In photo: College Registrar and CEO Lise Betteridge (left) and Director of Complaints and Discipline Richelle Samuel (right) host the virtual Employer Roundtable.
The College held a virtual Employer Roundtable on October 13, 2020. The event was attended by participants representing 10 organizations, and included a strong presence from Indigenous agencies serving Indigenous communities in the Sault Ste. Marie area.
Strengthening stakeholder engagement – a strategic priority
Since 2017, the College has hosted Employer Roundtables in Kingston, Kitchener, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Windsor as a means to engage further with employers across Ontario.
As part of the College’s employer outreach initiative, the Employer Roundtable is an opportunity for employers to learn more about the College and its public protection mandate, to share their ideas about how the College can continue to support employers, and to discuss some of the challenges faced by employers of social workers and social service workers.
Discussion points
During their presentation, College Registrar and CEO Lise Betteridge, MSW, RSW and Director of Complaints and Discipline Richelle Samuel discussed the regulatory role of the College as well as key issues important to employers of social workers and social service workers.
During the discussion, participants provided valuable feedback to the College. For example, participants noted the efficiency of the College’s Online Register, stating that it was accessible and helpful in some of their hiring and recruitment processes.
Other factors noted by participants included the challenges they experienced during the hiring of social workers and social service workers. While not all of the participants required mandatory registration with the College, the general consensus was that registration with the College has many benefits, with a few of the participants noting that they offer employee incentives to help promote registration.
Participants were very engaged throughout the virtual event and both College representatives and the employers who attended agreed that the Employer Roundtable is an excellent opportunity to connect, engage and learn.
Stay tuned!
The College anticipates planning another virtual Employer Roundtable in early 2021 for employers in the Ottawa area. For more information about this initiative, please contact Amy Vranchidis at a avranchidis@ocswssw.org.