Social justice, community healing and social change based on humanitarianism and egalitarianism.

Anti-oppressive practice that values diversity, respect and the dignity and worth of all people.

The accreditation standards of the Canadian Association of Social Work Education at the HBSW level.

Development of a professional culture that brings together teaching faculty, field instructors, students, alumni and social workers in the field, Northern College of Arts and Technology, Sault College of Arts and Technology and Algoma University, as partners in the realization of the HBSW program’s mission within the mission of the university.

A commitment to highlighting Indigenous knowledge and approaches and to affirming history that has been neglected or silenced.

The social work programs at Carleton University are based on the structural approach to social work. This approach provides a framework for critically engaging with, and analysing, social work knowledge and practice. It is based on an understanding of how economic, social, political and legislative contexts shape individual, community and societal problems. At the School of Social Work we promote the development of innovative social work practice directed toward advancing equity and social justice as well as individual and societal change. Through this approach, students are being prepared to address injustices and inequities in a range of roles. This may be working directly with individuals, families and communities. It may also be working indirectly on addressing social justice in, and through, government and civil society organizations.

At the School of Social Work we are committed to the principles of education equity as articulated in our Education Equity Statement, and to a collaborative teaching and learning environment among students, faculty, administrative staff and the community. Students are involved in the governance of the School and are members of School committees. Working cooperatively and collectively may mean that diverse ideas and perspectives are brought forward which may lead to disagreement, uncertainty and conflict–standard parts of learning and growing. How we deal with disagreement and conflict is a central part of learning, particularly for students preparing to enter the complex world of social work. As members of the School we strive to resolve conflict constructively and fairly and we actively promote an environment of professional conduct that is in line with the Code of Ethics developed by our professional body, the Canadian Association of Social Workers. The Code includes the importance of respect and high levels of civility among students, faculty, administrative staff and our community partners.

The School of Social Work at Dalhousie is committed to building a socially just society, defined as one that upholds and validates the values of equality, diversity, inclusiveness, democracy, and concern for human welfare.  We manifest and advance curricula, scholarship, and school culture that are congruent with these values.

Mission

The School of Social Work engages in teaching, research, community initiatives and other scholarly activity to promote social justice. To this end, we educate students and collaborate with others to advance change within the social work profession, social institutions, and the broader society.

Guiding principles and beliefs

The School of Social Work recognizes the importance of understanding and addressing inequitable social structures and conditions for advancing individual and collective welfare and development.

The importance of supporting the struggles for social justice and social well being of historically disadvantaged peoples and communities.

The importance conceptualizing the spaces of the social work field in broad terms, as including local, national, and international arenas, and individual, community, policy, and political-institutional contexts.

Building a diverse and inclusive school environment. Towards that end, we recognize the importance of altering the cultural context of the school in ways that are welcoming to the cultures and belief systems of historically marginalized groups and communities.

The importance of accessible education; respectful and collaborative approaches to working with groups and communities; academic and intellectual freedom; collegiality; and open, democratic, and inclusive decision-making.

First Nations spirituality, philosophies, ideology, knowledge and methodologies are the foundation of the School of Indigenous Social Work. It is our communal belief in First Nations self-determination and our respect for the strengths of First Nations cultures, that maintain our commitment to ensuring that we, as faculty, administration and support staff, continue to develop, research, share and fully honour this foundation.

The Mission of the School of Social Work at King’s University College at Western University is to provide a learning environment characterized by excellence in social work education directed toward developing and fostering ethical and competent professional practitioners at both the beginning and advanced levels who identify and address the interrelatedness of human needs, social structures and oppressive conditions in their practice with diverse populations. (Approved by School Council October 13, 2016)

Diversity

The School of Social Work and King’s University College welcomes applications from all qualified individuals. Our diversity has many different faces and expressions including, but not limited to, age, colour, culture, disability/non-disability status, ethnic or linguistic origin, gender, health status, heritage, immigration status, geographic origin, race, religious and spiritual beliefs, political orientation, gender and sexual identities, and socioeconomic status.

