Ottawa, ON — November 26, 2025 — The Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) is calling on the Government of Canada to formally recognize social workers as Public Safety Personnel (PSP).
“Despite providing the largest portion of mental health services and often working directly alongside first responders, social workers are excluded from the federal definition of PSP.” notes Barbara Whitenect, President of CASW.
While PSP is intended to broadly encompass front-line personnel ensuring public safety across all jurisdictions, social workers remain excluded from this definition. Their exclusion contradicts evidence demonstrating their critical role in public safety and their vulnerability to workplace-related trauma.
“Addressing this oversight is crucial to ensuring that social workers receive the same protections and resources afforded to other PSP,” notes Whitenect. “A public safety system that excludes a predominantly female profession cannot be considered equitable.” added Barbara Whitenect.
Public safety professions such as policing and firefighting are mostly male dominated, while social work is predominately female. This omission limits access to essential operational stress injury (OSI) supports, including those linked to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
CASW is recommending three urgent actions from the federal government:
- Formally recognize social workers as PSP in federal policy and programs.
- Apply Gender Based Analysis (GBA) meaningfully by addressing gender inequities in PSP classifications.
- Extend OSI related supports and benefits to social workers, aligning with existing evidence on trauma exposure.
“Without supporting social workers’ mental health, Canada undermines its ability to provide effective trauma responses, not only for PSP but also for their families” concludes Whitenect.
