-one counselling, you can also provide group counselling. Group counselling provides the opportunity to help more people at a decreased rate to make more revenue. For example, if your hourly one-to-one rate is $150 but you decide to have a group counselling session at $60 per person and four people attend, that is $240 an hour –$90 more than your one-to-one rate. 2. Group supervision: If you have the training, knowledge and ability to provide supervision to other practitioners, you may want to consider group supervision. Similar to group counselling, you can decrease the per-person rate. 3. Teaching skills, talents or knowledge: Social workers work in various sectors of human and social services which means we all have unique skills, talents, and knowledge that others would love to learn from us – whether our clients or other professionals. If you teach those skills, talents and knowledge online or in-person, you
can make additional income. There is someone out there wishing to learn from you! 4. Share your knowledge by blogging: You may ask, how does blogging make money? Blogs can help increase your income in a few different ways. • They allow potential clients to see your blogs so they begin to know, trust and like you, and because they see what you are about, are more likely to book with you. • Blogs also help rank you higher on search engines by improving your search engine optimization, so more potential clients can find you.
Social workers work in various sectors of human and social services which means we all have unique skills, talents, and knowledge that others would love to learn from us • You can add “affiliate marketing” links to your blogs. Affiliate marketing is adding links to your blog about products and services offered by other professionals or agencies, where you gain a commission each time a person buys from your link. There are rules, regulations and expectations when it comes to
affiliate marketing links which are important to know prior to expanding to this income stream. Due to time, we will not dive into that here. 5. Sell a physical or digital product: You can make physical or digital products that can enhance other peoples’ lives. A product may include but not be limited to, creating a workbook or e-book, creating a digital course, or other useful tools that can help those you wish to serve. It is important to note that it is not ethical to push paid products on your existing clients as this could constitute a dual relationship. But you can advertise through other means such as on your website, social media or other marketing initiatives. You may even decide to give your product for free to existing clients, if appropriate, to help with their needs and create a special incentive for working with you.
6. Become a consultant: If you have something to offer that would be of benefit to other professionals, agencies or organizations, start consulting with them to teach, train, or support their needs. 7. Public speaking at events or conference: Some public speaking events will compensate you for your time or provide an honorarium when you speak at their event. Public speaking events are a great way to connect with other professionals, clients or customers. One of the biggest misconceptions about building a business or adding additional income streams is that social workers feel their skills are not valuable enough. I’m here to tell you that you know more about your practice area than you are giving yourself credit for. Your skills, talents, and knowledge may just be what someone else wants to learn, so why
not share that? Some clients cannot afford or do not want one-to-one counselling but they want to make significant change in their lives, and your skills may be exactly what they need – just in a different format than individual counselling. If you had a book, course, or group counselling available, the client may be more likely to purchase from you, and gain the change they desire without additional work or burnout by you. By monetizing your skills, talents and knowledge, you have the ability to help more people, increase your income, and live a life free of burnout. Isn’t that truly the social work dream?
KAYLA DAS is a social work entrepreneur who supports other social workers to build their own business. She can be reached at info@ kayladas.com or at www.kayladas.com.
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RESEARCH & LEARNING IN ALBERTA'S COMMUNITIES
FIGHTING ONLINE PORNOGRAPHY BY DON MCSWINEY
MOST PEOPLE AREN’T USED TO thinking about pornography as a public health issue. University of Calgary Faculty of Social Work alumna Dr. Jocelyn Monsma Selby, PhD Clinical Sexuality, MSW, RSW, is looking to change that. “Children as young as seven-years-old are stumbling on pornography by accident,” says Monsma Selby. “Most kids will see violent depictions of sex before they’ve had their first kiss.” From October 13th to 15th, she is hosting Connect to Protect (ConnectingToProtect.org), an international, virtual summit with experts, policy makers and other interested groups and individuals. The summit has several goals including international implementation of age-verification, removal of content uploaded without the consent of victims and of videos with violence / rape that seem to embody misogyny. “Research shows that 30 to 35 percent of individuals who watch online pornography become addicted to it,” says Monsma Selby, who is a mental health professional and sex therapist. “That’s three times the level of substance use disorder in the general population.” Like any addiction, porn addiction (recognized by the World Health Organization as Compulsive Sexual Behaviour Disorder) is fueled by feel-good endorphins. To keep getting that “high,” Monsma Selby explains that the brain needs more and more images. It also needs new images – often more extreme – to generate the same response. Companies like Canadian-born MindGeek – who run the world’s most visited porn sites – understand this and respond with algorithms calculated to feed the demand. And the demand is mind-boggling. Canadians, despite our relatively small population, are the world’s fourth largest consumers of the billion-dollar-a-year industry that is 24
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online pornography; as Monsma Selby points out, we have absolutely no idea of how many of those millions of visits are from children. Her vested interest in the area comes from her 40 years of clinical practice experience and research focused on the evaluation and assessment of problematic sexuality and forensic cases. She’s seen lives ruined by pornography and has a deep conviction that children and youth are particularly vulnerable because of the neuroscience of developing brains. When I recently spoke with her, Monsma Selby was about to address the Senate on their Bill S-203, An Act to Restrict Young Person’s Online Access to Sexually Explicit Material. “This Bill is crucial because the harm is real and measurable,” she told the senators. “Children having access to pornography is essentially child sexual abuse through digital images. As Canadians, we have an obligation to support the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.” She hopes Canadians will eventually follow the lead of nations like the United Kingdom, who have taken a multidimensional public health approach to internet access and combined it with a regulatory framework that protects children through their Digital Economy Act. “Online porn is not a fun or benign force,” she adds. “I think it’s up to all of us to stand up for what is right. Contact your elected representatives and tell them you support measures like age-verification. Tell them you want internet porn companies held accountable for the content they allow on their sites. Because I really believe that most Canadians don’t want the kind of Canada that internet porn is creating.” DONALD MCSWINEY is the manager of Communications and Marketing in the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Social Work.
