Frequently Asked Questions

(Updated August 2009)

I would like to know more about the profession of social work in Canada. Can you help me?
There are several web-based references for you to check out. If you haven’t already you will find an excellent overview of the profession on CASW’s website (Click here). You will also be able to find overviews of the profession on the websites of the CASW’s provincial / territorial social work member organizations. To find their Internet addresses (URLs) click here.

An excellent resource for information about social work in Canada is a national study of the status of the social work profession in Canada published in 2000. The Executive Summary of the report is available on-line (http://www.casw-acts.ca/canada/sectorstudyintro_e.html).

Another resource worth reviewing is the Government of Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) website (www23.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca). It describes the occupation of social work in Canada including national employment trends.

Can you help me with a research question that I have?
CASW does not have the capacity to assist people with individual research inquiries. We suggest you contact the libraries at the schools of social work. For a listing of schools, go to the Canadian Association of Social Work Education (CASWE) website (www.caswe-acfts.ca/).

How do I become a registered social worker in Canada?
Canada is a Federation of provinces and territories. Legislative authority is thus divided between the Federal government and the provincial/territorial governments. In Canada jurisdiction over profession is assigned to the provinces/territories. Each province has enacted legislation and established social work regulatory bodies to govern the profession in accordance with the legislation. Provincial social work legislation varies from province to province. Individual social workers become registered by becoming a member of a provincial regulatory body. Click here for more information.

I am interested in coming to Canada . Please tell me how to apply for emigration to Canada?
CASW does not have any direct involvement with the immigration process in Canada . Contact Citizenship and Immigration Canada or the nearest Canadian embassy for the specifics about immigrating to Canada that apply to you.

It may be necessary for you to have your foreign social work credentials assessed for Canadian equivalency as part of the emigration process. For more information about the assessment of foreign social work credential click here.

How do I have my foreign social work degree assessed for equivalence to a Canadian social work degree?
CASW has a well-established procedure for assessing foreign social work credentials to determine equivalence to Canadian social work degrees. CASW provides the assessment service to all our provincial / territorial member organizations except in the provinces of British Columbia and Quebec.  Click here

The application procedure is explained in detail on our website (Click here). You can either download the application package or CASW will mail the application package to you upon request.

Before sending CASW the completed application package, contact Citizenship and Immigration Canada to determine if you are eligible for emigration to Canada.

What are the employment opportunities for social workers in Canada?
CASW does not actively track Canadian social work employment trends or maintain a list of social work job openings in Canada. There are a number of web-based resources that are helpful in exploring social work employment trends and opportunities in Canada.

Social Work Employment Trends in Canada
www.casw-acts.ca/canada/sectorstudyintro_e.html - This report of a national study presents a comprehensive examination of social work in Canada (2000) .
www23.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca - This Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) National Occupational Classification website provides detailed information about social work as an occupation in Canada.

Useful Websites
www.casw-acts.ca - CASW website has a job opportunity section. Also, provincial and territorial social work organizations sometimes publicize social work job openings. Click here for a listing.
www.workingincanada.gc.ca/welcome.do?lang=en Working in Canada
www.medhunters.com - Hospital social work positions available in Canada and USA.
www.monster.ca - General employment site that includes social work positions.
www.careerclick.com and www.workopolis.com - Employment listings from two large Canadian newspaper chains.
www.charityvillage.com/ - Positions available in Canada ’s non-profit sector.
www.gc.ca - Website of the Canadian government which also links to provincial and territorial governments
www.ciip.accc.ca/Default.aspx?DN=783,32,Documents Canadian Immigration Integration Project

Does CASW arrange job exchanges in Canada?
CASW does not maintain a list of Canadian social work organizations or employers who have job exchange opportunities for social workers residing outside of Canada. Social workers interested in job exchanges should contact Canadian social work organizations and employers directly.

I would like to arrange a social work practicum/internship/field placement in Canada. Can you help me?
CASW does not offer any services in relation to social work field education. Social work students interested in an international social work practicum are advised to contact Canadian schools of social work directly.  A list of Canadian schools of social work and their addresses is available on the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE) website (www.caswe-acfts.ca/en/).

Please send me all the information you have about Canadian social policy and social service programs?
CASW does not maintain an extensive library of holdings in relation to Canadian social policy, social service programs, specific social problems / issues or particular social work client populations. Our holdings are limited to the list of publications identified on our website (Click here).

I would like to become a member of CASW. Could you please send me an application package?
To become a member of the profession in Canada, apply to the provincial / territorial social work organization in the province / territory in which you plan to live and work. By joining the appropriate provincial /territorial social work organization, social workers automatically become affiliated with CASW. Each of the provincial / territorial social work organizations have unique eligibility criteria. Click here for provincial / territorial social work organizations’ contact information.

How can I make a complaint about a  case of unprofessional conduct by a social worker?
In Canada, social work legislation is the responsibility of the provinces therefore a complaint or expression of concern about the conduct or actions of a social worker must be directed to the social work regulatory body in the province in which the social worker practises.  For contact information for social work regulatory bodies in Canada please click here.

How can I make a complaint about the social work association in my province/territory?
Provincial and territorial social work associations are not accountable to the CASW. A complaint about the social work association in your province/territory would be best directed to the Board of Directors of that association.

