Download BCASW Report to CASW, June 2013

BCASW Report to CASW, June 2013
Political Climate
British Columbia recently re-elected a Liberal majority provincial government. In BC “liberal”
really is a mix of the remnants of the “Social Credit Party” and very “right wing liberals” more
commonly known as conservative in other Provinces. The results of the election were a surprise
for not only the pollsters but for the total social sector as well. It means that we face another five
years where issues such as poverty reduction, social assistance access and rates, and
homelessness, to name a few, are unlikely to get the support necessary for them to be addressed
in any substantive way.
BCASW
BCASW has focused on an organizational review for the past two years. The process is nearing
completion. The soon to be completed outcomes include a new governance policy, a revamped
financial management system, up-dated personnel policy, updated by-laws, and the re-birth of
the Pacific Social Work foundation. These changes provide a stable foundation for our work in
the next few years.
A significant change in continuing Professional Development requirements for registered Social
Workers in British Columbia approved by the College in April 2012 has provided BCASW with
an opportunity to develop a sustainable continuing education program as well as other
opportunities to earn the credits required to maintain Registration in British Columbia. We have
commissioned a review of our mentoring program as it will be one of the strategies that
registered social workers will use to earn credits. As well, we have just received the results of a
major investigation by UBC to determine the continuing education needs of social workers in BC
as well as strategies, timing, barriers and goals. BCASW is expecting to develop the three hours
“ethics” course that will be required by the College. It is very exciting that the College and
BCASW are working cooperatively on meeting the needs of practitioners.
Promotion of the Profession
BCASW is very focused on the promotion of the profession. Much of this work is carried out
through our practice committees working with our ED Dianne Heath.
One of the most active committees is the Health Practice Enhancement Committee. They
recently sponsored the pamphlet Social Work Skills and Knowledge in Health Care essentially
targeting managers from other professions as well as employers and decision makers in the
provision of health services in BC. The committee is bringing Karen Nelson from Ottawa to do
a workshop on the Social Determinants of Health on September 20, 2013. It will be carried out
in conjunction with our AGM.
A major issue being addressed with and for the Private Practitioners is being included by
Worksafe BC (often known as the Compensation Board in other provinces) on service lists. A
change in legislation (the Workers Compensation Act) is required in BC to have Social Work
listed as a service provider. Third party billing inclusion remains an issue for our membership.
Talks continue with the major unions representing Social workers. A second emphasis is
supporting professional development opportunities that address the business concerns of the
Private Practitioners.
The Multiculturalism and Antiracism Committee (MARC) is a standing committee of BCASW
and takes an ethno-racial approach to understand multiculturalism. The ethno-racial approach
emphasizes anti-oppressive practice against any form of discrimination based on race, ethnicity
and culture. This year they have participated in the conference sponsored by the Filipino Social
Workers who have a separate organization in this province as many do not have the required
equivalencies to enable them to become registered Social Workers in this province. MARC was
also active in bringing forward the issues that are impacting refugees, foreign workers and illegal
immigrants in Canada.
The Health Advocacy Committee recently lobbying the Minister of Social Development to
improve dental care to disadvantaged groups in BC. They want to see a minimizing of the
disparity between the BC Dental Association private fee guide and the Ministry’s dental
schedule. They also want to see more financial support to the not-for-profit dental clinics in the
province. They have also written the Pat Bell, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and
Minister Responsible for Labour requesting amendments to the Employment Standards Act to
align Compassionate Care Leave entitlement with leave allowed under the federal legislation
enabling parents to obtain up to thirty-five weeks of leave to care for a seriously ill child. The
ministry recently responded acknowledging the discrepancies and stating that as soon as a new
Minister is appointed the issue will be brought forward.
One of our most impactful Committees is the Child Welfare and Family Committee. The
committee examines and addresses current child welfare and family related policies, legislation,
practices and resources in the province of BC. It also examines and responds to emerging trends
and potential areas of injustice in the protection of children. The Ministry of Children and Family
and the Representative for Children and Youth in BC both recognize the contributions of this
committee. This committee is active in reviewing government policy and making
recommendations as well a supporting the work of the Representative.
The Mental Health and Addictions committee is essentially a community of practice that exists
to exchange information and alert practitioners to developments in the domain. Members log
into a secure website to participate in dialogue.
Our newest practice group is the Seniors Community of Practice. It, like the Mental Health and
Addictions Committee is concerned with helping practitioners share insights, information and
experience to assist each other to grow and develop rather than advocacy that is a major goal of
our other committees. It major goal is to support excellence in practice.
Social Justice
The above committees often participate in advocating for social justice. Our ED, Dianne Heath
also plays a significant role by representing BCASW on our coalitions that include First Call and
the Federation of Community Social Services. Prior to the election there was much emphasis on
the development of pre-election questions and materials by BCASW as well as on the part of the
coalitions concerned with social justice in BC.
Our Advocacy committee is working on developing the tools for advocacy. They hope to
develop a library of resources that assist individuals in using appropriate tools to get their
message across to decision makers and to assist individuals to develop appropriate media skills.
They also hope to identify appropriate, representative “voices” to respond to specific media
requests on short notice.
Respectfully Submitted,