DIPLOMA DIALOGUES
CELEBRATING WORLD SOCIAL WORK DAY BY DONNA PRUSKI, MSW, RSW
First year Keyano Social Work students on a Zoom session in their “favourite places”
new to the field, Ubuntu reminds me to approach my SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS at Keyano College reflected on studies and experiences with compassion and an open this year’s World Social Work Day 2021 theme – “Ubuntu: mind. I see my role as a social worker aligning with this I Am Because We Are”. It is time to be looking at a theme that encourages solidarity and connectedness as the year’s theme by reminding me to be an advocate and broker world experiences this time of COVID together. As Keyano for those who may not have the chance to at times.” College looks forward to fall 2021 with the Social Work Kaitlyn de Sousa Martins, Social Work Diploma Student program moving to a yearly intake and the hope of being “Reflecting on this year’s theme, Ubuntu, I think of back in the classroom, it is essential to acknowledge our interdependency. “I Am Because We are”. Interdependency current students’ unique experiences. shows us that we are all here to support Keyano social work students and one another, and we cannot grow students around the province are alone. As a new social work student, experiencing their education like no Ubuntu reminds me that we need to group before them. They are missing Ubuntu: meet the individual where they are at. being in the classroom, missing the faceI Am Because We Are Social workers and clients [are] working to-face interactions, missing grabbing together for a common cause to better coffee together on their break. one’s life, regardless of their current Despite this, there is a sense of connectedness and solidarity amongst the students’ cohort as they share this common experience.
situation or status. It also gives me an eagerness to take
“Ubuntu is a Zulu phrase which means that a person is a person through other people. Social work is togetherness, collaboration, support, empathy, community. There is strength in togetherness and connectedness, as an adage says, ‘United we stand, divided we fall’. Being a social worker re-emphasizes my role in being supportive, in advocacy and empowerment. It is the bedrock of humanity, where we all work collaboratively to overcome racism, discrimination, and all forms of oppression.” Yewande Arogundade, Social Work Diploma Student
by reminding me that if we work together, anything is
“When I hear about this year’s theme, Ubuntu, I think of interconnectedness. Interconnectedness reminds me of how even amongst all our differences, we are all connected with common experiences. As a social work student, still
on my studies with an unbiased approach. I see my role as a social worker aligning with this years’ theme, Ubuntu, possible.” - Angela Maxson, Social Work Diploma Student Our social work students across the province are interconnected and stand in solidarity with their shared experience of being students during COVID – Ubuntu: I Am Because We Are.
DONNA PRUSKI is a social worker who joined Keyano College this year as an instructor in the Social Work Diploma program. She previously worked for over 18 years with AHS in the field of child & adolescent mental health.
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IN THE NEWS
2020 Awards Spotlight ACSW is pleased to celebrate the contributions of some of Alberta’s exemplary social workers.
EACH YEAR, THE ACSW RECOGNIZES professional social workers for their outstanding contributions to the well-being of our communities and the development of our profession. While we are pleased to honour these individuals, the ACSW recognizes the work of, and is thankful for, the dedication and contribution of each and every Alberta social worker. In the midst of the ambiguity and turmoil of the last year, social workers have had to adapt in their professional, academic, communal and personal lives. Service to clients has gone virtual or curb-side; learning and teaching for students has gone on-line. Whatever the adjustments required, social workers have stepped up, demonstrated their resiliency and attention to self-care and have been there for their community. Thank you for your professionalism and heart.
John Graham Hutton Memorial Award This award recognizes a registered social worker who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession of social work and the community through social action and policy.
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Nellie Alcaraz, MSW, RSW Nellie came to Canada as a temporary worker, enduring years of discrimination and hardship. She has since become a renowned and well-respected social worker, community organizer, researcher, scholar, and human rights activist. Nellie was instrumental in establishing the Philippine Consults Office in Calgary in 2013. More recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she mobilized social workers and other community members to respond to the urgent needs of temporary foreign workers employed at meat packing plants in Alberta. Nellie’s leadership and work were instrumental in influencing the Alberta government to rescind a policy that denied health care coverage for the children of non-status residents. Nellie continues to shine a light on racist policies and injustices faced by temporary foreign workers and migrants, and in doing so, is paving the way to further policy level change. Nellie’s work is truly inspirational and impactful.
Excellence in Social Work Practice Award This award recognizes registered social workers who have exhibited exemplary skills and commitment to the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the ACSW in a variety of practice settings.
Clinical Social Work Practice Award This award is presented to a registered social worker who has exhibited exemplary leadership, skills and commitment to the advancement of clinical social work, and continuing excellence in clinical competence, ethical practice, and respect for diversity.
CASW Distinguished Service Award The Canadian Association of Social Workers Distinguished Service Award is given on the occasion of National Social Work Month to a recipient chosen from CASW Partner Organizations.
Andrew Baxter, MSW, RSW Andrew has shown exemplary social work practice as both a frontline mental health therapist for children and adolescents, as well as a mental health literacy presenter, educator and advocate. He has contributed to mental health literacy evaluation and research. He is involved in the creation of a new Mental Health Literacy Curriculum Resource and is part of a committee working to co-create an Indigenous Mental Health Literacy Resource for Indigenous Youth. He has demonstrated excellence in both clinical and mental health promotion and prevention. He tirelessly advocates for free, accessible, evidence-based mental health information, reducing the stigma around mental illness and improving access to reliable care. Andrew’s professional journey as a frontline mental health therapist into a mental health advocate and educator reflects his adaptability, exemplary skill level and meaningful contribution to the betterment of youth mental health.
Benby Areeckal, MSW, RSW Ben is the Clinical Supervisor for the Brooks Addiction and Mental Health Clinic and has made significant impact on his team of clinicians and the community, including developing a child and youth mental health outreach program in collaboration with the local school board. Ben worked as a mental health therapist for over nine years in Fort McMurray and in other positions in community mental health and nonprofit, including Native Counselling Services of Alberta and the Canadian Mental Heath Association. He has demonstrated stellar clinical services to remote communities in Alberta, and a commitment to the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, particularly as they pertain to cultural competence. Drawing on his experience as an immigrant, he continues to guide his team to become effective culturally-competent clinicians.