First Nations

The School of Social Work at King’s University College recognizes and acknowledges that we are located in the traditional territories of indigenous peoples. Given this complex history, we will treat the land and indigenous people with respect and care, and the School of Social Work will continue to enlarge its commitment to incorporating indigenous knowledge and practice into the curriculum.

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences

School of Social Work 

The School of Social Work at Lakehead University delivers a Generalist undergraduate degree while our graduate program provides an Advanced Generalist degree.  The School is an innovative program based on an ecological view of social work practice. This approach stresses the social worker’s role in providing and facilitating a comprehensive range of helping experiences which relate to the client’s needs as a whole person.

School of Social Work Program Goals and Intentions:

School of Social Work will:

Create an academic environment conducive to the development of generalist social work practitioners who have obtained both a professional and a liberal arts education.

Graduate social workers who adopt the values and perspectives of the social work profession and contribute to social service delivery systems.

Promote adherence to social work ethics in professional practice.

Support development of competence in inter-professional generalist practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities.

Provide education about diversity and human rights and responsibilities within the context of social justice.

Promote the development of critical thinking in professional practice.

The School of Social Work aims to educate social workers who can apply critical analyses to respond to those in need in order to promote social change, problem solving in the context of social justice and respect for human rights, and to improve the general well-being of individuals, groups, communities and society.

The Social Work program attracts a diverse range of students from many different cultures and backgrounds. You will benefit from that diversity as well as small classes, relevant practicum and dedicated faculty. MacEwan University’s commitment to student-centered learning and the flexibility to complete several courses in a blended online format prepare you to find employment in a wide range of settings and/or to continue on with university studies. The program faculty are actively involved in the social work profession, scholarly activity and research.

A unique program

Transformative, collaborative and supportive education: it’s at the heart of what we do. The same qualities are at the heart of what social workers do when they work with families, provide support and transform lives in the communities where they live and work.

The Bachelor of Social Work—the first Edmonton-based social work degree, and only the second in Alberta—will enable our Social Work diploma students to continue their studies in their home institution. And they’ll learn from faculty who are engaged in research, blended learning and all areas of social work practice.

Focus on sustainability

Unique to this degree is the focus on sustainability—how social, environmental and economic issues interrelate—and how we all fit in to the larger community. In addition, students enrolled in the program will be able to focus their study around one of five themes: sustainability, working with children and families, working with indigenous people (urban indigenous focus), health and mental health, and community social work practice.

Changing the world, one social worker at a time…

McGill University’s School of Social Work prepares professionals to make contributions that make a difference in Montreal, across Canada, and around the world. Our emphasis is on critical thinking, clinical practice, community development, advocacy, policy and research, in order to help vulnerable and disadvantaged people and to promote social justice.

As social workers, we operate in a society characterized by power imbalances that affect us all. These power imbalances are based on age, class, ethnicity, gender identity, geographic location, health, ability, race, sexual identity and income. We see personal troubles as inextricably linked to oppressive structures. We believe that social workers must be actively involved in the understanding and transformation of injustices in social institutions and in the struggles of people to maximize control over their own lives.

Our Focus

Social Work has always been concerned with the entanglement of private troubles and public issues and committed to the enhancement of social justice. We aim to prepare students for practice in a wide variety of social and community services and for critical reflection on their activities as both professionals and citizens. Through our research and community engagements, we address some of the tensions in contemporary social programs and, in the context of a changing world, strive to understand and challenge various forms and dynamics of social inequality. Our areas of focus include:

Struggles for Social Justice

Injustice – dismissal of and violence against indigenous people, disabled people, people labeled ‘mad’, racialized people, women, people who are queer, people who are old – is embedded in society. Social workers strive to understand, challenge and transform social injustice.

Critical Practice & Leadership

‘Critical’ social work practice and leadership recognizes and attempts to address the historical and social inequities that cause (or make worse) individual, family and community troubles. Critical approaches also recognize the contradictions and harms of social work and social policies.