Does CASW release information about its members?
CASW considers members’ personal information, including addresses, confidential. Consequently, CASW does not release information to a person(s) requesting information about an individual member(s). If there is an urgent reason to contact a CASW member, however, then CASW will arrange to make the circumstance known to the member for their follow-up action.

Does CASW have information about accredited social work degree programs?
CASW does not maintain a list of accredited BSW or MSW programs for any country including Canada. For Canadian social work programs contact the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE) www.caswe-acfts.ca/en/. For American programs contact the Council on Social Work Education www.cswe.org.

Social Work programs accredited in another country are not necessarily equivalent to a Canadian Social Work degree.

Canadians exploring a foreign social work degree should bear in mind that Canadian social work employers and provincial / territorial social work organizations might require that foreign degrees be assessed for equivalency to a Canadian social work degree as a condition of employment or membership. Click here for more information about the assessment of foreign trained social workers degrees.

Does CASW accredit social work programs provided in other countries?
CASW does not approve or accredit any social work programs. CASW assesses each application on its own merit to determine if the program
content completed by an individual is comparable for the Canadian social work curriculum and is likely to have provided the opportunity to achieve
comparable qualifications to a Canadian B.S.W. or M.S.W.

Can CASW tell me if someone's degree from the program or school to which I am applying have previously been assessed by the CASW as being equivalent to a Canadian degree?
The CASW does not discuss information pertinent to other applicants/applications regarding the assessment of degrees nor does it approve or accredit any social work programs.

Again, it is important to note that the CASW assesses each application on its own merit to determine if the program content completed by an individual is comparable for the Canadian social work curriculum. Degrees from the same institution and the same year are not necessarily equivalent because of program options. They may be equivalent in terms of level but not entirely comparable in terms of social work content. Therefore there is no guarantee that if other graduates from a particular program/school have a degree assessed as equivalent by the CASW that your degree will be assessed as equivalent to a Canadian degree.

Is it possible to have my book review published in CASW’s Bulletin or Journal?
Due to space limitation it is necessary to strictly control the book review section of the CASW Bulletin and Canadian Social Work (CSW). Consequently, unsolicited book reviews are not accepted for publication. CASW selects the books to be reviewed from the ones received at the National office, recommended by members or requested. Reviewers for the selected books are chosen from our list of reviewers. CASW is always interested in expanding its list of reviewers. Résumés are welcomed from individuals who would like to be considered for inclusion on the list. Applicants are asked to indicate their interest areas in their cover letter.

My book has been reviewed. I would like to have the review published in your Bulletin or Journal.
CASW does not accept unsolicited reviews of an author’s book or other publications. As noted in the previous FAQ, due to space limitation it is necessary to strictly control the book review section of the CASW Bulletin and Canadian Social Work (CSW).

How can I have my article published in CASW’s journal Canadian Social Work?
The articles that appear in Canadian Social Work (CSW) are anonymously peer reviewed. Once it has been determined that the article is appropriate for CSW, it is distributed to three knowledgeable social workers for review. These reviewers can either recommend or reject the article for publication or suggest the article be revised before publication. In the latter instance, the article is returned to the author for the necessary revisions. Once the revisions are complete, the article is again submitted to three reviewers, who have the same options vis-à-vis publication. An information package (Writers' Guide) for prospective writers is available free (Click here).(76kb pdf) Articles should be submitted to CASW national office.

Are CASW’s publications available on-line?
The CASW Bulletin, CASW Reporter and position papers are available on-line to members of CASW member organizations and to subscribers. All position papers are available on the CASW public website six months after the publication date. For information on subscription rates or to order individual (hard) copies of particular publications, please refer to the Publications List (current and archives).

What methods of payment does CASW accept for publications or promotional materials?
The CASW only accepts payment by cheque or money order. Credit cards are not accepted.

How do I apply for the AON/CASW scholarship for Canadian social workers?
AON Reed Stenhouse, Insurance Brokers for CASW’s insurance programs, started the AON / CASW scholarship in 2000. The scholarship, awarded biennially through the Canadian Social Work Foundation, assists members of CASW provincial / territorial member organizations to attend the National Social Work Conference. Application forms and information about the selection criteria are available from the provincial / territorial member organizations. The completed application form must be submitted by the member organization no later than December 31 of the previous year of the event. Member organizations are permitted to submit only one application to CASW. The recipient of the scholarship will be selected by lottery from the qualified applicants.

My question has not been answered here. What can I do?
If your question concerns social work education and accreditation of social work programs in Canada, contact the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE) (www.caswe-acfts.ca/en/).

If your question concerns immigration to Canada, contact Citizenship and Immigration Canada (www.cic.gc.ca).

If your question concerns the regulation of the profession in Canada, contact the appropriate provincial or territorial social work organization.

If your question concerns social work practice in a particular province or territory, contact the applicable provincial or territorial social work organization.

To access the web addresses and contact information for the provincial and territorial social work organizations in Canada, click here.

Information related to historical questions can sometimes be found at Library and Archives Canada. (www.collectionscanada.ca)

If your question has not been answered on the CASW website, please check the list of links for access to other useful resources.

Modified: Monday, August 9, 2010 14:01