Pursuing professional development (PD) is part of how every social worker ensures they are best equipped to complete their responsibilities and help those they are called to serve. Social workers in Nova Scotia are self-regulated, and have collectively created standards for minimum PD activity that each member is accountable to their College to complete each year; members must therefore keep track of their PD activities, and submit documentation to NSCSW during their annual registration renewal.

Registered Social Workers and Social Work Candidates are encouraged to seek opportunities that combine their PD activity with contributing to the field of social work, serving the public interest, improving social conditions, and promoting social justice and quality of life for all Nova Scotians.

We are always open to member feedback on our PD standards, and ways we can appropriately and effectively support our members in their professional commitments to lifelong learning.

PD via NSCSW

We offer a program of professional development events every year, including an annual conference scheduled with our AGM in May. Sessions are designed to help members meet regulatory requirements, advance the interests of the profession, and address interests/needs expressed by our membership. Check here to see what’s coming up in our event calendar. Recordings of some of the College’s past events have been also archived on our YouTube channel for later viewing; links to several of these have been included in the lists below, but we encourage you to visit YouTube directly and browse the full selection.

NSCSW is also part of the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW). We encourage our members to visit casw-acts.ca/webinars to browse upcoming CASW events and their archive of recordings. In addition to their live and recorded webinars, CASW offers many learning resources that are free for NSCSW members, including a professional journal and a full-text journal database. Members of our College can visit the CASW website to claim their free national membership.

Suggested PD on topics mandated by the College

Social work ethics

Ethical behaviour is at the core of social work practice. It is a part of our everyday decision making and paramount to guiding our actions.

NSCSW and/or CASW webinars:

Other organizations

Truth and Reconciliation

The 94 calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission include provision of education to public servants and health care professionals, as well as those charged with child welfare, specifically on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations.

CASW webinars

Other organizations

Anti-racist & anti-discriminatory practice

NSCSW and/or CASW webinars

Other organizations

Social justice

NSCSW and/or CASW webinars

Other organizations

Vicarious trauma & secondary stress

NSCSW and/or CASW webinars

Suggested PD on other topics of interest

Ressources en français

Clinical practice

NSCSW Professional Standards

PD is self-directed

The NSCSW Council does not currently limit members to pre-approved options for professional development; while there are five mandated topics and active members must include a minimum amount of formal learning, each NSCSW member can assess which of the many learning opportunities available to them are most appropriate to their practice. We recognize the broad scope of the social work profession, and there are many ways to develop knowledge and acquire new skills.

The suggested activities on this page are therefore intended to support and guide members, not restrict them. The list is also a work in progress, and we will continue to add to it over time.