Advocacy & Support

Social workers are actively involved in supporting people and communities to gain access and voice in decision making, in their own lives and circumstances and in the public sphere.

Political & Institutional Change

Social policies and social welfare institutions significantly affect the lives and life chances of individuals and communities. Social workers study and take action to improve and transform them.

Strengthening human relationships and promoting social justice through academic excellence.

Our Mission:

To promote social justice by providing social work education, conducting scholarly inquiry, disseminating knowledge, and contributing to public policy and practice, thereby addressing the needs and aspirations of the local and global communities with whom we collaborate and interact.

Our Values:

We uphold the core values outlined by the Canadian Association of Social Workers:

Respect for the Inherent Dignity and Worth of Persons

Pursuit of Social Justice

Service to Humanity

Integrity of Professional Practice

Confidentiality in Professional Practice

Competence in Professional Practice

We especially value a commitment to vulnerable people, empathy, equity, safety, collegiality, openness, autonomy, transparency, intellectual curiosity, creativity, and a strong sense of humour.

The NVIT BSW degree program is the only Aboriginal-centered BSW program in British Columbia. Graduates of the program will have greater knowledge, skills and abilities to practice social work with diverse populations.

The School of Social Work prepares social work practitioners through an accessible and inclusive curriculum, at both baccalaureate and masters levels, in a learning environment that fosters caring and competent social work practice within regional, national and international contexts and embraces principles of justice, equality and respect for diversity.

To prepare graduates for critically engaged social work practice with marginalized populations and communities.

To develop leadership and innovation in social work education, at the undergraduate and graduate level, through teaching, scholarship, research and community service.

Our vision

School of Social Work is a leader in critical education, research, and practice with culturally and socially diverse students and communities in the advancement of anti-oppression/anti-racism, anti-Black racism, anti-colonialism/decolonization, Aboriginal reconciliation, feminism, anti-capitalism, queer and trans liberation struggles, issues in disability and Madness, among other social justice struggles. Our vision is to transform social structures into more equitable and inclusive social, economic, political, and cultural processes of society.

Our core values

We support the struggles of Indigenous populations, nationally and globally, for Indigenous sovereignty and their collective rights.

We affirm human dignity and human rights and value equity among all people.

We are committed to the implementation of social work values in our curriculum and in the delivery of our programs.

We are committed to learning about communities that foster respect for social diversity, and critical reflexivity in our students and faculty.

We educate about the intersectionality and interlocking of oppressions and seek to address their causes.

Our program reflects ongoing attention to the rigor and relevance of our undergraduate and graduate degree programs which prepares our graduates with the requisite knowledge, skills and values to work with marginalized populations in a constantly evolving global context.

We foster student-centered learning environments that engage and challenge students, and which are responsive to life circumstances and societal forces that create barriers to the student experience.

We build relationships with communities, expressed in our collaborative community-based research, community service and in educational relationships with field placement settings.

We stand with communities and populations that experience oppression and marginalization, including poverty, exploitation and domination, and seek to work with all those committed to the advancement of anti-oppression/anti-racism, anti-Black racism, anti-colonialism/decolonization, Aboriginal reconciliation, feminism, anti-capitalism, queer and trans liberation struggles, issues in disability and Madness, among other social justice struggles.

Our program reflects ongoing attention to the rigor and relevance of our undergraduate and graduate degree programs which prepares our graduates with the requisite knowledge, skills and values to work with marginalized populations in a constantly evolving global context.

Preamble

The St. Thomas University Bachelor of Social Work program is located in a small liberal arts institution whose mission statement includes values and beliefs that are congruent with the teaching philosophy and structural perspective adopted in our social work program.

