If you are a former member of the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers seeking reinstatement, the process will depend on how long it has been since your registration lapsed.
Reinstatement fees vary depending on whether you informed the College that you were resigning your registration, or were refused registration because you did not complete annual registration renewal; see “Other fees” section on registration fees page for current information.
Reinstatement within one year
If it has been less than one year since your NSCSW registration lapsed, the process is very similar to annual registration renewal.
- Sign into the member section of the NSCSW registry portal
- Complete professional development activity tracking for the prior year
- Complete registration renewal form
- Pay fees for registration and reinstatement
If you have questions about this process, please contact [email protected] for support.
Reinstatement after more than one year
If more than a year has passed since your registration lapsed, the College will need additional information from you to process your reinstatement. Please contact [email protected] to request step-by-step instructions for your specific situation; your email should include your former NSCSW member number if you have it.
You may be asked to provide:
- evidence that your knowledge/skills have been maintained via professional development activities;
- a recent criminal record check for the area(s) where you have been residing;
- a recent child abuse registry check or vulnerable sector check for the area(s) where you have been residing; and/or
- verification of good standing in jurisdiction(s) where you were registered to practice social work during this time.
Please do not send any documents to the College until after you have contacted us and received instructions; sending documents before you have an active reinstatement request for us to attach them to may cause inadvertent processing delays. For official documents requested by the College, originals can be mailed or dropped off at our office in Halifax, or the issuer can provide them using their own secure digital service (e.g. MyCreds, myBackCheck.com, NS Child Abuse Register); we do not accept scans, photocopies, unofficial printouts, or expired documents.
If it’s been more than two years since you were registered, the Board of Examiners may require you to complete all or part of the Candidacy Mentorship Program to support your re-entry to the profession. This would include selecting another experienced social worker to mentor you during your candidacy period, having regular meetings with them, and choosing personalized learning goals that align with your needs and interests (e.g. learning about regulatory changes, exploring recent research, rebuilding professional relationships) and the Code of Ethics.
Questions?
If you have questions about applying to the College for reinstatement, or need to provide information about an active application, please email [email protected]. General information about the Board of Examiners’ policies and processes can be found in our Application & Renewal Policy Manual.
