Want to know what’s happening at the College? Here’s your round-up of College news, initiatives and upcoming events.
Save the Date for AMED 2019!
The College will be hosting its 2019 Annual Meeting and Education Day (AMED) on June 13 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This year’s event will feature Indigenous mental health and social policy expert Jeffrey Ansloos as the keynote speaker. The theme for AMED 2019 is Ethics. Innovation. Insight.
If you are unable to attend AMED, we encourage you to participate online. The Annual Meeting, keynote presentation, and four of the breakout sessions will be available via livestream on the College’s website and Facebook page. We also encourage members to connect with us on Twitter during the event, using the #AMED2019 hashtag.
For more information about the 2019 Annual Meeting and Education Day, please visit the AMED webpage or contact amed@ocswssw.org.
College Recognized for Exemplary Practises by OFC
The College was recently recognized by the Office of the Fairness Commissioner (OFC) for the following exemplary practices in registration:
- Enabling new graduates to initiate registration before convocation
- Explaining requirements for translation of documents
The role of the OFC is to assess the registration practices of certain regulated professions — such as social work and social service work — and to ensure they are transparent, objective, impartial and fair. The above-mentioned College practices improve accessibility and, according to the OFC, help accommodate the diverse needs of College applicants.
At the College, we believe that every individual deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. We will continue striving to provide services that are accessible to all of our stakeholders.
Get Ready to Vote! Upcoming Council Elections
On May 1, 2019, the College is holding Council elections in Electoral District Nos. 1, 2 and 5. All College members who practise in District Nos. 1, 2 and 5 are encouraged to participate in this important process.
For further information about Council elections, including the voting process, please visit the College website or contact Pat Lieberman at plieberman@ocswssw.org.
Have You Reviewed the PHIPA Toolkit?
Over the years, the College has developed numerous practice resources to support its members’ professional and ethical practice. The Privacy Toolkit for Social Workers and Social Service Workers, better known as the PHIPA Toolkit, is one of these resources. Recently, we refreshed the document to improve its presentation and internal navigation.
If you haven’t done so already, we encourage you to review the PHIPA Toolkit. For more information concerning practice-related issues, please contact the College’s Professional Practice Department at practice@ocswssw.org.
Introducing ETHICS→A
Earlier this year the College was pleased to introduce ETHICS→A, an ethical decision-making tool that supports members’ ethical and professional practice.
Both robust and concise, ETHICS→A reflects the College’s governing legislation, regulations, and Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. The tool can be used in the clinical and non-clinical setting, direct and indirect practice.
For more information on ETHICS→A, please visit the College website or contact the Professional Practice Department at practice@ocswssw.org.
Private Practice Webinar
Thinking of going into private practice? In February, the Professional Practice Department hosted a webinar, “Preparing for Private Practice,” that discussed the principles and practical considerations around private practice.
View the webinar below:
For more information on private practice, please visit the College website or contact the Professional Practice Department at practice@ocswssw.org.
“What’s In a Name?” Public Awareness Campaign
This year the College was pleased to launch its first-ever public awareness campaign.
The public awareness campaign — which uses the tagline, “What’s in a name? Protection for you” — positions the Online Register as an important form of protection that gives the public peace of mind when engaging a social worker or social service worker. It motivates the public to check the Register to confirm that the practitioner that they are dealing with — someone that they understand to be a social worker or social service worker — is in fact a registered member of the College.
We will provide a review of the campaign, with feedback from stakeholders and performance metrics, in a future issue of Perspective.