We are a university primarily concerned with people, ideas and values. We are an institution with a social conscience. We are united in the belief that women and men of divergent backgrounds and abilities should have an opportunity to learn and practice critical thought and to realize their intellectual potential in an academic setting that is both responsive and stimulating. St. Thomas University Calendar

Within the context of the practical and philosophical mission of the larger university, the School of Social Work subscribes to humanitarian and egalitarian goals. Our Mission Statement provides an ideological foundation and is a step in the evolution of our teaching philosophy and in our efforts to make the social/political structures of the BSW program more congruent with the values espoused in the curriculum. There is an intrinsic understanding of the diversity of people attempting to work collaboratively in the educational endeavour as well as an acceptance of the conflictual nature of growth and change. The Mission Statement informs behavioural objectives which flow from the structural social work value base and also provides clear guidelines for conflict resolution. It attempts to clarify a continually developing program vision for teaching and work practices that are congruent with the structural perspective taught in this BSW program.

Mission Statement

The primary objective of the BSW program at St. Thomas University is to facilitate student development to a beginning level of practice competence in the profession of social work. As a School of Social Work we are committed to the teaching and development of a structural social work perspective among faculty, students, staff and with the larger community. In order to achieve this, the School of Social Work has adopted an approach based on the values of openness, respect, collegiality, mutuality, accountability and reconciliation. First, faculty endeavour to prepare students to practice structural social work by fostering critical thinking and critical self-reflection skills and by teaching the values, ethics, knowledge and skills required in order to promote social justice within their practice. Second, we emphasize our responsibility as social workers to assist people in achieving their human potential and to work for the development of the social and material conditions which would enable this growth. Third, we understand that this can only occur within a context that seeks ecological justice and life long learning.

Within the School of Social Work, we strive to create a community-oriented environment based on inclusion and mutual respect. Giving voice to all members of the community is intrinsic to the recognition of diversity and necessary to sustain the partnership required to support an empowering learning and teaching experience and to foster the development of structural social work theory and practice. An ethic of interdependence is central to our perspective and is integral to the curriculum, facilitating the capacity of all members to grow.

Philosophical Principles

It is our belief that community fosters a healthy environment for learning and teaching. Developing a sense of community based on the values of mutual respect, open-mindedness, acceptance, compassion, flexibility, and creativity are essential to a learning environment that is empowering for all those who participate in the BSW community.

In the context of a learning community, we strive for student/faculty relationships based on mutuality and reciprocity. Thus, students are involved extensively in the governance of the Department. While we strive to operate by consensus among faculty and with students, this is not always possible in working collectively. However, we are committed to resolving issues through constructive and creative problem solving.

Even though we strive for optimum standards in our teaching environment, we understand that conflict is normal and that confusion and uncertainty are a natural part of the learning process. These challenges help us to appreciate our humanity and acknowledge our limitations, thus motivating us to foster healing and reconciliation on a personal and collective basis.

We believe that learning is a collaborative, social process. Students derive many benefits from participating in the classroom learning process with other students. Students’ sharing, questioning, and exploration of issues are a critical element in the integration of concepts presented by faculty. Paradoxically, it is through collaborative learning that individuality and diversity are revealed. This provides us with rich opportunities for learning in which we address the differences in a respectful manner.

Based on a commitment to fundamental social work values and a vision of social justice, we prepare social workers for generalist and advanced professional practice. We promote the scholarly generation of critical transformative knowledge through research and study relevant to social work theories, and practices, social development and social administration.

Our Vision

Building upon a foundation of social justice and an ethic of care, we are a community of learners actively engaged in the development of critical, transformative knowledge for social work practice.

Our Values

Human Dignity: We honor the individual right to dignity and respect in all life circumstance.

Social Equity: We are committed to equality from within and across social systems, practicing inclusion and respecting diversity.

Social Justice: We promote social work values that aim to identify and address causes of exclusion, marginalization, and oppression past and present.

Scholarship: We generate critical, transformative knowledge that advances social work theory, practice, social development, and social administration.

We are committed to building collaborative relationships with communities and organizations to create change spanning the continuum from personal to societal for all, including marginalized populations. The School also addresses critical social issues integral to the Okanagan region. In particular, we acknowledge the injustices Indigenous peoples have experienced, their strengths and capacities, their contributions to social work knowledge and practice, and their rights to self-determination.

