A Message from the Executive Director & Registrar

Pride in the Professional Association

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of social work associations in Alberta and reflecting on our profession’s successes in strengthening and promoting the profession have been made possible through the commitment and engagement of social workers. Each member has made and can continue to make a remarkable difference!

Value in the Professional Association

Throughout its history, the association’s purpose has been to uphold the protection of the public through collective commitment to ethical and competent professional practice. This is achieved when social workers come together with common values, working towards common goals. The partnership between ACSW and the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) is a tangible example of the value of professional associations. The CASW’s mission is to promote the profession of social work at a national level and advance social justice through a unified voice, while striving to foster a clear understanding of the profession and have a strong impact on social policy and social justice through social work’s values and perspectives. Professional associations provide opportunity to align shared missions across provincial, national, and international boundaries, to represent, strengthen and celebrate the social work profession.

Benefits of the Professional Association

Social workers join and engage in professional social work associations to gain the many benefits of uniting with other social workers to advance the profession. Professional associations provide accessible, affordable opportunities for members to advance their practice through education and professional development, supporting social workers to enhance practice knowledge, skills, and meet continuing competence requirements. They support a diverse and complex social work practice and provide useful resources to meet the needs of social workers, while reflecting knowledge of best practices. The social work profession was founded on social justice and is committed to advocacy for progressive social change; professional associations can play a direct role in achieving that. Professional associations represent the collective voice and work to influence social policy change and advance social justice through collaborative partnerships and strategic alliances. Professional associations encourage connection and relationship building with social work colleagues by providing networking opportunities. Bringing people together to promote and celebrate the profession and honouring the career achievements of social workers instills a deep sense of professional pride.

Celebrating 60 years of social work associations in Alberta honours the social work community created through the connection of our province’s social workers, who are committed to building a strong profession. As ACSW looks to the future as a single mandate regulatory college, the professional association is both the foundational cornerstone and future guidepost for Alberta’s social workers. All current and future ACSW members are encouraged to champion the professional association by actively participating in the building of a sustainable, strong professional social work association in Alberta.