Value 7: Providing Culturally Responsive Competent Professional Services

Context for Practice: Social workers pursue lifelong learning, professional development, and self-reflection to deliver inclusive, evidence-informed services that meet the needs of a diverse range of service users. By integrating two-eyed seeing approaches, which blend Indigenous knowledge systems with Western methodologies, and Africentric approaches that centre African cultural values and perspectives, social workers can address diverse experiences with greater cultural humility. This continuous commitment not only enhances their cultural responsiveness but also strengthens their professional knowledge, skills, and expertise, ensuring they are better equipped to serve all individuals and communities effectively.

Standards of Practice: Social workers shall demonstrate cultural responsive competence
in their practice by:

7.1.1 offering the best possible standard of service provision and being accountable for their practice;

7.1.2 ensuring their skills and knowledge are up-to-date with the latest practices in social work by completing at least 40 hours of professional development each year, or a prorated number of hours based on their time in the field. Failure to comply with this requirement will lead to refusal of registration renewal;

7.1.3 engaging in continuing professional development to foster knowledge, skills, and abilities in working with diverse service users and by maintaining a personal record of their professional development activities with supporting documentation;

7.1.4 submitting a report of professional development activities and using the prescribed online forms to detail their professional development activities;

7.1.5 taking responsible steps (e.g., education, training, research, consultation, and supervision) to ensure current and continuing competence;

7.1.6 practicing using the best available evidence (evidence-informed practice), including Indigenous knowledge²⁴, Africentric knowledge and evidence-informed practices with diverse communities;

7.1.7 engaging in meaningful self-reflective practice in the context of professional experiences;

7.1.8 collaborating with professional colleagues and other disciplines to promote and expand ideas, knowledge, theory and skills, experience and opportunities that improve professional expertise and service provision;

7.1.9 upholding NSCSW practice standards for continuing professional education requirements;

7.1.10 being proficient in the technological skills and tools required for the conduct of their practice and seeking appropriate training and consultation to stay current with emerging technologies relevant to practice;

7.1.11 using technological means to provide services and making reasonable efforts to become and remain knowledgeable about the advantages and drawbacks of professional online relationships, and the ways in which technology-based social work practice can be safely and appropriately conducted.

In addition, social workers who are on leave from their employment:

7.1.13 shall complete professional development requirements in accordance with the Professional Development Standards.²⁵

Context for Practice: Social workers in all roles and settings must demonstrate due care for the interests and well-being of service users by restricting professional practice to areas of demonstrated competence and by consulting appropriate sources when services required are beyond their competence, including making necessary referrals to other services to meet the needs of service users.

Standards of Practice: Social workers shall demonstrate concern for the interest and well-being of service users by:

7.2.1 representing themselves as competent only within the boundaries of their education, training, license or registration, certification, consultation received, supervised experience, or other relevant professional experience;

7.2.2 seeking appropriate professional consultation or supervision for professional social work practice where appropriate;

7.2.3 questioning or intervening with colleagues about any concerns related to incompetence or impairment in professional practice and assisting colleagues in taking remedial action whenever possible;

7.2.4 communicating concerns about colleagues’ incompetence or impairment of professional practice through appropriate channels established by employers, regulatory bodies or other professional organizations.

Context for Practice: Social workers in formal or informal supervisory, consultation, mentorship or in education roles, strive toward excellence in the ongoing development of the profession and of current and future practitioners.

Standards of Practice: Social workers shall contribute to the ongoing development of the profession by:

Respect

7.3.1 relating to both social work colleagues and colleagues from other disciplines with respect, integrity, and courtesy, and seeking to understand differences in viewpoints and practice;

7.3.2 not intervening in the professional relationship of a social worker and service user unless requested to do so by the service user;

Collaboration and Consultation

7.3.3 seeking the advice and counsel of social work colleagues and colleagues from other disciplines whenever such consultation is in the best interest of service users;

7.3.4 taking responsibility and credit, including authorship credit, only for work they have actually performed and to which they have contributed, and honestly acknowledging the work and contributions made by others;

Management of Disputes

7.3.5 attempting to resolve concerns about the actions of a colleague through appropriate channels as established by their employer. If unresolved, pursuing other avenues consistent with service user well-being, ethical principles, and regulatory obligations;

7.3.6 resolving conflicts with colleagues or other professionals in ways that uphold the principles of the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice;

Responsibilities in Supervision and Consultation

7.3.7 supervising or consulting only within their areas of knowledge and competence;

7.3.8 establishing clear relationship boundaries and clarifying the nature and scope of the work to be done;

7.3.9 avoiding dual relationships with supervisees when there is a risk of exploitation or harm, and demonstrating that any dual relationship is not exploitative or harmful;

7.3.10 evaluating supervisees’ performance fairly, respectfully, and in line with employment terms;

7.3.11 adhering to the requirements of the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers Regulations regarding candidacy when supervising Social Worker Candidates;

7.3.12 sharing evaluations with employees, candidates, supervisees, or students and seeking feedback to improve supervision;

7.3.13 promoting written policies and procedures to protect the confidentiality of personnel records in administrative roles;
7.3.14 being accountable for the services provided by students or supervisees when providing practice/clinical supervision in a workplace setting.

