3 minute read
Learning from Complaints
BY LISANDRA NARANJO, JDCOMPLAINTS COMMITTEE CHAIR
The Nova Scotia College of Social Workers exists to serve and protect Nova Scotians by effectively regulating the profession of social work. The NSCSW establishes, maintains, and regulates standards of professional practice. Our role is to ensure that Nova Scotians receive the services of skilled and competent social workers who are knowledgeable, ethical, qualified, and accountable to the people who receive social work services.
The NSCSW believes the people of Nova Scotia are entitled to receive the highest caliber of care from their social workers. The College achieves its mandate, in part, through its legislated power to address complaints involving allegations of professional misconduct, conduct unbecoming the profession, incompetency, and/or a breach of the Code of Ethics.
The process of receiving, investigating, and resolving complaints is the ongoing work of the complaints committee which is a subcommittee of the Board of Examiners. The complaints committee is obligated to investigate every complaint made that is within the College’s jurisdiction. The complaints made each year vary in complexity. Some are simple to resolve, while others have more complex issues such as fitness-to-practice issues, documentation practices, confidentiality breaches, and professional boundaries violations. The powers and duties associated with processing complaints is not assumed lightly and the resources required to carry out these responsibilities effectively are considerable.
The College continues to examine ways to enhance the quality of care delivered by social workers through our ethical mapping project and continued collaboration with employers such as the Department of Community Services.
The number of complaints received and processed by this committee remain high.
In all, there were 74 complaint matters processed by NSCSW staff in 2023. Of these, 16 were open complaint matters carried over from 2022. The remaining 58 were new complaints received in 2023; 31 matters required investigation (compared to 28 in 2022 and 21 in 2021) and the other 27 were not opened because they were outside NSCSW jurisdiction.
Of the 47 complaint matters investigated by the committee in 2023, 22 were carried over into 2024, 2 were withdrawn, and the complaints committee rendered 24 final decisions.
A look at 2023 Complaints
Practice Setting
32 Child Protection
5 Healthcare (NSH & IWK)
7 Private Practice
3 Community
Outcomes
16 Dismissals
4 Letters of Counsel
1 Discipline Committee Decision
2 Informal Resolution
1 Reprimand by Consent
2 Withdrawn
Source
32 Service Users
6 Employers
3 Registrar
6 Third Party