Youth in Care Chronicles Editorial Team: Dorothy Badry, PhD, RSW: Cody Murrell, BSW, RSW; Megan Mierau, MSW, RSW; Erin Leveque, BSW, RSW This team of four social workers voluntarily led a passion project to develop and publish Youth in Care Chronicles: Reflections on Growing Up in the Child Welfare System. This book features the lived experiences of former youth in care, now resilient adults, who want their voices heard and stories shared. The narratives included in this book from 18 former youth in care provide a vulnerable and fresh look at moving beyond growing up in the child welfare system and turning towards the future with boundless hope and resilience. A critical element of this book is a learning guide, co-written by the editorial team, which is an innovative tool to inspire and foster professional growth and development, and inform best practice for social workers practicing in the child and youth care field. THE ADVOCATE
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FEATURE STORY
Virtually Together: ACSW 2021 Virtual Conference THE ACSW 2021 CONFERENCE broke new ground with a first virtual conference, March 25 to 27, 2021. With live keynote presentations by Vikki Reynolds, PhD, RCC, and Todd Leader, RPsych, RSW; live presentations by Ruth Scalp Lock and the team behind the recently published Youth in Care Chronicles; a welcome event and an array of on-demand workshops, this year’s conference was more accessible than ever. With over 500 registrants from across Alberta, social workers embraced the community and connection in this virtual gathering. VOICES FROM THE CONFERENCE Feedback from attendees Moving Beyond Client-Centered Care – Todd Leader, RPsych, RSW
Youth in Care Chronicles: Voices from Former Youth in Care. Presented by former youth in care Cody Murrell, BSW, RSW and Patricia Ross, and facilitated by Megan Mierau, MSW, RSW
As a former youth in care, thank you for sharing and humanizing the experience of our youth. I chose “Survival knows no boundaries” as my 2021 grad quote and after watching you two speak, it shows just how far youth will go to survive before they can thrive. Thank goodness, Todd, for those like you who really base themselves in why most of us got into the profession in the first place! Thank you so much for this.
I really admire your strength and courage and ability to overcome everything and become so successful in your careers. Congratulations on your amazing success and for being great role models.
Todd, I could listen to you speak all day ... really appreciate your honest approach to this topic. I have been writing down so many of your quotes, descriptions, explanations - thank you!
Thank you both for sharing your stories and being vulnerable. I am grateful you both have shared your experiences and are helping to advocate for youth in child welfare systems.
Thank you so much, Todd; you have inspired me to move forward to engage with management focusing on client-centered services to evoke systemic changes! I loved the question to ask leadership what their decision would be if it was their daughter, mother, or family. Regardless of the overload of cases, the reason for my social work practice has been restored...thank you!
Cody, thank you so much for providing us a snippet of your experiences. It provides perspective for how services can be improved for young people- particularly around mental health diagnoses.
Great insight, Todd! Truly, our job is not to be Walmart. We need to remember whose needs are we meeting and what our scope of practice looks like. Thank you, Todd. This was a great perspective to take away from as a student entering the field. 28
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‘Sanity’-Making Through Solidarity and Collective Care – Vikki Reynolds, PhD, RCC
My Name is Shield Woman: A Hard Road to Healing, Vision and Leadership – Ruth Scalp Lock
Vikki, your ideas resonate deeply and make my heart sing! All the hot baths and cups of tea in the world can’t undo the impacts of oppression, systems failures, and burn out; suggesting otherwise to individual workers is gaslighting. Your presentation was radical and I’m so grateful for your justice-doing!
Thank you for sharing your journey and humanity. I am deeply touched by your story. My heart is with you, your people and all the ones that are suffering from injustice.
ABSOLUTELY THE BEST KEYNOTE EVER
Thank you so much for walking us through your stories of struggle and resilience ... Truly appreciate your vulnerability and sharing to help us understand and appreciate First Nations multi-generational realities.
I am so, so very impressed by this presentation. She is so blunt, honest and down to earth. I would love to learn from her.
So inspired by your wisdom and strong commitment to your community.
Thank you, Vikki, for your valuable insights into burnout; how the harms in our work are most often from the structures that are oppressive and lacking — as well as the reminders about collective care, solidarity teams and centring the client as anecdotes.
Thank you, Ruth, for sharing your story, strength, teachings and connection with ceremony, it is so important to make visible. I am an Anishinaabe person and social work educator/ administrator committed to decolonizing learning. Miigwetch
I found Vikki’s presentation bold and inspirational. I particularly liked her statements, “What is the best use of me, the importance of self-reflection, being present for clients and also getting yourself out of the way of your client’s healing journey?” This really fits well with my belief of it’s not about “just me” when allying with our clients but “us”, no matter who we are and where we began if we are to move forward.
The ACSW annual conference was exciting… What seriously got my attention was the keynote on moving beyond client-centred care. As social service agencies continue to embrace a more patient-centric approach, organizations should consider embedding those principles into their overall system cultures. In doing so, they will ensure better client satisfaction and adherence to care plans and quality outcomes. Thank you to the ACSW staff who accepted the challenge and worked hard to offer the first virtual ACSW conference. I appreciate all of your efforts to provide a virtual conference and am grateful for the on demand workshops. I would especially like to thank the presenters who shared their personal testimonies [about] youth in care and residential schools. Your stories touched my heart. It was an honour to hear them and may you all be blessed for your courage and strength. THE ADVOCATE
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SOCIAL WORK WEEK 2021 SPECIAL SERIES – PART 1
Social Workers are Essential BY SAMANTHA VAUX, SW DIP, RSW
AFTER A YEAR OF UNCERTAINTY, WITH HOPE ON THE HORIZON BUT NO CERTAIN END IN SIGHT, IT’S CLEAR: SOCIAL WORK IS ESSENTIAL. BY DEMONSTRATING STRENGTH, EMPATHY AND RESILIENCE, ALBERTA SOCIAL WORKERS HAVE MADE AN EXCEPTIONAL IMPACT THIS YEAR, AND EVERY YEAR. THIS THREE-PART SERIES CAPTURES THE DIVERSITY AND COMMITMENT OF ACSW’S MEMBERS.
