989-03-2009 Advocate Fall - Alberta College of Social Workers

Transcription

Volume 34, Issue 3,
Fall 2009
THE
www.acsw.ab.ca
ADVOCATE
A L B E R TA C O L L E G E O F S O C I A L W O R K E R S
ther things we did…..
Social Work
in Africa:
a non-traditional
practicum
Story & photos,
page 28
Special Feature: Child welfare woes: Bosco Homes page 20
Social work in Africa page 28
Letter: "Never again." Until the next time. page 24 People Power: Richard (Dick) Ramsay page 25
Review: A resource for everyday life page 17
A comparative review of competence programs in Canada page 16
The Advocate
Volume 34, Issue 3, Fall 2009
COVER STORY
Social work in Africa........................................ Richard Gregory�� 28
in this
issue
FEATURES
Child welfare woes: Bosco Homes....................... Joan Marie Galat�� 20
Published by:
The Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW)
550 10707 100 AVE NW
Edmonton AB T5J 3M1
Phone: (780) 421-1167
Toll-free in Alberta: 1-800-661-3089
Fax: (780) 421-1168 or toll-free 1-866-874-8931
E-Mail: acsw@acsw.ab.ca
Website: www.acsw.ab.ca
Letters: "Never again." Until the next time. ........ Suzanne Rosebrugh�� 24
Executive Director & Registrar: Rod Adachi, MSW, RSW
acswexd@acsw.ab.ca
People Power: Richard (Dick) Ramsay.................. Don Milne�� 25
Associate Registrar: Alison MacDonald, PhD (Cand), RSW
acswreg@acsw.ab.ca
Professional Affairs Coordinator:
Lori Sigurdson, MSW, RSW, acswpac@acsw.ab.ca
NEWS
From our desk to yours..................................... Lori Sigurdson�� 3
Coordinator, Finance and Administration:
Gladys Smecko
Registration Coordinator: Brenda Gross
The Faculty Beat: All good things must come
to an end.................................................... Lynne Dulaney............................................... 10
A comparative review of
competence programs in Canada..................... Beth Price & Derek Chewka�� 16
Book Review: A resource for everyday life............ Butch Nutter�� 17
REGULAR FEATURES
New RSWs....................................................... Membership as of August 14, 2009�� 15
President's Report............................................ Randy Harris�� 12
A season of changes........................................ Rod Adachi�� 13
Representing ACSW.......................................... Emily Drzymala�� 14
Diploma Dialogue: News from the Alberta
Association of Diploma Programs.................... Richard Gregory�� 7
For Your Information........................................ Announcements�� 43
All material with bylines is ©2009 by author. ACSW retains copyright when no author is listed.
THE ADVOCATE EDITORIAL POLICY: The Advocate seeks to serve as a “meeting place” for Alberta
social workers by publishing information about social work research, theory, practice, and education;
professional affairs; social issues; the work of the College; books, journals, and other media of interest to social workers; continuing education and job opportunities; and the comings and goings of
Alberta social workers. Members and the public are welcome to submit articles, stories, anecdotes,
poems, thoughts and ideas. Letters to the editor, announcements, cartoons, artwork, and pictures
are also welcome. The Editorial Board reserves the right to edit submitted material. Please call the
ACSW office for a copy of “Writing for the Advocate” before submitting any material. Publication
does not imply endorsement by the College.
The Advocate is published quarterly. Deadlines are JANUARY 15 for the SPRING issue (March
publication), APRIL 15 for SUMMER (June publication), JULY 15 for FALL (September publication), and
OCTOBER 15 for WINTER (December publication).
ALL SUBMISSIONS:
The Advocate, ACSW, #550, 10707 - 100 Avenue, Edmonton AB T5J 3M1
ATTN: Lori Sigurdson • E-MAIL: acswpac@acsw.ab.ca • PHONE: (780) 421-1167 • FAX: 421-1168.
