We’re excited to invite all members to the 2018 Spring Conference & AGM this May 11-12 at the Best Western Chocolate Lake Hotel (250 St Margarets Bay Rd. Halifax, NS). This year’s theme is Innovation in Social Work Practice: A Foundation for Our Future.
We have a rich line up of presenters as we spend two days of learning, connection & growth as we highlight innovative social work methodologies, research, and lessons from the past and present to guide us in our future.
Some highlights from the conference include:
- A critical discourse on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the importance of conversations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada, which has challenged social workers to significantly transform their practices.
- We’ll examine the developmental and innovative project out of Luneburg that explores Adverse Childhood Experiences and resilience through an integrative health approach.
- We’ll identify the importance of Jordan’s Principle for First Nations children and how to access support services in the areas of health, social, education, cultural and recreation.
- We will also spend some time identifying foundational community development theory and highlight the practical application of social media to achieve strategic outcomes towards broader social change.
We hope that the conference will be educational, engaging and energizing. Bursaries are available if you’re looking for financial support to attend. These bursaries will cover your conference registration fees and travel costs.For more information & to apply visit: https://nscsw.org/membership/college-bursaries/
On Saturday we’ll host our 2018 Annual General Meeting. Two important resolutions will be brought to the floor.
First, we’ll present our five-year strategic plan with clear goals that will guide the profession, strengthen the College’s voice for social workers and strengthen social justice to protect Nova Scotians.
We’ll also bring the new Candidacy/Mentorship framework to the floor for discussion with the goal to have it adopted by the membership. The new program is designed to provide new graduates with a strategic, supportive and educational professional development experience rooted in principles of adult learning. Candidates will be linked with experienced social workers (mentors) and will be provided with educational and supportive mentorship.
The future Candidacy/Mentorship program will:
- Integrate knowledge, apply skill, and actions ethics in the Candidates first years of practice.
- Support Candidates as they develop a professional identity, grapple with ethical issues, explore professional concerns related to their practice experience.
- Integrate theory and practice, develop self-awareness, and refine a unique practice framework that builds resiliency.
We also have a few by-law proposals to move forward. We’ll ask members to approve fee reductions for new graduates in their first year of practice and we ‘ll discuss some options for private practice. Annual General Meeting packages will be emailed to all members April 20th, 2018.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Register & learn more at nscswconference.org
Alec Stratford
NSCSW Registrar/Executive Director