In our spring evaluation of our strategic plan members indicated that they would like the College to foster a more positive image of the profession. The Social Workers Act states that the NSCSW shall in the public interest, advance and promote the practice of social work.
There are several activities the College currently undertakes to promote the profession. Here are the ones we’re directing the most effort and resources to:
- Connection Magazine — Connection has been designed to share social work stories that connect with the public and decision-makers. Social workers are leaders who provide essential services to support Nova Scotians in leading healthier, happier lives. By sharing their stories, struggles and celebrating their successes, Connection illustrates the realities and challenges that social workers face, promotes the profession’s passionate work, and brings stories from our community to life. This full-colour digital magazine is distributed to social workers, government, community & advocacy groups and more, and is produced three times during a calendar year in the fall, winter & spring. We encourage our members to offer story pitches for the magazine.
- National Social Work Month (March) — Social Work Month is a time to celebrate the great profession of social work. There is a theme created each year by the CASW, and in partnership with them we promote the key messages of the annual campaign on social media. We talk about positive contributions of the profession, and we build items in our social work webpage to support social workers and organizations to promote the profession.
- Advocacy — The Social Workers Act states that the NSCSW shall “advocate for the development, enhancement, and promotion of policies to improve social conditions and promote social justice.” A core component of the social work profession is our commitment to social justice; to promote this tenet of our identity we have a number of advocacy initiatives underway aimed at receiving earned media (i.e. news coverage based on recognition of our expertise and unique perspective) and building movements for broader social change.
- Private practice promotion — The Private Practice Committee built a plan to promote private practice social workers in Nova Scotia. The campaign includes key messages and social media images that can be shared, as well as a letter template that the public can use to self-advocate with their employers and request inclusion of social work therapy in their health plan. The NSCSW has run several private practice social media ads throughout the year.
Please let us know how effective and appropriate you think these activities are, and what else you think we should add, by participating in our member survey which closes on January 31, 2022.