Striving for excellence in teaching, practice, research, ongoing professional development, and community service, we share knowledge with local, provincial, national and global communities. Undergraduate and graduate programs advance the ideals of international, interdisciplinary, and interprofessional education. The School promotes the values of diversity, creativity, stewardship, leadership and innovation in the teaching-learning process. Our programs develop social workers highly skilled in effective teamwork. Our graduates are clinical social workers who engage in relationally based interventions that include, but are not limited to, counselling and psychotherapy to restore, maintain and enhance well-being.

Creating social well-being and just societies.

Faculty of Social Work Mission

Dedicated to promoting societies that respect human dignity and worth, meet basic human needs, are anti-oppressive, inclusive, and based on principles of social justice.

Committed to learners by providing and building a knowledge base and set of skills in environments designed to stimulate and support a spirit of critical inquiry.

Focused on serving as a catalyst for positive community impact through the creation and dissemination of knowledge and innovation.

Objectives

The Faculty of Social Work prepares BSW graduates to address individual, family, community, and social concerns in the context of diverse and changing societies. Graduates are prepared to draw upon a variety of assessment and intervention methods to help achieve social well-being outcomes with appropriate structural supports across the life span.

The program is based on the social work tenets of mobilizing strengths of individuals and groups, social engagement and civil societies, respect for diversity, inclusion, equitable participation, and social justice.

The program is grounded in the vision and mission of the Faculty, inquiry based methods of learning, the Codes of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the social work profession, and the national accreditation standards for schools of social work.

The UFV Social Work degree programs prepare students for social work practice reflecting principles of social justice, equality, and respect for diversity. The programs address the structural barriers that prevent people from reaching their full potential. With a commitment to lifelong learning and a critical analysis of oppression, graduates will have the knowledge, skills, and professional social work values necessary to work collaboratively with individuals, families, groups, and communities in diverse and cross-cultural environments.  The programs contribute to the knowledge base of social work through partnerships and collaborative research with professional and local communities.

Principles

Social work education is a critical process that respects diverse sources and forms of knowledge while encouraging dissent. We are committed to scholarship including debate on social work and social welfare, with particular attention to how social problems come to be defined and addressed.

All individuals, families, groups, and communities are entitled to be treated with respect, with justice, and without discrimination. To that end, we seek to provide equitable educational opportunities and participation of those groups experiencing systemic oppression. Valuing our community base, we seek to promote social change.

We encourage the use of evidence-based practice and contribution to the knowledge base of social work.

“The social work program of education, research and community service is designed to prepare students for critical generalist social work practice with diverse peoples. Informed by the principles of indigenization, sustainability and social justice, the social work program encourages students to identify the needs of the disadvantaged, marginalized and oppressed.  It supports students in developing the commitment, knowledge, values, attitudes, and skills required to confront structural inequalities, and to empower individuals, families, and communities to realize their full potential.”

The Faculty’s Mission Statement of commitment to social justice issues complements the

University’s Mission Statement which includes a commitment to high quality, accessible

academic endeavours, a commitment to diverse students, learners, and communities; a

welcoming and rewarding academic and work environment, innovative learning, community; and critical and independent thought.

The BSW program prepares competent generalist practitioners to provide service and leadership within regional, national, and global contexts to achieve social justice, respect for diversity, and social change. The program facilitates the development of knowledge, skills, and values necessary to work in collaborative and anti-oppressive ways. Students learn how to identify and eradicate barriers that prevent people from reaching their full potential. The program integrates and incorporates Aboriginal perspectives.

