1.2 The mission statement of the school or faculty shall be understood by the major stakeholders relevant to its mission.
1.3 The mission statement of the school or faculty shall have the approval of the governing body of the school or faculty.
1.4 The objectives and goals of the programmes and other initiatives of the school or faculty shall be guided by, and constitute a coherent reflection of, the school's mission. These objectives and goals shall take into account the financial circumstances of the institution of which the school is part.
1.5 Schools shall promote a working environment characterized by inclusiveness and mutual respect, while also encouraging dissent and defending academic freedom.
1.6 The mission and the programmes of the school or faculty shall reflect the incorporation of gender concerns and shall provide a climate that supports women’s aspirations.
1.7 In developing their mission statement, schools and faculties shall consider alternate means for facilitating student access through part time, distance, decentralized and other means, without compromising standards of academic and professional excellence.
1.8 The school shall ensure that its mission and programmes are responsive to community needs, problems and aspirations.
1.9 Schools shall demonstrate how their educational mission and programmes, including admissions procedures where appropriate, responds to the needs of Aboriginal communities and students.
1.10 The school shall contribute to the advancement of the social work profession and of social welfare. This may include continuing professional education, collaborative research, programme evaluation, participation in programme and policy development.
1.11 Schools shall be expected to provide evidence of effective progress in attaining multicultural/multiracial diversity given the school's context and mission (in accordance with Appendix E).Such progress should be evident in curriculum, administration, the selection of faculty and professional staff and in initiatives directed toward their self-awareness and education, in student admissions, and in external relations.
1.12 Schools with international involvement shall clearly delineate policies and procedures for meeting standards in these aspects of their programmes.
2.2 The school shall be under the direction of a full-time director with demonstrated scholarly, professional and administrative competence related to social work.
2.3 The degrees conferred shall be distinctive social work degrees awarded by a degree granting institutions recognized by the AUCC or the Quebec Ministry of Education.
2.4 Within the policies and standards of its parent university, the school shall be responsible for initiating, administering, extending, or curtailing its own programmes.
2.5 Within the policies and standards of its parent university, the school shall have the initiative and decisive voice in recruiting and hiring faculty and professional staff.
2.6 The school shall have access to a budget and resources, including community resources, adequate for the achievement of its mission and delivery of its programmes, and congruent with the requirements of excellence in professional social work education, both within the university and practicum settings.
2.7 The school shall show that it has formed links with agencies and networks responding to the needs of various ethnic, cultural, racial and other diverse populations which are presently under-represented and/or under-served and that the school is involving these agencies and networks in its program review and developmental processes.
2.8 Where schools increase accessibility of their programmes to a range of students through part time, decentralized and distance offerings and other accommodations, the accommodations shall not compromise quality. Such programmes, whether they are offered in conjunction with traditional full-time programmes or take the form of independently designed programmes, shall demonstrate:
(a) That these programmes have infrastructure adequate to achieve equivalent access to educational resources, and
(b) That they have adequate community resources to support the field education component of the programme, and
(c)That they achieve the same standards of academic proficiency and professional competence as full-time or on-campus programmes.
2.9(a) Schools must provide evidence of policies prohibiting harassment, including sexual harassment and abuse of power, and describe how these policies are publicized. The school policy on sexual harassment shall be based on a broad definition that includes gender harassment, sexist or hetero-sexist innuendo, climate and attitudes. Procedures for handling complaints shall be made evident and shall be accessible.
(b) Where no university policy is in place or where a more limited definition of sexual harassment exists, the School shall give evidence of advocating for the establishment of appropriate policy, including confidentiality and appeal provisions.
2.10 The decision processes of the school shall adhere to democratic principles and respect due process.
2.11 The school must have jurisdiction over accessible physical space sufficient to realize its mission and implement its programmes. This includes classroom space, private faculty offices and office space for professional staff, administrative and clerical workers and space for student, faculty and community meetings and for student socialization.
2.12 The School shall provide stakeholders with opportunities to participate in policy formulation, programme development and programme evaluation.
2.13 Aboriginal communities affected by the school's programmes shall have opportunities to participate in the planning and the on-going evaluation of those programmes.
2.14 The school shall establish and maintain collaborative relationships with the professionals and professional associations relevant to its programme, particularly the professional social work association(s).
2.15 Schools shall be expected to provide evidence of effective progress towards the goals of multicultural/multiracial policy as stated in Appendix E with reference to their Administrative Structure, Governance, Resources and External Relations.
