If you are aware of any individual who is illegally using a protected title and/or holding themselves out as a social worker or social service worker, you may file a Title Protection Report with the College.
The mandate of the College is to protect the public from unqualified, incompetent or unfit practitioners. The public needs to be able to trust that those who provide care to them are qualified to do so.
In Ontario, the following titles are protected titles. This means that anyone who uses these titles, an abbreviation of these titles or the French language equivalents, must be registered with the College:
- “social worker” (« travailleuse/travailleur social(e) »)
- “registered social worker” (« travailleuse/travailleur social(e) inscrit(e) »)
- “social service worker” (« technicienne/technicien en travail social »)
- “registered social service worker” (« technicienne/technicien en travail social inscrit(e) »)
Using any of the protected titles without being registered is illegal. It is also illegal for an individual to hold out expressly or by implication that they are a social worker or a social service worker without being registered. Individuals who use the protected titles illegally or who hold out as if they are a social worker or a social service worker are considered unregulated practitioners and put the public at risk.
Some individuals may have a degree in social work or a diploma in social service work. While such individuals can list their degree or diploma, they cannot use any of the protected titles unless they are registered with the College. The public is strongly encouraged to always check the College’s Online Register to confirm the registration status of an individual.
For more information on how the College addresses title protection concerns, please refer to the College’s Title Protection Fact Sheet.
The following individuals are not registered with the College:
Note: This list is not exhaustive
- Alana Atkins, aka Lawna Atkins and Lawna Merry, Newmarket, Brampton and Toronto, ON
- Carolyn Billy, aka Carolyn Stromski, Wellandport, West Lincoln and St. Catharines, ON
- Laurie Lynn Bowen, North Augusta, ON
- Chintan Paul Dabhi, Brampton, ON
- Muntaz “Monty” Dinally, Ancaster, ON
- Anthony Glean, Oshawa, ON
- Elizabeth, Kelsey Jones, aka Kelsey Jones, Toronto, ON
- Bethany Killen, aka Bethany Killen-Ashryver, North York, ON
- Katayoon Masoumi Rad, aka Kathy Masoumirad, Kathy Mehranian and Kathy M. Rad, Woodbridge, ON
- Debbie-Anne Shuttleworth, Belleville, ON
College updates
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Illegal Practitioner Criminally Charged
The College is advising Ontarians of an illegal social work practitioner who now faces criminal charges. Katayoon Masoumi Rad, also known as Kathy Masoumirad, Kathy Mehranian and Kathy M. Rad, has been practising illegally in Woodbridge, Ontario and fraudulently using the name and credentials of a former College registrant to provide social work services.