If you see social workers as only being involved in child protection, you’re not seeing the whole picture.
Social workers touch every aspect of society. Collectively, they provide a level of expertise that enhances many areas of our lives and enriches every facet of our community.
There’s no comprehensive list of what social workers do because such a list would be a mile wide and a mile deep. Social workers help people with mental health issues or addictions. They work with not-for-profit agencies such as family-service organizations and family-violence protection programs.
Social workers work with police departments, immigrant-service organizations and people who find themselves in the court system, including family mediation and parent co-ordination programs. If you have a loved one in the hospital, a social worker is available to help them — and you — by offering information and emotional support during your stay, and by assisting you to make appropriate plans upon discharge.
If you are going through marital struggles, a social worker will provide counselling to help you develop skills to work through those troubles. And if you are struggling with mental health or addiction issues, a social worker will be at your side helping you find the services you need while providing you with the support necessary to achieve wellness.
Social workers work in government, in hospitals, and in health-care facilities. They work in private practice providing counselling services.
But they also can be involved with social-policy development and advocacy for vulnerable populations. They provide expertise during community-planning sessions and are involved with research on issues that can affect us all, such as family violence, poverty and unemployment. And social workers work with people of all ages: children, youth, families and seniors.
As a profession, social workers are highly educated and are committed to continually developing their skills and their knowledge of social welfare and human development and behaviour, with the goal of enhancing quality of life so every individual can reach his or her full potential.
It isn’t just a lofty aspiration. It’s a goal that is achieved every day throughout the province, as social workers make a positive difference in people’s lives. Social workers have a measurable effect on the psychological and social functioning of individuals, couples, families, groups, organizations and communities.
It’s because of the nature of a social worker’s involvement and influence with such a wide array of life stages and experiences that the B.C. government recognizes the need for regulation of social workers. The public needs and deserves to be provided with assurances that when you hear the term social worker, you know there is a standard for educational qualification, work experience and ethical behaviour.
You know that with regulation, someone is checking credentials and making sure each social worker is competent and knowledgeable. Regulation also means that if there is a problem, someone is there who will get involved to make sure that standards of practice and care are followed.
The British Columbia College of Social Workers is the regulatory body created by government to protect all citizens. Public protection is the No. 1 reason a regulatory body exists.
Another main reason for a college is registration, which means a person must first prove he or she is qualified and competent before they can call themselves a social worker. The college, governed by a board of directors which includes social workers and public members, does all of this for you.
But in British Columbia, not all people working in social work are registered with the college. Not all individuals working in social work are actually social workers. With some exceptions, this term can only be used by individuals who have registered with the college and have proven to the college that they are qualified and competent.
You have the right to know if the person providing care for you and your loved ones is a registered social worker. It’s your assurance that the individual has met the strict, high standards of registration and is subject to the oversight of the college investigation and disciplinary processes, all put into place for the protection of the public.
Social workers by law must maintain the best interests of their clients — often that means you and your loved ones — as their primary professional obligation. If you want to know if someone is a registered social worker, just ask them, or contact the British Columbia College of Social Workers.
John Mayr is registrar and CEO of the B.C. College of Social Workers.