2.16 Schools shall be expected to provide evidence of effective progress towards the goals of gender equity as expressed in Appendix D, section D with reference to their Administrative Structure, Governance, Resources and External Relations.
3.2 The school shall show evidence that it has sufficient numbers of qualified faculty and professional staff, including field instructors, to plan, administer and deliver all its programmes. Faculty student ratios shall be presented recognizing student numbers in all programmes. Adequacy of support staff shall also be documented. There has to be a core of full time faculty with social work education and experience to at least the MSW level.
3.3 The school shall provide for the continuing professional development of its faculty and professional staff particularly in areas of emerging knowledge such as AIDS/HIV, aboriginal and multicultural/multiracial issues and resurgent antisemitism.
3.4 The school shall provide for equality of treatment and peer review in its faculty appointment, tenure and promotion policies. Any equity based preferences shall be clearly stated, relevant to the mission of the school, consistent with the mission statement and Educational Policy Statements of CASSW, and shall provide evidence of progress toward the specified goals of Appendix E.
3.5 In faculty and professional staff recruitment, promotion and tenure, schools shall seek to reflect the diversity of the populations they serve.
3.6 The hiring of new faculty or professional staff shall take into consideration their experience and expertise in working with and teaching about gender, ethnic, cultural and other forms of diversity.
3.7 Social work faculty members are normally expected to engage in research, scholarship and publication. Faculty teaching and administrative workloads shall be constructed to permit time for research. Research conducted by professional staff or faculty, or under their supervision shall meet university ethical standards in protection of human subjects.
3.8 The school shall promote and support productive working relationships between members of faculty and other bodies internal and external to the university.
(a) the development of its mission, and of the goals and objectives of its programmes and other initiatives,
(b) and governance and evaluation of its programmes and other initiatives.
4.2 The school shall clearly state the academic and professional requirements for admission to its programmes, including any equity provisions consistent with the school's mission and identified constituencies.
4.3 Schools shall have policies requiring that the performance of professional responsibilities of social work students be in accordance with the relevant social work code of ethics, with particular emphasis on professional responsibilities towards vulnerable or disadvantaged groups.
(a) Schools shall indicate how they prepare students to monitor and evaluate their own behaviour in relation to the relevant code of ethics.
(b) Schools shall indicate how their policies and procedures provide for the termination of programmes of those social work students found to be engaging in behaviour contrary to the relevant social work code of ethics and who are therefore judged to be unsuitable for the profession of social work.
(c) Schools shall show how these procedures are consistent with the relevant human rights legislation, with the mission of CASSW and with the mission of the school concerned.
4.4 The school shall make provision for academic advisement of all students regarding their programme and progress.
4.5 Supports shall be in place to facilitate student progress, particularly where students have been recruited as a result of equity-based preferences.
4.6 The school shall provide for the participation of all students in the evaluation of teaching and learning in classroom, field, and other educational settings.
4.7 Schools shall state clearly their admission policies including any equity-based preferences relevant to the mission of the school and to the mission of CASSW.
4.8 In student recruitment schools shall seek to reflect the diversity of the populations they serve. Evidence of an acknowledged need for entrance into the social work profession of various ethnic, cultural and racial and other diverse populations that are presently under-represented and under-served should be identified in patterns of recruitment, admissions, financial aid, supportive services and retention designed to achieve the continued diversification of the student body.
4.9 Not withstanding the provisions of 4.8, the School shall provide for equality of treatment in the admission of its students and in promotion policies. Not to limit the generality of the foregoing, discrimination on grounds of race, colour, national, ethnic, or linguistic origin, religion, political orientation, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, physical status and socio-economic status is prohibited. Preferences based on any of the preceding grounds shall be accepted where clearly stated and where clearly relevant to the admission of the student (consistent with items 5.5 - 5.9 of Appendix E).
4.10 The school shall facilitate the interaction of all of its students including those in programme expressions intended to increase access.
5.2 The school shall design a programme of studies at the first university level that includes two components, general and professional education, with specific objectives for each.
5.3 Curriculum at the first university level will ensure that graduates will be broadly educated and prepared for general practice and have sufficient competence for an entry level social work position. Competence is evidenced by an ability to arrive at professional judgements and practice actions, based on integration of theory and practice within the context of professional values and the relevant social work code of ethics.