yourself with kindness, because you do not know if or when you will be seeing someone again. As a student, I joined the ACSW Gerontology Network North group. They are a powerful group of advocates for seniors. They set the tone for what it means to be helpful, knowledgeable, and sharing. I owe much of my early foundation to their guidance. There is often a lack of understanding of what it is that social workers do, and what makes us essential. I want to draw upon one of my favorite pieces of advice to answer what we do: “As social workers, we’re in the empowerment profession.” We walk in two worlds. We advocate for empowerment, and are helpers and educators. We are vehicles for social healing. Our profession is growing to spread healing into many areas of pain. I want people to know that social workers have an opportunity to be tour guides throughout one’s life. We leave it up to people to decide where they want to go while sharing the best places to visit and the safest routes to take. Enid Martin, MSW, RSW Dustin Moreau
Dustin Moreau, MSW, RSW I want to acknowledge that my accomplishments are not just my own. I have been able to learn from my ancestors, siblings, friends, and Elders. I do not walk alone. There are many others that walk with me. My grandma was a powerful woman and a calm and quiet leader that people could turn to. As a Métis Elder, she would often be found helping Indigenous families by what she would tell me was “taking care of their children for a while”. Some of my earliest memories are playing in sandboxes with these kids who got to “stay over for a bit”. I learned the power of caring and friendship, and to present 30
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Various career paths have led me where I am today, including being a creative writer/radio broadcaster, a supervisor for an income support office, and a social policy analyst. These experiences helped develop my skills in social justice and advocacy. This led to my strong compassion for others, which I apply to my work with patients and their families as well as my colleagues. A major turning point in my life was when my previously healthy mother survived life-altering surgery in 2003. Three months later, the surgical site became infected and she slipped into a coma. My family and I were at her bedside. Having never experienced anyone, much less a loved one, at an end-stage of life, I asked the nurse if we could speak to a social worker. Maureen, a kind and gentle being, helped us say goodbye. It was during those last
Enid Martin
Juliet Burgess
hours that I knew I wanted to be a medical social worker and help families through difficult times.
on having a positive impact on patients and families. A registered nurse I worked with referenced social work as being like “glue”. We coordinate interdisciplinary and family meetings, help with emotional support for families facing separations due to illness, and assist with legal and financial documents. I believe social work is an essential part of the continuum of service. I feel that the important work I am doing honours a key value from our Code of Ethics, Service to Humanity.
I graduated from the University of Victoria School of Social Work in 2007. After completing my practicum there, I was hired by the Didsbury hospital in 2008 into my dream job as a medical social worker. In rural practice, I have the great pleasure of working with a very dedicated and resourceful team of healthcare providers who go the extra mile to support patients and families. In some ways we are resource poor, but we certainly are creatively rich as we form strong and lasting professional and community connections. I am the co-chair of the ACSW Social Workers in Health group. I get to meet with other social work colleagues from across the province. We talk, share experiences, and learn from one another. Our group is also essential for social work practice as we have invaluable guest speakers and presentations integral to our ongoing education. We have hosted professional development on topics such as seniors abuse and self-care. I love being a medical social worker and pride myself
Juliet Burgess, SW Dip, RSW My career started in the arts and I spent my free time doing activist work. I organized protests, workshops, community gatherings, and action committees. I come from a family who are helpers. I attribute this to the example my grandmother set for us. At one point, I hated social work; I felt it was an extension of an unjust system that caused harm and I only wanted to be a part of a resistance to it. Through my experiences working on boards, I began meeting social workers who were changing my understanding of the profession. The more I did unpaid activist work, the more I realized social THE ADVOCATE
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joined the ACSW Sexual and Gender Diversity group as another important piece of advocacy work. I value this group and appreciate what we can do together. The thing I have come to love about social work is that it is about promoting dignity and justice. Though the profession has a long way to go until it completely practices this value, it is well on its way. I am proud to be part of that deep, difficult, and systematic change. Sharla Piecowye, BSW, RSW It is hard to identify what led me to social work, which I entered at age 17. I feel lucky to have chosen a profession which suits me so well, and that I remain passionate about many years later. After I started my own family, I was lucky enough to join a pilot project with Alberta Health Services (AHS). I was surrounded by colleagues equally passionate about supporting children, but was often the only social worker in the room. I realized the different perspectives that social work brings to the table. I focused on “children in their environment” and processes that can make it difficult for families to follow through on their goals. Sharla Piecowye
work may be the closest I can come to paid activism. I got my Social Work diploma at Mount Royal University, graduating at age 32. I learned that our Code of Ethics is meant to guide us and is strong, important, explicit, and powerful. Currently, I work at Calgary Urban Project Society as a care coordination administrator. I am involved in case management and evaluating administrative processes to make our services easily accessible. We strive to provide our services in a trauma-informed way. The work we do is so essential right now when it comes to system navigation. It can be tough for people to figure out how to get the supports they need, even when their executive functioning skills are solid. It is important to be able to sit with someone in a crisis. We need to hear their story, respect it, and then help them get their basic needs met. I have been proudly challenging the way social workers and not-for-profit organizations integrate supports for genderdiverse folks. As a member of the LGBTQ2S+ community, I am particularly passionate about this. As a student, I 32
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In 2011, I was tasked with looking into system navigation and service access for families within children’s rehabilitation. I was not sure about taking the lead in an AHS project because our profession was the least represented on the team. However, it quickly became clear why a social work perspective was essential. We can work within different systems and help people navigate them. We are also able to advocate within the different levels of systems for the unique needs of people and champion system-level changes. From this project, we learned from clients and identified barriers that made it appear a family was unmotivated when really there were other causes for missed appointments. We facilitated easier processes for families to access services. Being able to work in a career where I could listen to and support families in reaching their goals, during both good and difficult times, has been a gift. I have learned so much from the clients that I work with about life, strength, resilience, and gratitude. Social workers are essential for the unique perspective we bring, our ability to work towards a larger goal and for empowering clients and colleagues alike. I am not sure where I will be in five years, but I will still be a social worker. It is who I am, not what I do.