2
Executive Assistant to the Executive Director:
Kim Chiles
Registration Secretary: Monica Vasconez
Regulatory Secretary: Desiree Hurst
Administrative Secretary: Nearint Neam
Promotions Coordinator: Ilona Cardinal, BA, BFA
Competency Secretary: Jennifer Catt
ACSW Council:
President: Randy Harris, MSW, RSW
Vice President: Bob Johnson, MSSW, RSW
Secretary: Elaine Spencer, MSW, RSW
Treasurer: Bonita Decaire, MSW, RSW
Members: Derek Chewka, BSW, RSW
Tera Dahl-Lang, MSW, RSW
Richard Gregory, MSW, RSW
Barry Hall, PhD, RSW
Jolene Losness, MSW, RSW
Terry Wilson, BSW, RSW
Aboriginal Committee Representative:
Verna Wittigo, BSW, RSW
Public Members: Marija Bicanic, LLM
Lynne Davies, BScN, MEd
Austin Mardon, CM
Ralph Westwood, Dip Mental Deficiency Nursing, BEd, MEd
CASW Representative: Emily Drzymala, PhD, RSW
The Advocate is published quarterly for members of
ACSW and other interested parties.
Editorial Board: Papiya Das, MSW, RSW (Chair)
Duane Burton, BSW, MEd, RSW
Eugene Ip, MSW, RSW
Leslie MacKinnon, BSW, RSW
Anne Marie McLaughlin, PhD, RSW
Elaine Paras, MSW, RSW
Peter Smyth, BSW, RSW
Trudy Wilson, SW Diploma, RSW
Editor: Joan Marie Galat
Production Editor: Jena Snyder
Design: Kyle Loranger Design
Advertising space is available; please call the ACSW
office for details or to place an ad. The Editorial Board
reserves the right to reject any advertising.
WINTER 2009 ISSUE DEADLINE: OCTOBER 15, 2009
Canadian subscriptions are $24/year
(outside Canada: $24 US/year) Please notify ACSW
office immediately of any address changes.
ISSN 0847 - 2890
PM NO. 40050109
RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO
550 10707 100 AVE NW
EDMONTON AB T5J 3M1
The Advocate • Fall 2009
From our desk to yours
by Lori Sigurdson, MSW, RSW
ACSW Professional Affairs Coordinator
Spring was a busy time for area coordinators across the province!
Lori Sigurdson
David Brady, area coordinator for Rocky Mountain House,
welcomed Joleen Losness as a portfolio workshop facilitator. Joleen
also presented in Ponoka at an event organized by Brenda McGillis.
Calgary area coordinators, led by chairperson Rob Halfyard,
organized the Ethics Road Show Part Deux to a sold out crowd of
100 social workers. Duane Massing and Elaine Spencer guided
attendees through the new code and standards of practice.
Social workers have had several opportunities to attend low
cost Category A training this spring. Thanks to the area
coordinators for all their hard work to make this possible!
Finally, Edmonton area coordinators
hosted our Advocate writer and editor,
Joan Marie Galat, for a one-day
workshop entitled Plain Language: Writing
What You Mean.
New Public Member
In June Alberta Health and Wellness appointed Austin Mardon
as a public member on ACSW Council.
Austin is a well-known
advocate for mental
health and received the
Order of Canada in 2007
for his advocacy work for
those with schizophrenia.
A geographer, he has
also written many
articles including pieces
in Nature and Science.
Austin’s articles about
schizophrenia have been
published in many local
newspapers.
Austin Mardon
Joan has recently published a new book,
Best of Alberta Day Trips From Edmonton
(see Recommended Reading, page 5).
Save the Date!
2010 ACSW Conference
Social Workers: Inspired to Serve Humanity is the
theme of the 2010 ACSW Conference in Edmonton.
The conference will be held at the Shaw Conference
Centre March 18th though 20th.
Please see Call for Proposals, pages 8-9, for details.
Welcome to Council!
More “From our desk to yours” on page 4
Volume 34 • Issue 3
Lethbridge Area Coordinators Linda Fehr, Serena Visser and Erna Topliffe at Stress
Busting workshop
3
news
On May 9th Lethbridge area coordintors Linda Fehr, Serena Visser
and Erna Topliffe organized a day of Stress Busting. Presenter Lynne
Hunter-Johnson taught 22 social workers how to celebrate life
through breath, laughter, art, music, sound and movement.
in the
Claudette Giguere hosted a portfolio workshop in Brooks on April 28th. Al Failing, a long time Competence Committee
Member, presented to a group of rural practitioners.