Responsibilities to Students

7.3.15 providing instruction only in their areas of knowledge and competence as educators and field instructors;

7.3.16 fostering in students an understanding of the social work profession, the Code of Ethics, the Standards of Practice, and other ethical sources;

7.3.17 instructing students to inform clients of their student status;

7.3.18 informing students of their ethical responsibilities to service users, supervisors, and employers;

7.3.19 maintaining privacy and confidentiality in supervisory relationships, ensuring supervisees understand any limitations to these principles;

7.3.20 recognizing their role as educational and work-focused, and referring students to another competent practitioner if counseling is required;

7.3.21 evaluating students’ performance fairly, respectfully, and in line with their educational institution’s terms;

7.3.22 avoiding dual or multiple relationships with students they supervise or teach if there is a risk of exploitation or harm;

Responsibilities of Managers

7.3.23 informing organizational administrators of the ethical responsibilities of social workers and working to create workplaces that support ethical practice;

7.3.24 facilitating access to professional education and advocating for adequate resources for staff development;

7.3.25 providing or arranging for appropriate debriefing and professional support for staff experiencing difficult or traumatic circumstances;

7.3.26 refraining from pressuring social workers employed in multiple workplaces to disclose information about another work site.

Context for Practice: Social workers contribute to the advancement of knowledge in varied areas of practice and are guided by Canadian guidelines²⁶ for ethical practices when conducting research with human participants. When engaged in non-research activities (e.g., quality assurance and quality improvement studies, program evaluation activities, secondary use of anonymous information, performance reviews, or testing within normal educational requirements), social workers consider independent guidance (e.g., institutional practices, best practice guidelines, etc.) to address any potential ethical issues. Social workers follow ethical guidelines for reporting findings and conduct ethical reporting of research findings.

Standards of Practice: Social workers shall contribute to the knowledge base and advancement of knowledge in the social work profession by:

7.4.1 promoting or engaging in research, scholarship or creative activities that contribute to the profession or for the purpose of advancing human welfare, knowledge and understanding, examining cultural dynamics, and directing their research towards the alleviation of human suffering, validating social or scientific theories, applying theory to practice, creating new knowledge, analyzing policy, and understanding human behaviour and the evolving human condition;

7.4.2 promoting or engaging in the evaluation of programs or outcomes and quality assurance or improvement projects.

When engaging in research activities involving human subjects, social workers:

7.4.3 place research participants’ interests and well-being above all other objectives, including the search for knowledge and through alignment with The First Nations Principles of Ownership, Control, Access and Possession²⁷;

7.4.4 consider carefully the possible consequences for individual and society before participating in or engaging in proposed research and also when publishing research results;

7.4.5 consult Canadian guidelines²⁸ to ensure whether the activity undertaken constitutes research or non-research and determine whether it requires research ethics board (REB) review and approval;

7.4.6 submit research proposals to an appropriate independent scientific and ethical review process (e.g. REB) prior to implementation of the research;

7.4.7 uphold the dignity of humans involved in research through the application of the core ethical principles²⁹ of respect for persons, concern for welfare and justice in the research process;

7.4.8 identify conflicts of interest that may arise from family relationships, financial partnerships or other economic interests that may influence or be perceived to influence the social worker’s judgement in regard to the research;

7.4.9 educate themselves, their students, and their colleagues about responsible research practices with vulnerable individuals³⁰, Mi’kmaq and Indigenous Peoples, African Nova Scotians and Persons of African descent, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities or other distinct communities³¹ (e.g., research based on membership in a specific community);

7.4.10 utilize only appropriately qualified personnel to carry out research, paying particular attention to qualifications and training required in conducting specialized techniques;

7.4.11 take appropriate steps to provide research participants access to appropriate supportive services as required;

7.4.12 offer children and others whose ability to provide consent is limited or compromised³², an opportunity to express their assent or objection to research participation and give their views due regard;

7.4.13 avoid the use of deception in research because of its negative implications for service user well-being and for public trust in the profession; in any and all instances, follow ethical guidelines related to partial disclosure or deception³³ in research or related to issues that are particularly germane to qualitative research;³⁴

7.4.14 protect the privacy of research participants through attention to confidentiality requirements and specifications for storing research material securely and for the required period as indicated by relevant research ethics guidelines or applicable legislation;

7.4.15 ensure that research participants’ identity or any identifying information obtained from or about participants during the research process is treated as confidential and that the identity of participants is separated from the data that is stored;

7.4.16 ensure the anonymity of research participants is maintained in subsequent reports from research;

7.4.17 report research results accurately and objectively while respecting academic integrity and copyright law;

7.4.18 comply with the procedures established by the funder or employers as well as to the provisions governing royalties when using the data for publication or other purposes;

7.4.19 take responsibility and credit for works they have performed and to which they have contributed and acknowledge the work and the contributions made by others;

7.4.20 inform research participants or authorized third parties or communities of research results when requested;

7.4.21 bring to the attention of relevant bodies, research results that indicate or demonstrate social inequalities or injustices.