FEATURE STORY
Field Education and Practice Research BY DR. WASIF ALI, PHD, MS AND DR. JULIE L. DROLET, PHD, RSW
PRACTICUM, ALSO KNOWN AS FIELD EDUCATION, is often recognized by students as the most critical part of their social work education. The Transforming the Field Education Landscape (TFEL) partnership aims to integrate research and practice in the preparation of the next generation of social workers. Dr. Julie Drolet, professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary, and Project Director of the TFEL partnership, says, “TFEL is working to identify how practice research can be fostered in field education through training, learning agreements, and encouraging social work students to include research activities in their practicum and learning.” Traditional research approaches are often viewed as being inapplicable to social work practice and inaccessible
to social work students and practitioners. Social work literature indicates that social work students express discomfort and lack of understanding about research to inform practice in comparison to other academic disciplines. The Canadian Association of Social Work Education (CASWE-ACFTS) requires in its accreditation framework that social work students need to engage in research to advance professional practice, policy development, and service provision. However, students in both Bachelor and Master of Social Work programs report a lack of integration of research in their field placements. The TFEL partnership brings together researchers, field educators, and students to explore how practice research can strengthen social work field education. New training THE ADVOCATE
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PRACTICE RESEARCH INTEGRATION PROCESS
TEACHING ABOUT PRACTICE RESEARCH & RELATED CONCEPTS
INTEGRATING PRACTICE RESEARCH INTO FIELD PLACEMENT LEARNING AGREEMENTS
TEACHING ABOUT PRACTICE RESEARCH & RELATED CONCEPTS IN FIELD PLACEMENTS
ENCOURAGING STUDENTS TO EVALUATE WORK WITHIN AN AGENCY OR BY DEVELOPING AND CARRYING OUT EVALUATIONS WITH INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS
COLLABORATION BETWEEN SCHOOL AND FIELD AGENCY EXAMINATION OF PRACTICE RESEARCH IN A SOCIAL WORK CONTEXT
modules are being developed for the CASWE-ACFTS Field Instructor Training Course and as a TFEL resource to encourage field educators and students to foster research-mindedness. We have found that field education is a site where students can develop new knowledge and skills in social work practice research, and field educators (including field instructors, faculty liaisons, and field education coordinators/directors) can play an important role in bridging the gap between research and practice for students during their practicum. Practice research can assist students in developing social work competencies such as: •
Reflective practice.
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Intervening effectively at the individual, group, family, organizational and/or community level using existing research findings.
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Recognizing and effectively addressing issues in the social work practice setting.
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Identifying issues and social structures that influence them, and the clients or communities served.
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Understanding the barriers or limitations to social work practice in organizations or projects; these may include funding, scope, or the optimization of resources.
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Analyzing how the practicum agency or project SUMMER 2021
responds to the needs of diverse clients and communities and how research is involved in this process. •
Identifying how personal and social factors (e.g., personal identities, values, experiences, socialization, social structures, stereotypes, media) influence professional practice with diverse clients and communities.
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Identifying how research can create new understandings to inform practice and examine the factors that influence social work practice.
In order to fulfill the integration of practice research into field education, there must be a collaboration between social work educational programs and field agencies. It is not enough to supply knowledge to students; it is also imperative to co-construct new understandings and learn about research by doing research. This can be achieved through the opportunities provided in field education. Practice research can be included in field education by: •
Identifying field placement instructors and supervisors who place a high value on evidencebased practice.
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Encouraging students to find solutions to problems they have identified through research.
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Identifying user-friendly research material for students to engage with, particularly at the start of
a report, submit an article for publication, prepare and deliver a presentations, webinar, or workshop).
practicum. This might include videos, podcasts, or fact sheets. •
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Utilizing the Learning Agreement to support students and to encourage research activities within social work learning goals and objectives. Encouraging critical thinking and critical research skills to evaluate their work within an agency or carrying out an evaluation with an individual or group.
It is not enough to supply knowledge to students; it is also imperative to co-construct new understandings and learn about research by doing research
The suggestions listed above are not intended to be restrictive or exhaustive but rather a starting point to encourage students to weave research into their practice. Practicum Student Learning Agreements Students and field educators are encouraged to include research activities in their field placement, and this can be made visible in the student’s learning agreement contract. Some suggestions include: •
Conducting a literature review on a topic of relevance to the field agency.
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Engage in grant proposal writing.
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Participate in research design (descriptive, experimental, review).
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Develop a research ethics application.
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Participate in a study, needs assessment, community consultation, monitoring and evaluation activities.
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Conduct a policy review.
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Participate in gathering relevant resources.
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Contribute to the design of a data collection tool (feedback survey, questionnaire).
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Contribute to administering surveys, conducting interviews, facilitating a focus group or community meetings.
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Participate in data analysis (review a transcript, minutes of a meeting).
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Participate in training and capacity building activities (and measure their impact).
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Engage in knowledge mobilization (e.g., write
To better prepare students for social work practice, it is critical that students see themselves as active investigators and knowledge developers in practice, where research can become a tool to generate new knowledge, enhance practice strategies, and advance the profession. TFEL has developed, and will continue to develop, new resources on applied practice research for field education. Recognizing the importance of research knowledge and skills as a vital component of social work education, the field can provide students with opportunities to apply their course-based learning in practice. Integrating practice research into a field education setting and further evaluating students in their practice research activities and initiatives will be beneficial for the future of the social work profession and ultimately improve services and programs for all. For more information about TFEL, please contact Dr. Julie Drolet, Project Director at tfelproject.ucalgary.ca. To learn more about the Practice Research Training Module and for additional resources (e.g., videos, webinar links, suggested readings) on practice research, please visit https://tfelproject.com. TFEL acknowledges student research assistants Monica Franco Baquero, Tara Collins, Ellen Mi, Shivani Samra, Dillon Traber, and Elladee Windsor in the development of the practice research training module. We acknowledge the contributions of TFEL co-investigators Uzo Anucha (York University), Jill Hanley (McGill University), Sheri McConnell (Memorial University), Eileen McKee (University of Toronto), Sally St. George (University of Calgary), and Dan Wulff (University of Calgary) to our understandings of practice research. This article draws from the TFEL training module on practice research. The TFEL project is supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
DR. JULIE L. DROLET is a professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary, and serving as the Project Director of the TFEL partnership. DR. WASIF ALI is a post-doctoral associate with the TFEL partnership in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary. THE ADVOCATE
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DAY IN THE LIFE
LIKE ANYONE WHOSE JOB DEPENDS on intimate, in-person interaction, Alycia Berg, BSW, RSW, has spent the pandemic year in a state of constant adaptation. As a Mental Health Clinician with Calgary’s Community Geriatric Mental Health Service, she has been weighing the need to keep her vulnerable clients safe, not only from COVID but from the mental health complications that can come with not being able to see friends, family or vital support workers. And while she’s gotten used to the PPE and more video calls than ever before — “It was a lot of clients’ first time using video chat, but it was mine too, so we got to bond over that,” she says with a smile — the one thing Berg can’t quite get over missing is the wall of hope. Tucked in the back of the room they used for group sessions, when those were still allowed, it was a tangible reminder, for both Berg and her clients, of why they were here. “Every time someone left the group, they would write something for the wall, to kind of send a message to future clients, a sense of hope that things will get better,” Berg explains. “I hope we can get back to it soon.”