Continued from page 3
Recommended Reading
Poetic social worker with new book
About the Blue Moon
by Joanne Morcom
in the
news
Many of us know Joanne Morcom,
RSW, as a long time area coordinator
in Calgary who works at Cedars Villa
Extendicare. But Joanne is also an
internationally published poet whose
work has been translated into Arabic,
Japanese, German, and Russian. You can
email Joanne at morcomj@telus.net or
visit www.joannemorcom.com.
Joanne Morcom
The following poems are from Joanne’s most recent poetry book,
About the Blue Moon (see Recommended Reading, page 6 for more
information). Note that this type of poetry is not titled.
unwrapping
the new bar of soap
I inhale deeply
decide that today
will be different
garden Buddha
knee deep in dead leaves
once again
plans for the year
have gone astray
if you’d been here
you’d have reminded me
about the blue moon
on my own
I forget to look
grocery store
the male cashier
handles my melons
night sky
over Meteor Crater
the moon also round
Japanese garden
not one flower
to spoil the view
Joanne Morcom, RSW, is a member of
Haiku Canada, Tanka Canada, and the
Writers Guild of Alberta. Also belonging to
the Magpie Haiku Poets, she collaborated
on the haiku anthology A Piece of Eggshell
in 2004. Her scifaiku chapbook A Nameless Place appeared
in 2006, and remains a Sam’s Dot Publishing bestseller.
You can obtain Joanne’s poetry postcards and broadsheet
from Pooka Press at www.pookapress.com.
To order A Piece of Eggshell or A Nameless Place,
contact Joanne at morcomj@telus.net or visit
www.joannemorcom.com.
Morcom’s most recent poetry book, About the Blue Moon,
contains 80 of her tanka, haiku and senryu. The book
is available from magpie productions for $18.00 plus $5.00
shipping and handling. To order a copy, make cheque
payable to magpie productions and mail it to: magpie
productions, P.O. Box 52014, Edmonton AB T6G 2T5.

Day Trips From Edmonton
by Joan Marie Galat
Many of Alberta’s natural wonders, cultural treasures,
historical sites, and recreational spots are within a twohour drive of downtown Edmonton. Day Trips From
Edmonton, by Joan Marie Galat, provides a comprehensive guide of year-round places to visit and things to do
outside city limits.
We welcome
your creative
submissions!
Contact Lori
Sigurdson at the
ACSW office:
acswpac@acsw.ab.ca.
The book encompasses both secluded natural areas and
hotspots bustling with activities. It lists best places for
birding and one-of-a-kind attractions, such as the Alberta
Honey Producers Co-op, Viking petroglyphs, the Beaver
Hills Black Sky preserve, and Klondike Ferry Crossing.
The layout, maps, photographs, and index make it easy to
plan a day the whole family can enjoy. You might start at
a rural farmer’s market, explore a pioneer museum, visit
a splash park, and finish the day with a picnic at a corn
maze, botanic garden, or provincial park.
Visit www.joangalat.com for additional information.
Day Trips From Edmonton reached number one on the
Edmonton Journal’s top ten non-fiction book list. n
From our desk to
yours
All the ‘dirty scary crazy street people’ were once children,
All promised they could be astronauts and princesses.
They were encouraged to look toward the bright and magical futures that awaited them—
We asked them to smile; we asked them to dream.
Why does society blame them for the promises it never intended to keep?
When we removed the promise, and stole away those dreams,
We disabused them of that hope we fed them.
Now they starve.
We still see them without cleaner saner better blaming eyes,
Yet all mourn the tragedy when others see or hear of frozen bodies in the street.
That is when we care.
Our hearts break for those around us,
For those ‘betters’, like us, to see.
And at Christmas, I’ll pay my dues by paying for a sandwich
That some other braver soul will distribute,
While I eat clean turkey in a festive sweater,
By a family-filled home’s hearth.
I did my part.
I feel good about what I did for those ‘poor dirty crazies’.
Where would they be tonight if not for my generosity?
At Christmas, you’re my brother and friend,
But on Boxing Day,
I’ll pretend to not see you on the street.
I won’t pollute my sight by looking at you
With eyes that still want to blindly believe their vision of altruistic redeeming deeds done.
