CANDIDACY

SUPPORTING NEW AND RETURNING SOCIAL WORKERS

BY VALERIE SHAPIRO, MSW, RSW, REGULATORY AND CANDIDACY MANAGER

DEVELOPING THE CMP

The NSCSW Candidacy Mentorship Program (CMP) is required for all newly registered social workers. Candidacy is designed to decrease professional stress and provide each candidate with nurturing conditions that complement their success, encourage self-efficacy, and support the development of their professional identity.

In 2019 the candidacy program was revamped and relaunched by the NSCSW Candidacy Committee. This initiative meant that while new Social Worker Candidates (SWC) would be required to complete the new CMP, some SWCs already engaged in candidacy continued on in the old program. As a result, the NSCSW has been administering both programs with an aim to completely close out the old candidacy program when all the remaining candidates have completed and been granted their RSW registration designation.

There are currently 438 registered SWCs; 395 are completing CMP and there are 43 finishing in the old candidacy program.

PLANNING EVALUATION

With the launch of the new CMP, the NSCSW also made a commitment to monitor and evaluate the program. The College aims to track and assess that the goals and objectives of the program are being met. A full program evaluation will take place in 2021, and will identify:

1. The problems the CMP is meant to address

• The ability of social workers to uphold ethical practices. There is a complex tension between social work values, ethics and standards and the demands and structures of the workplace.

• The erosion or confusion of the professional social work identity. There is a pull towards the profession’s principles and values which are embedded in social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people; however, social workers are often pulled towards a maintenance of the status quo by asserting social control.

• Stress and burnout through vicarious trauma. Social workers face high caseloads, strict deadlines, public scrutiny, lack of resources, and an inability to influence decisions or alter undesirable situations.

2. Steps being taken to address these problems

The CMP is designed to counter and resist the negative effects of professional stress by supporting candidates:

• Supporting the development of a professional identity

• Encouraging discussion ethical issues

• Exploring professional concerns related to their practice experiences

• Integrating theory and practice while gaining workplace experience

• Combatting the impact of burnout and compassion fatigue by supporting the development of selfawareness, and restorative practices

3. Indicators of program success

• SWCs demonstrate an understanding and application of both the NSCSW Standards of Practice 2017, and the Canadian Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, and can integrate the content and spirit of both documents into their day-to-day social work.

• SWCs are trusted by users of professional services, key stakeholders and other professions.

• SWCs have congruent values within the profession.

• SWCs hold a sense of collective identity and have a greater self-awareness.

• SWCs have a clear and well differentiated scope of practice.

• SWCs have articulated self-care and restorative practices to aid in decreased social work burnout.

EXPLORATORY REVIEW

The first step towards conducting a full program evaluation was to first ensure that the program is being delivered as it was intended by the Candidacy Committee that designed it.

Megan Johnson, a BSW student completing a placement at NSCSW, contacted past members of the committee with questions about CMP’s current delivery, and provided examples of completed candidacy records. The committee members were asked four questions.

1. Is the quality of responses from participants who have completed the recently updated Candidacy Mentorship Program in line with what the program was designed to achieve?

Based on the committee member’s review of a sample of candidacy records, they reported that it is evident that the changes to the candidacy program are in line with what the program is intended to do. For instance, the review revealed that candidates reported:

• The ability to easily access resources and support from the College

• Increased usage of the Standards of Practice and NSCSW Code of Ethics

• Enhancement and emphasis of self-care practices

2. What are the strengths of the recently updated Candidacy Mentorship Program?

Almost all respondents remarked on how easily accessible and convenient the CMP is through its online platform. Generally, the committee members found that the strengths of the CMP are:

• Easily accessible online resources, including having an appointed NSCSW staff member to support mentors and candidates

• Training program for mentors

• Program engagement creates a positive experience for candidates

3. Are there any aspects of the Candidacy Mentorship Program that should be different? If so, why?

The committee members offered insight into numerous components of the CMP that could be improved:

• NSCSW staff could schedule check-ins with candidates and their mentors, in order to provide them with additional support through the duration of the candidacy.

• New mentors could be connected with experienced mentors who could offer them tips, and have a chance to voice the questions or concerns they may have in order to build their confidence mentoring.

• The NSCSW could support candidates who identify as a racial or ethnic minority to be partnered with a mentor who also identities as being from the same community. By doing so, the committee member expressed that the candidate could connect better and share similar experiences with their mentor.

• The NSCSW could encourage candidates to pair with mentors that are employed in a different social work field. By doing so, the candidate could be offered a greater scope and insight into the diversity of field of social work.

4. What are the weaknesses of the recently updated Candidacy Mentorship Program?

Most comments and insights regarding the updates to the CMP were positive, but committee members did address some weaknesses of the program. One of these individuals felt that the College could be more involved in the partnering of a candidate and their mentor, rather than candidates finding mentors through informal channels.

Another weakness that was brought up was how the use of an online platform could weaken the quality of conversations between candidates and their mentors. This member was referring to the use of Zoom and other online meeting platforms to host candidacy meetings. Due to the global pandemic, many candidates and mentors have been meeting virtually. Being separated by a screen could have the potential to disrupt the flow of conversation, and may negatively impact the quality of mentorship meetings.

Based on the review with past members of the Candidacy Committee, the NSCSW has concluded that the Candidacy Mentorship Program is operating as it was intended. NSCSW will conduct a fulsome program evaluation in the coming year.