BY DAVID BERRY
ALYCIA BERG
BSW, RSW
Helping people walk the long road to better is the core of Berg’s job. After graduating from the University of Calgary with her Bachelor in Social Work, she spent some time working with the Boys and Girls Club of Airdrie, helping teens connect with mental health resources. She did similar work with Alberta Health before ending up at the Geriatric Mental Health service, working with people who were in a very different position in life, but who faced many of the same hurdles to mental health. “I’ve always been quite passionate about working with people and advocating for people’s rights to have a full, meaningful life, no matter what barriers they may be presented with,” Berg explains. Nearly all of her clients are referred through Calgary’s Access Mental Health program, with issues ranging from substance abuse to social anxiety. While some reach out themselves, many are often reluctant to trust someone else, let alone accept their help. Seniors in their position face a range of barriers, from trust issues born of past trauma to the late onset of mental health issues. Most of Berg’s work, she explains, is using her therapeutic skills to simply talk to people, working slowly and carefully to build up trust. A key part of that trust, she has found, comes from being open with them — revealing a bit of her
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own humanity can help show seniors that she respects theirs. “There’s always something that’s not going to land for a client. I find what helps for me is just being really transparent,” she explains. “Saying, ‘You know what, I’m not really sure if this is going to work or if this is going to be helpful, but if we’re open to just kind of experimenting with this, we can see where it leads.’ “I think particularly for seniors, they can experience all these people telling them what to do: family members, doctors, other professionals,” she adds. “But they have their own life experience, and it’s important to respect that. This is their recovery journey. They’re the author of their own life.” Searching for this combination of support and self-direction is one of the things that has made Berg an advocate for group sessions. Though clients can’t see the wall of hope, Berg has been able to continue facilitating group meetings via phone sessions.
I’ve always been quite passionate about working with people and advocating for people’s rights to have a full, meaningful life What started as a pandemic necessity has allowed her to reach people who might not have been able to physically make it out to sessions before, which to Berg means a chance to share a vital tool with a wider community.
“I think in mental health generally, a really important piece is that people feel validated in their experience,” she explains. “I have skills and knowledge to offer, but being in a group gives people an opportunity to be supported by their peers, to hear from others about their journey, how they’re coping and what works for them.” It’s not just her clients that find extra strength from a group, though. As part of a wider mental health team, Berg works closely with specialists ranging from psychiatrists to a neuropsychologist and an occupational therapist. Not only does this give her a deeper well to draw from when it comes to helping people, her teammates serve as a vital force for keeping her own cup full. “Our team has the type of relationship where we can just call each other up to chat, and that’s been vital, especially this year,” Berg says. “I think it’s just really important to feel connected, because it can be an isolating
experience without that team to go to.” Beyond the office, Berg helps keep herself grounded with regular golf games, book clubs and knitting and crafting. “I tend to have similar hobbies to a lot of my clients,” she admits, “so that can be a connecting force sometimes.” The next big step in her life, though, is returning to school to get her Master of Social Work, something she says is both a chance to grow her skills and carry on a family tradition. “My mom is a social worker,” Berg explains, “and I watched her do her master’s later in life, which has always been very inspiring.”
DAVID BERRY is a writer from Edmonton. His work has appeared across Canada, and his first book, On Nostalgia, was published by Coach House Books in 2020.
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FEATURE STORY
Poetically Guided Manifesto BY ELIZABETH AST, SW DIP, RSW
EMPLOYING POETRY AS A TOOL for social justice and healing is something I intend to do throughout what I hope is a career full of inspiring, impactful, meaningful action. When an opportunity presented itself to create a template for a poetically guided social work manifesto themed around the Canadian Association of Social Workers (2005) Code of Ethics, I felt excited and grateful to put my poetic passion to work. Using the following template, I encourage social workers to draw on their values, history, and passion to build a poetic manifesto for their social work career. For example, using the template below: I am from (what I value) and (another value). From my family, (family characteristic) and (traits). In my heart beats a desire to (your purpose in social work) and (your purpose in social work). I commit to lifelong learning about (your passion) through (how you will do this). …I wrote this first section of my own manifesto: I am from resilience, wildflowers sprouting through earth, trees extending their limbs in the spirit of connection. From my family, flawed and traumatized. In my heart beats a desire to listen to the trees and fight for the earth. I commit to lifelong learning about holistic health through honouring Gaia. 38
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My personal manifesto follows, as well as the template to build your own reflective statement: I am from resilience, wildflowers sprouting through earth, trees extending their limbs in the spirit of connection. From my family, flawed and traumatized. In my heart beats a desire to listen to the trees and fight for the earth. I commit to lifelong learning about holistic health through honouring Gaia. In my social work practice, I will respect the inherent dignity and worth of persons by advocating for the planet we live on. I am from women, and neurodivergence. I see fires burning and yearn to fight for the earth. I will challenge oppressive systems by speaking up for the oppressed, advocating for change, and empowering people to create a world that is healthier. I will use my education and insight to spread awareness. Humility will light the way for my service of others. I strive to empower humanity by loving, listening, and lighting the way. I will be mindful of my tendency to believe that all mothers are either single or abused, and that children are better off without their parents. I will embrace reflective practice regularly in moments I burn out and in moments I stand naked foot on
the earth. Like the trunk of a tree, I will uphold the reputation of the social work profession. While dancing leaves may whisper gently to another, I will not. I will honour the power I am privileged to hold by keeping the sacred information of others confident. I will hold true to the strength of transparency in relationship. I work from eco-feminist, holistic, trauma-informed and environmental perspectives. For me, person-in-environment includes advocating for the earth. I will search for opportunities to expand my knowledge and skills. I will remain open and weave critical thought into my practice. I will seek out mentorship and connection with my colleagues. I will listen. I will observe. I will learn. I am from resilience, wildflowers sprouting through earth, trees extending their limbs in the spirit of connection. From my family, determined and imperfect. In my heart beats a desire to listen to babbling creeks and fight for the earth. I commit to lifelong learning about holistic health through aligning with Gaia. -Elizabeth Ast, 2021
MANIFESTO TEMPLATE: I am from (what you value) and (another value). From my family, (family characteristic) and (trait). In my heart beats a desire to (your purposes in social work). I commit to lifelong learning about (your passion) through (how you will do this). VALUE 1: RESPECT FOR INHERENT DIGNITY AND WORTH OF PERSONS In my practice, I will respect the inherent dignity and worth of persons by (the actions you will take to do so). VALUE 2: PURSUIT OF SOCIAL JUSTICE I am from (the pockets of marginalization you belong to). I see (marginalized population/social issue) and yearn to fight for (social justice topic you are passionate about).