5.4 The curriculum shall reflect a balance in the general education and professional components. The guideline is a minimum of forty percent course credits in the liberal arts, humanities and social sciences, and at least fifty percent course credits in professional social work, based on the norm of a four year first degree BSW programme (or three years in Quebec).
5.5 Social work as a second undergraduate degree programme shall have social work content equivalent to that in a BSW as a first degree.
5.6 The school shall have agreed upon core content with coherence, consistency and sequence within the curriculum.
5.7 Schools shall have clear and published policies with regard to transfer credits between schools and between college programmes and schools of social work, within the context of general university regulations.
5.8 The programme shall provide for the evaluation of students' achievements in respect to both academic work and professional practice competence. The academic demands and expectations should be comparable to those applied in honours programmes.
5.9 The curriculum shall reflect social work values that promote a professional commitment to optimize the dignity and potential of all people, to analyze and eradicate oppressive social conditions, and to promote equal access to resources, services, and opportunities for the accomplishment of life tasks, and the alleviation of distress, and the realization of aspirations and values in relation to oneself and the rights of others.
5.10 The curriculum shall ensure that the student will have:
(a) Intellectual abilities and skills of critical thinking and scholarly attitudes of curiosity, open-mindedness and reasoning and commitment to life long learning.
(b) Knowledge base related to human development and behaviour in the social environment;
(c) Critical analysis of Canadian social work and social welfare history and social policy as social constructed institutions and their implications for social work practice;
(d) Beginning level analysis and practice skills pertaining to the origins and manifestations of social injustices in Canada, and the multiple and intersecting bases of oppression, domination and exploitation.
(e) Practice methods and professional skills required for generalist practice (i.e. analysis of situations, establishing accountable relationships, intervening appropriately and evaluating one's own social work interventions)at a beginning level of competence.
(f) Understanding of social work's origins, purposes and practices.
(g) Understanding of and ability to apply social work values and ethics in order to make professional judgements consistent with a commitment to address inequality and the eradication of oppressive social conditions.
(h) Awareness of self in terms of values, beliefs and experiences as these impact upon social work practice.
(i) Ability to undertake systematic inquiry and critical evaluation related to social work knowledge and practice.
(j) Knowledge of multiple theoretical and conceptual bases of social work knowledge and practice including the social construction of theory and practices that may reflect injustices.
(k) Knowledge of other related occupations and professions sufficient to facilitate inter professional collaboration and team work.
(l) An understanding of oppressions and healing of aboriginal peoples and implications for social policy and social work practice with aboriginal peoples in the Canadian context.
(m) An understanding of the francophone reality in Quebec and other francophone realities in Canada and the implications of these realities for social policy and the practice of social work.
(n) Opportunities to develop an appreciation of social work purposes and ethics and to develop her/his social work values and professional judgement.
(o) preparation to practice in a range of geographical regions and with diverse ethnic, cultural and racial populations.
5.11 Where a School declares a specialization or a specialized track within its program, it is required to:
(a) Specify the objectives of the specialization;
(b) Show a relationship between the specialization and the general objectives of the BSW program wherein the former is an application and elaboration of the latter;
(c) Indicate the degree program as a whole ensures that all students meet the general objectives of the BSW degree;
(d) Indicate how the specialized objectives are met.
5.12 The curriculum shall provide a field education component as part of the core which is required of all students and which provides them with an opportunity for supervised social work practice experience. Schools shall demonstrate effective progress towards Standards for the Field Education Component of Programmes of Social Work Education in Appendix F.
5.13 Each school shall develop practicum standards, procedures and expectations which shall be published in a field education manual.
5.14 The field education component shall provide for the student to carry direct responsibility for providing services of benefit to individuals, groups and communities.
5.15 Students shall be required to complete a minimum of 700 practicum hours.
5.16 The administrative arrangements between the school and field practicum settings shall ensure the primacy of the educational purposes of the field education component;
5.17 Appropriate resources shall be made available to the field education component of the programme to ensure the achievement of its purposes. This shall include the identification of a position with authority and responsibility for coordinating the field education component of the programme and ensuring that standards are met. The incumbent shall hold a social work qualification. Administrative support shall be adequate to achieve standards.
5.18 The field education component shall provide students with a field instructor with social work qualifications, or where this is not possible the School will ensure social work faculty involvement in field supervision.
5.19 Where practicum equivalence is claimed for previous work or life experience, or for practica in other programmes, in lieu of any part of the practicum, clear and defensible criteria, procedures and rationale will be provided.
