Co-navigating change & uncertainty with our communities

Alec Stratford, MSW, RSW; NSCSW Registrar/Executive Director

Take a moment. Take a breath, and feel your feet underneath you. Feel the breath flowing in and out of your body, and ground yourself through the radiating of love, compassion and empathy that still exists and is all around us during one the darkest periods in Nova Scotia history.

That love, compassion and empathy that surrounds us is being generated each and every day through you. It is brought to life in the ways that social workers support vulnerable Nova Scotians who went into this pandemic facing economic, health and social inequities, and it is deeply meaningful to all Nova Scotians who are grieving the senseless violence that occurred on April 18 and 19.

What social workers do matters, and it makes a difference. Upon reflection of the year behind us, all social workers should feel incredibly proud of their contributions and the impact they have had on Nova Scotia.

As a profession, we are growing. In 2016 we had 1824 members, and this year we have 2154; that is an 18 per cent increase over four years. We are the third largest regulated health profession in Nova Scotia. This growth can be attributed to the empathy, skills and integrity that social workers bring to their work each day. It can also be attributed to the complex needs of Nova Scotians as we increasingly become a more unequal society, which has continued to compound the complex social inequities that exist.

The Nova Scotia College of Social Workers worked hard and diligently throughout 2019 to lead and support the profession. Throughout this issue of Connection, you will read about the work of our 6 dedicated staff and our close to 100 volunteers who have continued to achieve the College’s mandate and action our 5-year strategic plan.

You will read about our goals to regulate the profession by ensuring the highest standards of professional and ethical social work practice for the people of Nova Scotia. This will include highlights of our professional conduct program and the steps we’ve taken to enhance the integrity of decisions being made by the Complaints Committee ensuring duty to fairness, working to ensure that participatory rights are upheld, and that decisions made are grounded in sound reasons. You will read about how we have brought to life a new and improved Candidacy Mentorship Program that has streamlined the process through a digital database for much more effective administration, and the launch of the mentor training to help build the capacity of our mentors. Finally, you will read about the work of the Private Practice Committee and their work to strengthen clinical social work practice.

Social workers are strong advocates, and the College continues to be a recognized leader in advocacy and social justice working to protect Nova Scotians. 2019 saw us continue to work with our community partners to bring a strong and active progressive voice into the public discourse.

Our projects have continued to see us lead the creation and launch of an anti-poverty coalition, the Nova Scotia Action Coalition for Community Well-Being; this group is pushing to change the narrative on poverty, and advocates for structural change to enhance our community well-being. The Social Policy Committee continued to work with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives to develop a social policy framework, which lays out what is required for a transformative social policy agenda in Nova Scotia. The framework report documents how income inequality results in political, economic and social instability. It demonstrates how best to tackle inequality and strengthen the social bond, which is essential to address the climate crisis and our future well-being. Our Social Justice Committee continues to work with the Dalhousie School of Social Work to launch our upcoming mental health advocacy paper which will aim to challenge the dominant medical model within our mental health systems and reposition social work to lead the delivery of family and client centred approaches. You will read about the work of the Child Welfare Advisory Committee, a networked group of stakeholders who believe we can and must change the current political structures to enable social workers in child protection to lead systems change to protect vulnerable children and youth.

We will share the work of the Editorial Committee and their dedication to building a professional magazine sharing stories of how the profession impacts the lives of Nova Scotians. Connection has been a valuable addition to promote the profession, and to achieve our goal of Nova Scotians valuing social work knowledge, experience and training.

You will also read about the incredible work of the Professional Development Committee who have been working to build the College into a centre for social work resources and professional development. In 2019 we offered over 18 professional development events across Nova Scotia including a conference; this coupled with the work of the CASW to deliver webinars meant that 2019 was the first year that members could achieve all of their professional development hours through the College.

Finally, we will update you on the College’s financial plan towards our goal of being responsible, accountable and transparent. We continue to see financial pressures in the area of professional conduct; this is due to increased complaints. However, we continue to direct and earmark resources to continue to be able to build out resources for professional development and advocacy.

I want to thank all of the staff and volunteers at the College for their incredible efforts to support the profession of social work in Nova Scotia. In particular, I want to thank Lynn Brogan for stepping in as Acting ED/R for 2019 so that I could take parental leave and form important attachments with my daughter.

As we continue to work through this tumultuous year, remember to stay connected. Connect with people in both your personal and work lives, through phone calls, virtual meetings, and writing. Know that you are not alone. You have a professional community that is cheering you on, and that is here.

Alec Stratford, NSCSW Executive Director/Registrar