Yet I cringe to think of all the baseness, all the debauchery,
All the sin these dirty F-ing ‘bums’ will commit.
All the trouble ‘they’ will cause on New Year’s Eve.
Why can’t they just be more like us?
Why do they choose this?
5
news
‘Lest you forget, you owe me a turkey sandwich’
Joelle Richardson
in the
Another poet and social worker, Joelle Richardson, RSW, submitted this reflective piece. Joelle has a
background and passion for working with seniors. Employed in the addictions field, she is interested
in advocating for seniors’ issues and mental health awareness. She lives in the Calgary area where she
enjoys music, writing, being active, meeting interesting new people, and enjoying good coffee with good
friends.
his MA in political science (1967), his MPh in public administration (1968), and his PhD in community development (1974).
From 1968-73, Dr. Richards served as an associate professor
of social work at the University of Calgary. He was the
Memorial University (Newfoundland) school of social work
director until 1975, then returned to the University of
Calgary as professor of social welfare until 1978 and dean of
the faculty until 1984.
In Memorium
in the
news
Marie Terese MacDonald, July 20, 1929 - July 22, 2009
Marie MacDonald, MSW, RSW, was
a well known social worker in the
Edmonton area, Marie will be warmly
remembered by many relatives, friends,
and former colleagues.
Dr. Richards retired in BC, where he helped establish the
Chilliwack Social Planning Council and the University College
of the Fraser Valley bachelor of social work program.
Marie inspired those around her to
Helen Damer, August 11, 1940 - May 30, 2009
appreciate
their
own
potential.
A
help
Marie MacDonald
Helen Damer, RSW, a long time
to innumerable people through both
employee of The Family Centre, was an
private practice and her work with the Edmonton Police
exceptional social worker, Helen was
Force, she founded The Monica’s in the 60s to support single
loved and respected by her colleagues
Moms and their families. Marie was actively involved with
and clients. She was a proud mother and
ACSW throughout her career and most recently a member of
grandmother, and an active volunteer in
the Retired Social Workers Committee.
St. Albert, Edmonton and La Crete.
Helen Damer
Marie spent her life offering love, facing challenges with
poise, and tackling adversity with valor. She will be
remembered for her love of laughter and dancing, as well
as her desire to experience every moment of fun. Our
condolences to her family, friends and colleagues.
At the Family Centre, Helen was a
Roots and Wings program social worker who provided
services to families requiring parenting assistance. She carried
her interest and skills over to her “retirement” time with
Highlander Counselling and Mediation before stepping
out and starting her own private practice as a social worker
offering supportive services to seniors and persons with
developmental disabilities.
Leonard Richards, 1921 - 2009
The University of Calgary Faculty of
Social Work community was saddened
to hear about the death of Dr. Leonard
(Len) Richards, professor emeritus and
first dean of the faculty. Diagnosed with
cancer in 2000, Dr. Richards passed
away on June 21 at his home in Sidney,
BC at the age of 87.
Helen was a gem who taught us lessons in life and
relationships. She exemplified all the attributes of a seasoned
and professional social worker and true friend. Helen had
a wonderful approach to life and the concern to work
effectively with some of the most difficult types of families
and individuals. A master of self care, she lived with an illness
that would cut the activities of many of us short.
Born in Wales but attending school in
England forced Richards to learn boxing and self defence
techniques to cope with bullying classmates. These incidents
fostered his strong passion of justice for the oppressed. His
interests included consulting with community groups and
voluntary social organizations, organizational development in
social services and church congregations, and social planning.
Leonard Richards
Helen was the glue that held the Roots and Wings team
together. Even after having left The Family Centre, she
was known to call the team for a lunch meeting at a local
restaurant, where peer consultation was part of the agenda.
A tea enthusiast, Helen would teach anyone who was
interested how to prepare a great cup of tea. We miss those
sessions in the Second Cup!
Dr. Richards completed his BSW at Sir George Williams
(now Concordia University). As a practicing social worker, he
obtained his MSW at McGill in 1963. At Toronto, he earned
Helen walked on this earth with grace. She will be greatly
missed. n
6
Diploma Dialogue
Brenda Joyce, MSW, RSW
Missing from photo: Marianne Wright (MacEwan), Sandra Alton (MacEwan),
Alan Knowles (MacEwan), David Hannis (MacEwan), Don Snow (RDC), Donna
Rensen (Norquest).
Twenty-two representatives from seven Social Work Diploma Programs located across the province
gathered in Sylvan Lake on May 4 - 6, 2009 for their annual meeting and conference.
Programs reported the highlights of the past year including student enrolment, student and faculty achievements, and program
challenges, as well as plans for the upcoming academic year. Faculty participated in sessions of common interest around
curriculum and teaching in order to share ideas and current practices.
The annual conference and representation on the national Association of College Educators of Social Services and Social
Work Diploma Programs (ACESS) was promoted. Reports were presented by representatives on various ACSW committees,
and discussion took place about the approval/re-approval process recently approved by ACSW Council.
While the ice was still on the lake, the opportunities for networking and collegiality helped to connect us in ways that
generate “heat” for the work that will be done throughout the year. n
Brenda Joyce is an instructor at Red Deer College.
n
Come Celebrate n
the 40th anniversary of the Social Work Program at Red Deer College
November 6, 2009
Join us for:
n A 3-hour presentation that will qualify for ACSW Category “A” credits — at no charge!
n Wine tasting from 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm
November 7, 2009
n Open House from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
n Buffet dinner with the launch of “The Lived History Video” featuring past alummni
n Red Deer College Performing Arts Review showcasing beautiful music as you visit with colleagues
To join the mailing list, contact Brenda Joyce at 403-314-2478 or brenda.joyce@rdc.ab.ca or
Brenda Mullaney at 403-342-3323 or brenda.mullaney@rdc.ab.ca
7
news
Front Row (l to r): Starr Curry (Portage College), Carol McArthur (Portage
College), Elizabeth Radian (RDC), Linda Fountain (Mount Royal), Kathy
Kossman-Jarrell (Mount Royal).
in the
News from the Alberta
Association of Social
Worker Diploma Programs
(AASWDP)
Back Row (l to r): Brenda Joyce (Red Deer College), Valerie Weber (RDC),
Lauralyn Houle (Northern Lakes College), Eugene Ip (Norquest College),
Elaine Spencer (RDC), Tera Dahl-Lang (RDC), Dorothy Jacques (Norquest
College), Linda Boksteyn (Medicine Hat College), Patricia Goodwill-Littlechild
(Maskwachees Cultural College), Deborah Foster (Portage College), Gaye Warthe
(Mount Royal).
Social Workers: Inspired to Serve Humanity
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
ALBERTA COLLEGE of SOCIAL WORKERS ANNUAL CONFERENCE
MARCH 18 – 20, 2010 (Shaw Conference Centre)
EDMONTON, ALBERTA
in the
news
Submission deadline of September 15, 2009
The 2010 Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) Conference in Edmonton
provides a venue for sharing fresh ideas and approaches for social workers
working in a variety of settings all across Alberta. We see our profession
as separate and distinct from other professions, and wish to enhance our
understanding of the Code of Ethics, Standards of Practice, and the Health
Professions Act.
Our 2010 theme highlights the third value of the Canadian Association of Social
Workers’ Code of Ethics (2005): Service to Humanity. “The social work profession
upholds service in the interests of others, consistent with social justice, as a core
professional objective. In professional practice, social workers balance
individual needs, and rights and freedoms with collective interests in the
service of humanity. When acting in a professional capacity, social workers
place professional service before personal goals or advantage, and use their
power and authority in disciplined and responsible ways that serve society. The
social work professional contributes to knowledge and skills that assist in the
management of conflicts and the wide-ranging consequences of conflict.” We
welcome your proposals for workshops fitting within our conference theme.
Conference Goals
• Provide a forum to share practice experiences
• Showcase recent developments and innovations in social work and visons
for the future
• Highlight best practices that promote caring, self-fulfillment, autonomy,
participation and independence for the populations which social workers
serve
• Celebrate ethical practice by social workers to promote change and
resilience
Field of Practice/Practice Specialization
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Aboriginal
Addictions
Admin/Management
Adoptions
Child Welfare
Children & Youth
Clinical
Community
Criminal Justice
EAP/Occupational SW
Family Violence
Generalist
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Gerontology/Seniors
Health/Hospital
Marriage & Family Therapy
Mediation
Medical
Mental Health
Organizational Consulting
Policy/Planning
Rehabilitation
Research
Rural
Teaching
PREPARING WORKSHOP PROPOSALS
Considerations for Developing your Workshop Proposal
The ACSW Conference spotlights innovation and fresh ideas focused on ethics
and professional practice. Presenters should clearly outline the needs, issues or
opportunities that led to the development of their workshop. Conference
evaluations indicate a strong preference for sessions with ideas that may be
adapted or applied in current work settings and with specific client groups.
Concurrent workshops are: 3 hours, 6 hours, 9 hours or 12 hours in length in
order to meet the Category ‘A’ requirements of ACSW competencies for
registered social workers. Workshops must focus on educational objectives, be
participatory and interactive (use popular education principles). Motivational
and personal development workshops should have clear learning objectives and
focus on practical approaches that can be integrated into practice.
Benefits of Presenting
Review and Evaluation of Proposals
• Recognition as a leader in your field, at your workplace and among your
peers
• Professional development opportunity to enhance your career potential
and increase your professional portfolio
• Achieve a higher networking profile
Summaries of all workshops including presenter names and organizations are
published in the Conference Program, which is sent to over 6000 registered
social workers in Alberta. In addition, conference brochures are sent to
professional organizations of social work across Canada and the United States,
post-secondary institutions with social work education programs in Canada
and the United States, agencies working with a wide variety of clients that
social workers serve, and policy makers.
Presenters and participants from outside Edmonton often extend their
conference stay to take advantage of shopping, cultural and educational
amenities and to enjoy the leisure and recreational opportunities found a short
distance away in Alberta’s mountain parks.
Who attends the ACSW Conference?
Over its history, the ACSW Conference has grown to become one of the largest
single gatherings of social workers in North America. For the past 4 years over
1000 social workers have attended our conference each year. Participants come
from a variety of fields of practice/practice specializations including, but not
limited to:
8
Workshop proposals will be reviewed by the 2009 Conference Planning
Committee. Proposals will be evaluated using the attached weighting scale.
Points will be deducted for proposals that are incomplete, do not respect the
word limits, or do not present information in a clear, well organized manner.
Information should be written in plain language, and must accurately describe
the material you intend to present. We reserve the right to limit the number and
size of workshops based on room capacity.
Instructions for Preparing Proposals
All proposals received by the deadline of September 15th, 2009 will be reviewed
and must be prepared using the instructions below. Only those received as
electronic submissions will be accepted for review (Please use MS word
attachments).
1. Contact Information: Primary presenter’s name, credentials, job title,
employer, and all contact information (address, day and evening phone
numbers, e-mail address). Please note: All conference communication will
be through the primary presenter. The primary presenter is responsible
for communicating all conference information to their co-presenters.
2. Biography: The primary presenter must submit a brief biography which is
relevant to their workshop. This biography will be posted on the ACSW
website as submitted and will be used for the introduction of the presenter
at the beginning of their workshop.
2010 Annual Conference
March 18 - 20, 2010
Honourariums
Honourariums will be granted to primary presenters at a rate of $200.00 per
3 hour workhsop. For example, primary presenters offering a six (6) hour
workshop, will receive an honourarium of $400.00.
Submitting Workshop Proposals
Completed proposals are to be sent to Lori Sigurdson, ACSW Professional
Affairs Coordinator, lsigurdson@acsw.ab.ca.
Deadline
Proposals must be received by September 15, 2009
Persons submitting proposals by the deadline date will receive a response by
October 31, 2009. Submissions received after the deadline will be reviewed
only if openings on the program remain.
Selection Criteria
Workshops
Weighting
1. Scope and Relevance
Is the proposal clear and relevant to the conference theme? Does it address
one or more of the conference goals?
25%
2. Learning Goals
Are the learning goals clearly stated? Are they relevant to current social work
practice?
20%
3. Impact and Added Value
What would be the impact of this workshop? How will it assist social workers
in their daily practice? What tools will social workers leave with if they attend
this workshop?
25%
4. Format and Methodology
Are there opportunities for audience participation and interactive learning?
10%
5. