6 minute read
Striding Ahead
A message from the NSCSW Executive Director/Registrar
Our collective efforts aim at advancing the goals of the NSCSW towards fostering a safer ethical social work practice. This mandate not only involves advocating for social change and adjustments in social policy but also ensures that the social work profession can thrive while the most vulnerable in our society experience enhanced well-being. As the Executive Director and Registrar of the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers, I am profoundly privileged to serve in this capacity and am deeply grateful for the support from our members, partners, and the broader community.
It is with immense appreciation that I extend my heartfelt thanks to all the staff at NSCSW. Their dedication, passion, and tireless commitment to the profession of social work and its potential to effect change are nothing short of remarkable.
In 2023, our staff demonstrated remarkable productivity across a variety of crucial areas:
Advancing & Evaluating the Candidacy Mentorship Program
Our team evaluated and enhanced the candidacy program to ensure it aligns with the rigorous expectations for professional development in social work. Our initial review revealed that the Candidacy Mentorship program supports the integration of Standards and Ethics into practice, cultivates the professional identity of social workers, equips them with tools for increased resilience, and lowers the risk of complaints.
Training & Updating Policy for Regulatory Committees
We have made significant strides in training and updating policies that guide our regulatory committees, ensuring that our practices remain current and reflective of best practices.
Aligning & Advancing our Advocacy for Health & Well-being
We’ve campaigned to transform mental health and substance use services by integrating a bio-psycho-social approach that considers both biological factors and social determinants like economic status and education. This approach aims for holistic, inclusive health services. Key to this campaign’s success are our partnerships with the Canadian Mental Health Association Nova Scotia Division and first voice groups, enhancing our advocacy for a more empathetic service framework.
A significant achievement is the We Have Power advocacy guide developed with the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia, equipping professionals to effectively drive change. Our collective efforts have not only advanced the profession but also built a strong network for systemic change, working towards more responsive, equitable health systems. This united approach emphasizes our commitment to addressing underlying issues, moving towards a future where everyone has access to comprehensive care and support, bridging biological and social health aspects.
Child & Family Well-being Advocacy
The College completed and launched a major report with Wisdom2Action that illuminated critical areas such as the disproportionate representation of Black and Indigenous families in foster care due to discriminatory policies, the negative impacts of the 2017 Children and Family Services Act amendments on marginalized communities, and the failure of service delivery transformation efforts by the Department of Community Services to improve outcomes for affected individuals. Criticisms extend to the system’s lack of regulation, accountability, punitive policies, outdated values, and insufficient resources, all contributing to social work’s diminishing value and challenges in recruitment and retention. The report underscores an urgent need for a comprehensive overhaul of governance and practice approaches to safeguard the well-being and rights of children and families. Ongoing advocacy efforts with the government and opposition parties continue in pursuit of these critical reforms.
Professional Development
The staff has taken a proactive approach in creating professional development content, aiming to ensure that social workers have access to material that is not only relevant but instrumental in advancing their practice knowledge and skills. This initiative specifically targets core issues such as ethics, reconciliation, and unconscious bias, with a pronounced emphasis on anti-Black racism, vicarious trauma, and social justice. Through this effort, the staff demonstrates a commitment to addressing these critical areas, equipping social workers with the tools and understanding necessary to foster a more inclusive, effective, and compassionate practice. This dedication to enhancing professional growth and competency directly contributes to the broader goal of achieving equity and justice within communities and the social work profession at large.
Housing & Poverty
We continue to strengthen our core partnerships with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Nova Scotia Action Coalition for Community Well-Being to address the structural issues that social workers encounter in delivering services to clients. Among these challenges, housing emerges as the predominant concern for social workers across various fields. This issue comes as no surprise and underscores the urgency of our advocacy efforts. We are committed to pushing forward policy ideas and advocating for significant changes in how housing is provided, including limiting the use of fixed-term leases. By collaborating with our partners, we aim to tackle these systemic barriers, ensuring that social workers have the necessary support and resources to effectively serve their communities and advocate for the well-being of their clients.
Clinical Specialization
The year marked significant progress in continuing to advance the framework for clinical social work. New guidelines were crafted, laying a foundation for enhancing the quality and consistency of practice within the field. Efforts were concentrated on bringing to life the phase of clinical specialization in private practice. This initiative represents a pivotal step towards ensuring that clinical social workers are equipped with the most up-to-date standards and practices, enabling them to provide the highest level of care to their clients. By focusing on the development and implementation of these new guidelines, we are setting a benchmark for excellence in clinical social work, fostering an environment of continuous improvement and professional growth. These efforts underscore our commitment to the advancement of the profession and the well-being of the communities we serve.
The work undertaken this year underscores our collective commitment to not just meeting but exceeding the expectations and needs of our community. It reflects our ongoing dedication to social work’s core values and our pursuit of bringing these core values to life.
Looking ahead, we remain committed to building on these achievements, continually seeking new ways to innovate, advocate, and support the social work profession and those it serves. Our vision is clear — to cultivate an environment where social workers are empowered to bring about significant social change, and the most vulnerable among us can achieve greater well-being.
I am excited for what lies ahead and confident that, together, we will continue to make strides in realizing our goals and shaping a brighter future for social work in Nova Scotia.