VALUE 6: COMPETENCE IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE I work from (the theories that resonate with you) perspectives.
I will challenge oppressive systems by (what you’re willing to do in the name of social justice).
For me, (a theory or perspective you are critical of) includes (a way you would correct it).
VALUE 3: SERVICE TO HUMANITY
I will search for opportunities to (synonym for grow) my knowledge and skills.
I will use my (privilege) and (natural ability) to (a way to serve humanity).
I will remain open and (synonym for hold or create) critical thought into my practice.
(Trait you value as integral to serving others) will light the way for my service of others.
I will seek out mentorship and (an important aspect of your professional relationships) with my colleagues.
I strive to empower humanity by (two or three ways to advocate).
I will listen. I will observe. I will learn. (Feel free to change these three verbs - listen, observe, learn - to words that are centred to your social work practice approach).
VALUE 4: INTEGRITY OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE I will be mindful of my tendency to believe (your bias) and (another bias). I will embrace reflective practice regularly in moments I (experience a stressful event) and in moments of (doing something to nurture or gently care for yourself). Like (something strong), I will uphold the reputation of the social work profession.
Final: (A repeat from the first stanza – feel free to keep it the same or change some words!) I am from (what I value) and (another value). From my family, (family characteristic) and (traits). In my heart beats a desire to (your purposes in social work). I commit to lifelong learning about (your passion) through (how you will do this).
VALUE 5: CONFIDENTIALITY IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE While (a beloved natural element) may whisper gently to each other, I will not. I will honour the power I hold by keeping the information of others confident. I will hold true the (noun) of transparency in (verb for interaction between people).
ELIZABETH AST is so close to completing her Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Calgary, she has started practicing the curtsy she’ll do if COVID allows her to walk the stage at her convocation. Elizabeth writes from Medicine Hat and can be contacted at elizabeth.ast@ucalgary.ca.
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FEATURE STORY
A Call to Self-Reflection and Action BY JULIE MANN-JOHNSON, MSW, RSW AND MELISA BRITTAIN, PHD
people talking about their experiences with the child welfare system and connecting their personal experiences to the larger history of colonialism in Canada, I wondered if I could contribute to getting their voices out to a wider audience, but without these young people having to constantly relive difficult experiences in front of strangers. After their presentation, I invited the group back to my place for dinner, and as we got to know each other, I asked them if they might want to make a film about their work. They agreed, and along with Levi First Charger (Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth), and Daniela Navia and Rita Henderson (University of Calgary), we created the film and launched it in 2016. Cover of (Dis)placed Learning Guide for Professionals Working with Children and Youth (Leah Gryfe Designs)
JULIE: Melisa Brittain is a filmmaker, researcher, academic, and educator doing important work highlighting social justice issues. I have shared Melisa’s film (Dis)placed: Indigenous youth and the child welfare system with students and have seen the critical thinking it inspires. I have collaborated with Melisa to identify ways that the film might help to improve our knowledge about the historical and current impacts of the child welfare system on Indigenous children and families, and how this knowledge might inform positive change in social work policy and practice. Melisa and I chatted virtually about the motivation for making (Dis)placed, and the impacts the film and accompanying learning guide could have for social work. Here is a summary of our discussion. JULIE: Can you talk about the film and how it came about? Why did you want to make this film? MELISA: In 2014, I attended a conference session given by a group of peer researchers involved in a project called Uncovering Colonial Legacies: Voices of Indigenous Youth in Child Welfare (dis)Placements. As I listened to the young 40
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JULIE: It sounds like you really worked on building relationships with them. Can you talk a bit more about the collaborative process of making the film that came out of that initial meeting? MELISA: Once we decided to make the film, I filmed interviews with the young people in settings where they were comfortable. They gave feedback on the interview footage about what they wanted left in and taken out. There were three young people who agreed to have their interviews included in the film: Tia Ledesma, Tyler Blackface and Donovan Waskahat. I also incorporated interviews with former iHuman social worker Brianna Olson and First Nations child advocate Cindy Blackstock, along with the colonial context of the child welfare system. We got feedback from everyone in the initial group and other community members to create the final cut of the film. We’ve since published two learning guides to accompany the film. The first is a Teaching Guide for Grades 9 to 12. The second is a Learning Guide for Professionals Working with Children and Youth, produced through a collaborative process with social work and education professionals in Alberta. Both guides are designed to work for individuals
(Dis)placed film still, with participants (left to right): Tia Ledesma with son Jaxx; Tyler Blackface; Donovan Waskahat. (Design: Leah Gryfe Designs)
or groups, providing information about the historical and current colonial context of the child welfare system, along with activities and discussion questions.
can disrupt this pattern of colonization -- things like family connections and kinship care. What else can social workers do to challenge the system and take some action?
JULIE: I think in dominant society and as non-Indigenous social workers, there is a comfort in placing discrimination and discriminatory policies in the past and in other places. I like that the film is set in Alberta in contemporary times; it really highlights current and local issues and the need for action. We have known for a long time that Indigenous kids continue to be overrepresented in the child welfare system, and we need to actively and collectively challenge the inequity. What would you say about that?
MELISA: There are so many things that social workers can do! First, they can learn more about historical and contemporary colonialism in Canada, and how it continues to be enacted through racial discrimination within the child welfare system as well as through structural inequities, for First Nations children and families especially. The ways First Nations are inequitably impacted is covered in some detail in the learning guide.
