Thursday, August 27, 2009

Social Work Education Accreditation (swedaccred.blogspot)

Social Work Education Accreditation (swedaccred.blogspot) is a venue for discussion of issues created by proposals to change the rules on that topic in Canada. In key quarters, there are "conflicting views on what should be taught to prepare graduates to become members of provincial social work associations" and to be licensed for professional practice.

I published "CASWE Competencies and issues of Accreditation and Regulation" (in French
"ACFTS-CASWE - Les Compétences et les problèmes d'Accréditation et de Règlement") through other channels, expecting comment would follow, so here is the place to do that.

If you do not have access to the papers above, please email me for a copy at kcollier@shaw.ca

11 comments:

  1. Being new to blogging, perhaps I can use that as an excuse to comment on my own blog - likely some sort of etiquette breach.

    I got several email replies and encouraged senders to use this blog where others could see the discussion. Here are some cut-and-paste aspects of those emails that will probably not make it to the blog unless I transfer them:

    'I have been lobbying against competencies for some years now - and have more recently turned my attention towards (or against) "evidence based practice." We seem to be losing so much regard for thought and ethics these days.

    I wonder if you have ideas on mobilizing resistance to these trends. Surely we can't just let all this happen?'

    Part of my email reply was:

    (M)y general idea is that joining CASWE and taking part in their processes would be an important thing to do. CASWE has a Task Force on Governance working away on a range of topics related to the weakness of the organization. This issue is among them, and is symptomatic.

    The CASWE Board of Accreditation is also grappling with the implications of this issue and others cascading from it, as well as some not related to it.

    Given the nature of CASWE (aside from its internal and financing problems) the fact is that those working on the issues and problems are almost all volunteers, having to carry their academic, intellectual and professional obligations also. And of course, the ideological divisions (between a couple of identifiable minorities) and the lack of interest, salience or knowledge of the majority even of CASWE members makes the whole thing rather a chaotic mess.

    Right now, frankly, I think all that drives the CASWE activists on both sides of this issue is hope. I don't think anybody has a clear idea what can be done to resolve the issues, but they don't seem to be giving up.

    ...(T)his is the kind of discussion I think will help lead to problem-solving.'

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  2. Another resource:

    'The debate on accreditation in MB is best accessed from the Wpg Free Press, http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/why-certify-social-workers-53929702.html, as you can read the critique and reactions to it.'

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  3. And another related resource:

    http://web4.uwindsor.ca/units/socialwork/critical.nsf/main/249CE9079E0022F78525737200654E27?OpenDocument

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  4. A sign of hope:

    'your arguments apply equally to a wide range of 'applied' fields. Perhaps a group could come out of this, I would be interested in taking part.'

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  5. '...(W)hy don't you add a footnote explaining that the CSWE was once responsible for accrediting social work programs in Canada - a fact that few social workers know today.'

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  6. from another observer:

    'Many (e.g., Mullaly, 2006; 2007) have argued
    that the social work profession in Canada has become depoliticized as evidenced by its politically-neutered 2005 Code of Ethics.'

    (Mullaly 2006 citation: Canadian Social Work Review, "Forward to the Past: The 2005 CASW
    Code of Ethics"; Vol 23, Nos 1-2, 2006: 145-150.

    Mullaly 2007 Citation: The New Structural Social Work. Ideology, Theory and Practice, 3rd edn, Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 51-55.)

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  7. Some background organizational data:

    The Association of Social Work Boards is the North American organization –US based- that all of the provincial regulators have joined. The ASWB is now working on exams with “Canadian Content”. Url http://www.aswb.org/

    Apparently there is another organization just set up in Canada as well...

    (T)he next level up - the Federation of Associations or Regulatory Boards, which tries to herd all the different professions and their professional education programs into common, standardized, exam-oriented paths. They even offer model legislative acts, regulations and legal language for accreditation and licensing bureaus to push that mission along.

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  8. Though we all like to think our contributions are new and unique, I am reminded that the "competencies" issue has a history, probably a long one. Here's a fine example, discussing the forces at work behind competency-based SW Education accreditation:

    Competency Profiles:
    A Discussion Paper prepared by Carolyn Campbell on behalf of the Faculty of the Maritime School of Social Work

    September 26, 2002 (Revised September 24, 2003).

    I have an electronic copy of it, available by email on request to kcollier@shaw.ca

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  9. Here's another resource citation: Swift, K. and Callahan, M. 2009 (Fall). At risk: Social justice in child welfare and other human services. University of Toronto Press. Deals with the focus on 'competencies' in doing risk assessments on families, especially mothers, accused of some kind of child maltreatment. These assessment forms, used in a number of Canadian provinces, are developed in the States, adopted by provincial governments and used in training child welfare workers. We interviewed mothers and workers about the process, finding that althoughrisk assessment is often claimed as a method of 'scientific' prediction of future harm, predictive capacities are very weak, whereas surveillance and control capacity is quite good. We also found that other human services have adopted these methods, and that most of them accept this approach without question. Of course, advocates social justice as a more fitting social work enterprise than "competencies" in these methods of accountability. Url:

    http://www.utppublishing.com/pubstore/merchant.ihtml?pid=10464&lastcatid=197&step=4

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  10. From a BC Social Worker

    From my perspective, a frontline view as well as at a branch and board level in dialogue with social workers across the realm, the issue of clearly defining and recognizing the social work role and standards of education and practice is core to the sustainability of social work as a profession. Our clients are the victims of capitalism; however, social work as a profession is also in the crunch and cutbacks of the competitive job marketplace in capitalist societies. In my opinion, if we do not legitimize social work as a valid critical voice at the inequitable tables of the world, our clients and their concerns will be abandoned without advocacy. I'm not near so worried about social workers gaining control and abusing positions of power or deferring to agendas working against our clients as I am well aware that social workers are losing their effectiveness, even their jobs, to other disciplines less committed to advocating for social justice but seen as fully capable of doing social work off the sides of their desks, Social workers know that clients are empowered with finding their voice. In order to support them, I believe it has become necessary for social workers to "voice" their expertise as advocates with a unique skill set and scope of practice in order to stand with and for the vulnerable . It is my position that associations and registration bodies demonstrate to government, agencies, employers, the public, and clients that social workers possess an educated perspective worthy of respect. I believe social work educators have an obligation to seriously consider the merits of this side of the debate given the possibility that the profession of social work including schools of social work are at risk of becoming casualties of capitalism if we don't stand up for our rights as well as we stand up for the rights of others.

    Bobbi Preston, MSW, RSW

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    ReplyDelete