Living up to our professional values & standards BY JOLINE COMEAU, MSW, RSW, COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE CHAIR
Recent media coverage of NSCSW discipline matters that were deliberated in 2020 has served as a reminder for the Complaints Committee to maintain an objective approach in our deliberations. These matters have shone a light on the importance of social workers’ Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice; this was a reminder for social workers around the province that we are working with vulnerable individuals in a position of power, and this influence should never be undervalued or taken for granted. The mandate of the College is to serve and protect public interest, preserve the integrity of the social work profession, and to maintain public confidence in the ability of the social work profession to regulate itself. The College achieves this mandate by regulating the practice of social work, 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.
34 NSCSW Annual Report | 2020
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 committee is obligated to investigate every complaint made, which vary in complexity. Some are simple to resolve, while others have more complex issues such as fitness-topractice issues, 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.
2020 COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Dennis Adams, Joline Comeau (chair), Jack Landreville, Lisandra Naranjo (public appointed member), Ogochukwu Okechukwu (staff), Valerie Shapiro (staff)
