Where Do Social Workers Work?

Social workers work in a variety of settings: family services agencies, children’s aid agencies, general and psychiatric hospitals, school boards, correctional institutions, welfare administration agencies, federal and provincial departments. An increasing number of social workers work in private practice.
“93% of those in the social worker occupational category are employed either in the health and social services or government industries, with 74% in the former and 19% in the latter. Relatively few social workers are employed in private practice offices, but the number almost doubled between 1991 and 1996.”1

1 In Critical Demand: Social Work in Canada, Vol. 1, Final Report

What Do Social Workers Do?

Social workers provide services as members of a multidisciplinary team or on a one-to-one basis with the client. The duties performed by social workers vary depending on the settings in which they work.

Social workers employed by child welfare agencies (public and private) investigate cases of family violence, child abuse and neglect and take protective action as required. They may recruit foster parents or supervise the placement of children in protective care. Others work on adoption cases.

Many school boards hire social workers to help students adjust to the school environment. They help students, parents and teachers to deal with problems such as aggressive behaviour, truancy and family problems, which affect the students’ performance.

In general and psychiatric hospitals, social workers are members of the treatment team. They provide a link between the team and the family as well as with community resources. In these settings they contribute to the care, treatment and rehabilitation of the aged and of physically or mentally ill individuals, as well as the care of disabled persons.

In health and community services centres, social workers are involved in the provision of counselling to individuals or families and in providing services to seniors. Some work as community developers helping citizens to identify their needs and proposing ways of meeting these needs. Others may assist with parent-child relationships and marriage counselling. The services may be offered on an individual basis or in groups.

In the correctional field, social workers may be part of a team concerned with the social rehabilitation of young or adult offenders. They may work as classification officers. Others work as probation officers or as parole officers. Parole officers help ex-prisoners adjust to life in the community while conforming to the conditions of their parole.

Social workers in private practice offer their services on a fee-for-service basis to individuals, families and organizations. Their services include counselling, psychotherapy, mediation, sex therapy, policy and program development, organizational development, and employee assistance programs.

Social workers involved in policy analysis, policy development and planning are usually working in federal and provincial departments or social planning councils. Researchers are found in universities and governments. Others are teaching in universities and community colleges.

The 1996 The Canadian Census identified 37,470 social workers; of those the majority worked for non-institutional social services (12,580), institutional health and social services (4,530), hospitals (4,165), and non-institutional health services (3,765).

Employment opportunities in Social Work do exist. The situation changes from province to province. For more information contact the individual provincial/territorial social work organizations.

Most social workers work full-time although it is possible to work part-time. Recent graduates in social work practise under supervision for administrative and professional development purposes. Many employers offer staff development training. Social workers providing direct services spend most of their time with clients in their offices or in the client’s home. They also spend time in consultation with other professionals such as psychologists, teachers, physicians, lawyers or other persons concerned in a specific case.

The average earnings for social workers in 1995 was $33,023. In 1996, the average annual earnings of social workers who worked full-time, full year, varied from $35,428 in Newfoundland & Labrador to $56,377 in the Yukon. However, earnings may vary substantially among provinces and even within a province. The provincial organization of social workers may be able to provide more information on wages in a particular province.

Social work education consists of theoretical courses and practical training at the undergraduate or graduate level.

In most provinces the Bachelor of Social Work is the minimum educational requirement for entry into the profession. Postgraduate education leading to a master’s or doctoral degree is also available.

A four-year undergraduate program is required for a bachelor’s degree. Persons who have a Bachelor of Social Work degree may obtain a master’s degree after one year of postgraduate studies. Those who have a degree in another discipline would require a two-year postgraduate program in social work to obtain the master’s degree in social work.

The Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work has the responsibility for accrediting university-based social work programs. This association publishes a directory of accredited programs. As admission requirements and program orientation vary among schools, interested persons should consult the directory or communicate with the school of their choice.

As a preparation at the secondary school level, courses such as economics, social policy, sociology, psychology and philosophy are useful. Voluntary work in a social service agency is a plus.

For information about social work education in Canada contact the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work (CASSW) at the address below.

According to the 1996 census, 70.6% of social workers were women, and 64.7% were in the 35 to 54 age group.

The College currently utilizes 5 different application forms for registration in the College. Completion of the following will assist the College in directing an application to you for your completion.

Please note that this Request for Application Form does not constitute an Application Form for registration as a Social Worker or Social Service Worker in the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.

The Request for Application Form is to be completed by all prospective applicants, even though a written, faxed, e-mail or verbal (telephone) request for an application has been made previously.

You should send the authorization for degree/diploma verification to the educational institution that you attended. We have provided the universities and colleges with verification forms that they will complete and forward directly to Ontario College of  Social Workers once they have received your authorization.

If neither English nor French is your first language, and if you did not receive your social work or social service work education in either English or French, you will need to demonstrate your ability to speak and write either English or French with reasonable fluency. The method for you to demonstrate this ability is under consideration by the College and will be finalized in the near future. Please contact the College for more info.