Recognize Social Workers as Public Safety Personnel

Every day, social workers across Canada stand on the front lines of crisis. They respond to child abuse, domestic violence, mental health emergencies, disasters, and community trauma, often at great personal risk. Yet, unlike other professionals who uphold public safety, social workers are not recognized under Canada’s official definition of Public Safety Personnel (PSP).

It’s time to change that.

Why This Matters 

The Government of Canada’s Federal Framework for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and its plans for supporting public safety personnel were designed to ensure that those who protect Canadians also receive protection and care. In this context, CASW calls for the Government of Canada to reaffirm financial support for the national Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) framework and to extend and increase the funding for the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT).

But social workers—who share identical exposure to trauma as firefighters, police officers, correctional officers, and paramedics—remain excluded from official supports.

This exclusion means social workers are:

  • Denied access to critical operational stress injury (OSI) supports and benefits.
  • Overlooked in PSP research and policy development.
  • Undervalued in Canada’s national public safety planning—despite their essential role in crisis response.

Recognizing social workers as PSP is both a matter of public safety and a matter of gender equity, as most social workers identify as women. Exclusion perpetuates systemic gender bias and contradicts the federal government’s Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) commitments.

The Evidence Is Clear

Social workers protect Canada’s most vulnerable including children, seniors, people at risk of violence, and those facing mental health crises.

Research shows that nearly half of social workers in child protection have experienced threats or violence on the job, and many leave the field due to trauma.

Including social workers in the PSP definition will:

  • Strengthen Canada’s emergency and mental health response capacity.
  • Ensure fair access to occupational health resources like PSPNET and peer support programs.
  • Align federal policy with evidence-based, gender-responsive approaches.

In 2025, CASW developed a position paper that urges the Government of Canada to:

  1. Formally include RSWs as PSP in federal policy and programs
  2. Apply Gender Based Analysis (GBA) Plus meaningfully by addressing gender inequities in PSP classifications
  3. Extend OSI related supports and benefits to RSWs, aligning with existing evidence on trauma exposure 

To learn more read CASW's Position Paper on Public Safety and Social Work.