Confidence and accountability

BY LISANDRA NARANJO HERNANDEZ, JD, COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE CHAIR

The mandate of the College is to serve and protect the 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.

As a member of the Nova Scotia Regulated Health Professionals Network, the NSCSW has committed to use agreed upon standards of good regulation to guide our governance and operations (nsrhpn.ca/2021/03/standardsof-good-regulation-a-resource-for-networkmembers). These standards prioritize the core role of the NSCSW as a regulator of the social work profession. The NSCSW achieves this role by regulating the practice of social work, in part, through our 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.

We also had some changes to our committee this year and we bid farewell to our former member Joline Comeau, who was the committee chair for 6 years.

The number of complaints received and processed by this committee remain high. In 2022, 28 new complaints were made (up from 21 in 2021), and 6 were carried over from 2021, totaling 34 matters (1 less than the prior year). Of the 34 open 2022 complaint matters processed, 20 were closed and 14 were carried over into 2023.

The complaints committee rendered 20 final decisions.

A look at 2022 Complaints

DOMAIN

18 Child Welfare

9 Healthcare (IWK & NSH)

3 Private Practice

4 Community Organizations

ACTION

13 Dismissals

5 Letters of Counsel

0 Discipline Committee Decisions

1 Reprimand with Consent

1 Withdrawn

SOURCE

22 Clients

6 Employers

4 Third Party

2 Registrar

2022 COMPLAINTS COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Dennis Adams, Jack Landreville, Lisandra Naranjo Hernandez (public appointed member), Ogochukwu Okechukwu (staff), Angela Penney, Valerie Shapiro (staff liaison)