CLINICAL REGISTRATION Right-touch regulation of social work practice BY NSCSW PRIVATE PRACTICE COMMITTEE
The Private Practice Committee formed in June of 2017 to address issues with the bylaws regarding the registration of private practitioners. The committee has been hard at work reflecting, researching and discussing these issues with the goal of providing a rationale and recommendations back to
SURVEY RESULTS The survey revealed multiple perspectives on the issues, but the committee found beliefs shared by most respondents:
the membership at this year’s AGM.
1. Having an MSW or PhD from an accredited school of social work is a necessary requirement for private practice.
A membership survey revealed that the current regulation
2. Five years of relevant social work experience is a necessary requirement for private practice.
on private practice is unclear and that members perceived private practice to be clinical practice. An environmental scan of private practice and clinical social work regulations across Canada also revealed that Nova Scotia is the only province that regulates private practice as a specific area of practice; however, provinces such as British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan have specific regulation regarding clinical practice.
3. Supervision in an area of specialization is a necessary requirement for private practice. 4. Conducting assessments for legal proceedings as a social worker requires an additional level of registration to protect the public. 5. Clinical social work requires an additional level of registration to protect the public.
Winter 2019 | Connection 11
