Social Work

About

 

Education and training

The social workers at BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre are trained at the Masters level from accredited universities and are registered with the BC College of Social Workers.

All BC Women’s social workers have a Masters degree in Social Work. 
 
For more information about Perinatal Social Workers, please visit the National Association of Perinatal Social Workers website.

The Social Work Department is committed to improving the emotional, social, spiritual, and physical health of children, youth, women and their families. ​​​


The Social Work Department provides clinical and academic placements to students of social work at the University of British Columbia and other accredited universities. Clinical and academic placements are also provided to Art Therapy students at a masters and post graduate level.

Some members of the department hold clinical appointments in the UBC Department of Psychiatry. The department is engaged in national research to enhance evidence based practice with patients and their families.
 
For more information on social work registration and training please see the following links:

Professional development
Professional Development

Ongoing professional development is encouraged and the Social Work Department Education Committee is responsible for 5-6 training sessions each year for enhancement of social work clinical practice skills. Additionally social workers are encouraged to pursue educational/professional development opportunities that are specific to their clinical program.

Code of Ethics

Code of Ethics

The Board of Registration for Social Workers in British Columbia regulates social workers. The following sets out the Code of Ethics for Registered Social Workers:

  1. A social workers shall maintain the best interest of the client as the primary 
    professional obligation;
  2. A social worker shall respect the intrinsic worth of the persons she or he serves in 
    her or his professional relationships with them;
  3. A social worker shall carry out her or his professional duties and obligations with
    integrity and objectivity;
  4. A social worker shall have and maintain competence in the provision of social work 
    services to a client;
  5. A social worker shall not exploit the relationship with a client for personal 
    benefit, gain or gratification;
  6. A social worker shall protect the confidentiality of all professionally acquired
    information. She or he shall disclose such information only when required or 
    allowed by law to do so, or when clients have consented to disclosure;
  7. A social worker who engages in another profession, occupation, affiliation or
    calling shall not allow these outside interests to affect the social work relationship 
    with the client, professional judgment, independence and/or competence;
  8. A social worker shall not provide social work services or otherwise behave in a manner 
    that discredits the profession of social work or diminishes the public’s trust in the profession;
  9. A social worker shall promote service, program, and/or agency practices and
    policies that are consistent with this Code of Ethics and the Standards of Practice 
    of the Board of Registration for Social Workers in British Columbia;
  10. A social worker shall promote excellence in her or his profession;
  11. A social worker shall advocate change in the best interest of the client, and for the overall benefit of society.

The 1983 and the 1994 Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) Code of Ethics have been used with permission

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