At the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (the College), we are dedicated to protecting the public. A concept that I have shared broadly with registrants and other interested parties is the importance of regulating with kindness, which is key to transforming the way the College protects the public. By infusing the concept of regulating with kindness into our regulatory framework, we not only foster a more human approach to regulation by carrying out our duties with humanity, empathy and compassion, but one that is more effective. In doing so, we can continue to uphold our mandate of public protection and further ensure that social workers and social service workers are accountable to the College.
Effective regulation is a shared responsibility, and we continue to build on our shared goal of supporting social workers and social service workers to practise ethically and professionally, thereby providing the best care to clients and communities. Title protection falls within our shared responsibility and is vital in ensuring only those registered with, and accountable to the College can call themselves a social worker and/or social service workers. Employers are strongly encouraged to check the Online Register and information on our website about unregulated practitioners and titles and designations when hiring individuals for social work and social service work positions. By doing so, together we can better safeguard the clients and communities around us.
Another way the College upholds public protection is by supporting registrants in their professional, ethical and competent journey. In this issue of Employer Communiqué, I’d like to highlight the latest Practice Notes “What Clients are Sharing with the College.” This resource provides valuable insight into College interactions with clients and employers, which can help registrants gain a deeper understanding of the client experience and strengthen relationships.
Our approach and journey towards regulating with kindness means that the College prioritizes public protection while also considering registrant well-being. By working collaboratively, we can make a significant impact on public protection. We look forward to upholding our shared responsibility of public protection through accountability.