MELISA: Yes! Both the film and the learning guide show that government systems are currently removing First Nations children from their homes using the same rationale the Department of Indian Affairs began using in the 1890s. As Cindy Blackstock notes in the film, that rationale maps directly on to the current definitions of “neglect” used by the child welfare system to remove First Nations children from their families today. There are currently over three times more Indigenous children in the child welfare system than ever were in residential schools, with the majority being First Nations children. Both the residential school system and the child welfare system disrupt family and community ties and prevent the transmission of cultural knowledge and values. JULIE: Agencies and social workers have been doing some work towards adopting practice and policies that
They can also reflect on what constitutes “moral courage” in action when the practices and policies of their workplace do not align with the ethics, standards and principles it espouses, or with social justice for Indigenous children and families. Anyone working with Indigenous children and youth should also learn about the importance of cultural continuity and kinship bonds for Indigenous child wellbeing and learn how best to support Indigenous children’s rights and needs to maintain connections with their families, communities and cultures whenever possible. Ultimately, ending removals of Indigenous children from their families and communities whenever safe for the child is the ultimate goal. It would be great if social workers did their best to end all removals that are the result of “neglect” that families have no resources to address; the THE ADVOCATE
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system should be providing families with the resources they need for their children to thrive. JULIE: Is there anything social workers can do in their workplaces? MELISA: They can help educate co-workers and supervisors, and work to create a workplace culture that holds itself accountable to the children, families and communities they serve. The film and learning guide can be used for educational workshops, and the activities and discussion questions can be adapted based on the audience and time you have available. In addition, social workers and organizations should be working diligently towards meeting the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action on child welfare. They can also check out the Touchstones of Hope movement for reconciliation in child welfare, which provides principles for Indigenous and nonIndigenous peoples to collaborate on culturally-driven vision plans
WATCH THE FILM
(DIS)PLACED: INDIGENOUS YOUTH AND THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM Find details, preview and purchase the film at http://www.kingcripproductions. com/displaced.html Learning Guide for Professionals Working with Children and Youth: https://fncaringsociety.com/sites/ default/files/displaced_learning_ guide_for_professionals_-_online.pdf
First Nations Child and Family Caring Society to end structural discrimination against First Nations children and families, which is the leading cause of child welfare (dis)placements for First Nations children. There are many more ideas and much more information in both the film and learning guide, and I hope they will become valuable resources for everyone working with young people in child welfare in Canada.
Webinar on Learning Guide for Professionals Working with Children and Youth: https://b.link/3k5ptv to inform child welfare practice and policies specific to regions and Nations. They can also participate in the social justice and reconciliation campaigns led by Indigenous communities and organizations, including campaigns run by the
JULIE MANN-JOHNSON is the Associate Director of Field Education and an instructor with the University of Calgary, Central and Northern Alberta Region. She has worked most of her 20-year social work career in various areas of child welfare practice. MELISA BRITTAIN is a settler scholar and filmmaker. They work as a research associate with the First Nations Children’s Action Research and Education Service, University of Alberta, on Treaty 6 territory in Amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton).
THE ADVOCATE EDITORIAL POLICY The Advocate is the official publication of the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) and is published quarterly for members of ACSW and other interested parties. The Advocate Editorial Board encourages submissions from all social work practice areas and perspectives, including: social work research, theory, practice, and education; social justice initiatives; the work of the College; member activities; continuing education; reviews of books, journals, and other media of interest to social workers. Articles of up to 1000 words and letters of up to 500 words will be considered, but publication is not guaranteed. Writing from ACSW members will be given preference. Copy may be edited to fit the space available or for legal or other reasons. Please contact the ACSW office for full submission guidelines. PUBLICATION SCHEDULE AND DEADLINES Spring issue: Summer issue: Fall issue: Winter issue:
January 1 deadline for general submissions (articles, letters, etc.) April 1 for general submissions July 1 for general submissions September 1 for general submissions
January 15 for advertising April 15 for advertising July 15 for advertising September 15 for advertising
ALL SUBMISSIONS The Advocate, ACSW, 550 10707 100 Avenue NW, Edmonton AB T5J 3M1 ATTN: Charity Lui: MemberActivitiesLead@acsw.ab.ca • PHONE: 780-421-1167 TOLL-FREE: 1-800-661-3089 • FAX: 780-421-1168 42
SUMMER 2021
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
The Advocate’s For Your Information section gives preference to Alberta-based educational opportunities and non-profit events for social workers. Send your submissions to Carlena Johnson at MemberActivitiesAdmin@acsw.ab.ca. Due to the ongoing pandemic, in-person events are being changed or cancelled more frequently than usual. Please check organization websites to confirm details.
Covenant Health 32nd Annual Palliative Education and Research Day
National Indigenous Peoples Day
October 25, 2021
June 21, 2021 Safely celebrate the heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis! #NIPDCanada Pride Month June 2021 Celebrate Canada’s LGBTQ2S+ community! Learn about the origins of Pride as a political struggle, share resources, speak out against discrimination and connect safely online or outdoors. #pridemonth Buddy Up Month Men’s Suicide Prevention June 2021 Centre for Suicide Prevention’s second annual #BuddyUp campaign, a men’s suicide prevention communications campaign. Raise awareness by posting on social media and having authentic conversations about how suicide in men can be prevented. www.buddyup.ca North American Refugee Health Conference
My Grief – Your Grief – Our Grief. Grieving Together in Times of Loss After a year of significant losses, there is no one way to grieve, but there is much we can learn from each other. www.palliativeconference.com Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health
PARTNER S
ACSW’S PUBLIC POLICY PARTNERS Edmonton Social Planning Council edmontonsocialplanning.ca Friends of Medicare friendsofmedicare.org
Dr. Roger Bland Lecture Series on Improving Child and Youth Mental Health
Public Interest Alberta pialberta.org
On-demand archive of previous sessions including:
Parkland Institute ualberta.ca/parkland
Transitions: Youth to Adult Mental Health with Dr. Ian Manion FASD and Mental Health with Dr. Jacquie Pei Infant and Preschool Mental Health with Dr. Jean Clinton www.casaservices.org/lecture-series-archive The Canadian Association of Social Workers Webinars CASW webinars are free and on demand for all ACSW members. Depending on your learning goals, these may be applicable to Category A credits. www.casw-acts.ca/en/webinars
September 9-11, 2021 Digital Conference The largest interdisciplinary conference in the world promoting the health of refugee populations. www.northamericanrefugeehealth.com
Visit the ACSW Events Calendar to find more training, events and workshops, at acsw.ab.ca, Social Workers tab, Calendar of Events.
ADVOCATE DEADLINES
SUBMISSION DEADLINE For the Fall 2021 issue of the Advocate is July 1, 2021 All editorial inquiries to Charity Lui MemberActivitiesLead@acsw.ab.ca
AD DEADLINE For the Fall 2021 issue of the Advocate is July 15, 2021 All ad inquiries to MemberActivitiesAdmin@acsw.ab.ca
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