5.20 The field education component of the programme shall include the development, implementation and evaluation of field instructor education and support.
5.21 Field education curricula and field placements shall provide opportunities for analysis of the dynamics and consequences of oppression as these relate to populations at risk, particularly those relevant to the programme's mission or geographic location, and for competent practice derived from that analysis.
6.2 Curriculum at the second university level will prepare students to have sufficient competence for advanced, specialized or supervisory social work roles.
6.2.1 The school shall specify the particular areas of specialization and/or advanced study which characterize the programme within the context of the school's mission.6.3 Two programme designs are possible. One requires an accredited first level social work degree as a qualification for admission. The other admits candidates who hold other baccalaureate degrees. All students shall have a programme of sufficient academic and professional substance and duration.6.2.2 Those graduating from second level programmes shall have demonstrated ability to critical analyze, synthesize, use, evaluate and develop theory in relation to complex practice problems in the context of social work values and ethics.
6.3.1 Programmes for students admitted with a first level social work degree shall include a specialized or advanced study component of at least 18 credit hours of course work, a practicum the equivalent of at least 400 hours and/or a thesis such as to provide an opportunity for the integration and demonstration of advanced social work skills in practice, policy analysis and research.6.4 The programme of studies should reflect graduate level university professional education through a social work curriculum which enables a student to combine analytic ability, professional judgement, specialized or advanced intervention and research competence.6.3.2 Programmes for students admitted without a first level social work degree shall include two components:
a) a foundation component equivalent to a minimum of at least 24 credit hours of course work, and a field practicum of a minimum 400 hours such as to achieve a level of preparation sufficient to equip the student to engage in MSW studies at a level equivalent to their counterparts with the BSW.
b) a specialization or advanced study component of at least 18 credit hours of course work and a practicum of a minimum 400 hours and/or a thesis.
6.5 The programme shall be designed to permit, within sound educational boundaries, flexibility in terms of student's educational needs and interests.
6.6 The curriculum shall reflect social work values that promote a professional commitment to optimize the dignity and potential of all people, to analyze and eradicate oppressive social conditions, and to promote equal access to resources, services, and opportunities for the accomplishment of life tasks, and the alleviation of distress, and the realization of aspirations and values in relation to oneself and the rights of others.
6.7 The curriculum shall ensure that students achieve:
(a) Understanding and critical analysis of the role of scholarship in the development of social work knowledge.
(b) Mastery of theories, policies and practices most appropriate to the student's area of specialization and/or advanced study, including the critical analysis of the social construction of theory and practices that may reflect injustices.
(c) Transferable analysis and practice skills pertaining to the origins and manifestations of social injustices in Canada, and the multiple and intersecting bases of oppression, domination and exploitation.
(d) Capability to undertake research and/or advanced study in the student's area of specialization or focus of study.
(e) Demonstration of advanced skills in social work methods in an area which might include clinical practice, community practice, policy and research.
(f) Demonstration of the ability to evaluate her/his own practice.
(g) Opportunity for multiple and innovative approaches to learning and professional practice.
(h) An understanding and analysis of oppressions and healing of aboriginal peoples and implications for social policy and social work practice with aboriginal peoples in the Canadian context.
(i) An understanding of the Franco phone reality in Quebec and in minority contexts and its implications for social policy and the practice of social work.
(j) Knowledge of interdisciplinarity sufficient to prepare students for interprofessional practice, community collaboration and team work.
(k) Understanding of and ability to develop, apply and critique social work values, ethics and practice in order to make professional judgements consistent with a commitment to promote equality and the eradication of oppressive social conditions.
(l) preparation to practice in a range of geographical regions and with diverse ethnic, cultural and racial populations.
6.8 Each school shall develop practicum standards, procedures and expectations which shall be published in a field education manual.
6.9 Appropriate resources shall be made available to the field education component of programmes to ensure the achievement of its educational purposes. This shall include the identification of a position with authority and responsibility for coordinating the field education programme and ensuring that standards are met. The incumbent shall have a social work qualification. Administrative support shall be adequate to achieve standards.
6.10 The administrative arrangements between the school and field practicuum shall ensure the primacy of the educational and professional development purposes of the field practice component.
6.11 The field education component of the programme shall provide students with a field instructor with social work qualifications, or where this is not possible the School will ensure social work faculty involvement in field supervision.
6.12 The field education component of the programme shall include the development, implementation and evaluation of field instructor education and support.
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