The Nova Scotia College of Social Workers exists to serve and protect Nova Scotians by effectively regulating the profession of social work.

As a member you have the ability to support the NSCSW in building a professional community that embodies the best of social work practice.

Ensuring Nova Scotians receive the services of skilled and competent social workers who are knowledgeable, ethical, qualified, and accountable to the people who receive social work services.

We establish, maintain, and regulate Standards of Professional Practice to ensure Nova Scotians receive the services of skilled and competent social workers who are knowledgeable, ethical, qualified, and accountable to the people who receive their services.

Stay up to date on the latest news and events happening with NSCSW.

Migration to the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA)

The Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW) is undergoing a significant transition as the Social Workers Act is repealed, and the regulation of social work moves under the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA). This shift represents a new governance framework for the profession, bringing both challenges and opportunities.

What does this mean for social workers?

While the regulatory framework is changing, several key aspects of your practice will remain the same:

Titles & Scope of Practice: These remain unchanged.
Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice: The 2026 Code of Ethics continues to guide social workers, emphasizing advocacy at structural, community, and individual levels.
Self-Regulation: Social work will remain a self-regulated profession, though the RHPA introduces greater government oversight and public involvement.

However, there are immediate changes you may notice:

Increased Fees: The RHPA requires regulatory bodies to meet higher reporting standards, including audits, performance measures, and compliance processes. These changes will necessitate additional resources, such as staffing, database updates, and legal fees, which will likely result in increased registration fees.
New Regulatory Requirements: Social workers will need to adapt to practice audits, fitness-to-practice committees, and other compliance measures.

Opportunities under the RHPA

Despite the challenges, the RHPA offers opportunities to advance the profession:

Flexible Scope of Practice: Moving scope from legislation to regulation allows for quicker updates and advancements. For example:
- Clinical Scope: The RHPA provides an opportunity to formalize and expand the clinical role of social workers, enhancing credibility within interdisciplinary teams and improving access to mental health and social services.
- Paraprofessional Role: The RHPA framework allows for the creation of a paraprofessional role, which could address systemic barriers like high workloads and limited funding. Paraprofessionals could take on specific tasks, freeing registered social workers to focus on complex cases.

Advocacy & structural challenges

Advocacy remains central to social work, as outlined in the Code of Ethics. Social workers are called to address immediate needs while advocating for structural change. However, the RHPA introduces complexities:

Government Expectations: The government expects social workers to establish a separate association for advocacy, which could lead to:
- Higher costs for members.
- A weaker political voice due to reduced resources within a stand alone association.

Risks & concerns

The RHPA grants significant powers to the Minister of Health, including the ability to:

Fire the board or appoint a new registrar.
Order audits and demand consultations.

While these powers are intended to protect the public, they raise concerns about potential misuse, particularly under future governments. Globally, the rise of authoritarianism highlights the risks of eroding professional autonomy, public trust and political interference.

Our commitment moving forward

The NSCSW remains committed to:

Advocacy: Continuing to advocate for systemic reform and structural change to address issues like heavy workloads, underfunding, and systemic inequities.
Right-Touch Regulation: Balancing public safety with equity, justice, and accountability.
Engagement: Keeping members informed and involved in decision-making as we navigate this transition.

Next steps

The government has indicated that discussions on profession-specific regulations will begin in early 2027. However, we must act now to prepare for this transition. This includes:

Allocating resources for legal fees, rebranding, and new systems to meet regulatory requirements.
Engaging members in conversations about the future of advocacy and regulation under the RHPA.

Have questions?

We understand that this transition raises many questions and concerns. If you’d like to discuss this further, please don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected] to start a conversation.

Thank you for your continued commitment to the profession and the people we serve. Together, we will navigate this change and ensure that social work remains a strong, ethical, and effective profession in Nova Scotia.