To pursue knowledge and provide accessible and inclusive educational programs that will advance the fields of social work practice and social policy at all levels and that will contribute to the development of societies in promoting respect for human rights and dignity, individual worth and well being, diversity, social inclusion, and the principles of social justice. To prepare students for ethical, competent, critically reflective, innovative, anti-oppressive, accountable, and effective social work practice at all levels. To create and maintain a learning environment that promotes and supports respect for difference, risktaking, democratic participation, a spirit of inquiry, equity, innovation, originality, and collaboration. To acknowledge, support, and promote different traditions of knowledge and different methods of knowledge gathering.

FACULTY OF SOCIAL WORK VISION STATEMENT

The vision of the Faculty of Social Work is to help create and contribute to a world where there are no great inequalities of wealth or income, where economic and political power is more evenly distributed, where human need is the central value of distribution of society’s resources, where diversity of culture is celebrated, where people have greater control over their own lives, and where all persons are afforded maximum opportunity to enrich their physical, spiritual, psychological, and intellectual well-being. Being the only university-based social work program in Manitoba and the largest program in Canada, this vision also includes the Faculty playing a leading role in the socio-economic-cultural development of the Province in particular, but also to Canada and beyond, which is consistent with the University’s own vision statement. To these ends, it is necessary that the Faculty become one of the outstanding social work programs in Canada with respect to research, quality education, community service, and the accomplishments of its graduates.

Social work education at the University of Northern British Columbia is committed to a program of studies that is informed by a central concern for human rights, personal empowerment, community change, and social justice. It has as its foundation an analysis of power in relation to class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, and abilities. Incorporating critical social thinking including structural, feminist, and anti-racist analyses, the School focuses on social work in northern and remote areas, aboriginal and cross cultural issues, women and human services, and community practice and research. It will continue to develop in collaboration with regional, national, and global communities.

The School of Social Work seeks to provide its graduates with intellectual, practical, and professional skills and knowledge rooted in progressive values that promote beneficial change. By acknowledging the holistic, interdisciplinary, and activist nature of social work and its commitment to social justice, the curriculum and governance of social work education at UNBC will strive to provide a self-reflective balance between theory and practice; research, teaching, and community service; and critical self-awareness and respect for the ideas of others. The School of Social Work will seek to ensure a safe and stimulating education environment for faculty, staff, and students.

The mission of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto has an international perspective that is influenced by its position within one of the top universities in North America located in a global metropolis. As such, the Faculty is committed to:

1. Educating and developing professionals who have the capacity to engage in and influence our changing world through social work practice, policy and research.

2. Advancing research, practice, and policy that shapes the future of a profession that crosses national boundaries.

3. Providing leadership by mobilizing knowledge that incorporates the range of expertise existing within the broader social work communities that exist internationally.

4. Collaborating with our diverse partners to address social inequities at local, national and global levels.

Our educational mission is to prepare generalist social work practitioners skilled in critical self-reflection and in working with individuals, families, groups and communities. In particular, we endeavour to prepare Indigenous social workers and child welfare practitioners and we emphasize structural, feminist, Indigenous and anti-oppressive analyses.

Our scholarly mission is to share and create collective knowledge and understanding through engaging in critical enquiry and by supporting research and innovative curriculum development at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Our practice mission is to act on social justice issues through community change initiatives and anti-oppressive social work. Our political and social responsibility is to participate in and reflect community experiences in all our efforts to challenge oppressive societal structures.

In all our activities, we aspire to create a supportive environment that promotes equity, respect, responsibility, curiosity, collaboration, flexibility, risk-taking and creativity. We support inter-disciplinary collaboration. We seek to provide accessible and flexible social work education and we are committed to working across differences, such as gender, age, race, ethnicity, class, abilities, and sexual orientation.

The School of Social Work, York University, is committed to social work education which develops practice strategies for human rights and social justice and thus affirms that personal experiences are embedded in social structures.

Through research, curriculum and critical pedagogy the School will:

address oppression and subordination as experienced and mediated through class, race, ethnicity, religion, gender and sexual identity, age and ability;

develop a critical appreciation of the social construction of reality;

promote an understanding of how values and ideologies construct social problems and how they construct responses;

prepare students to be critical practitioners and agents of change.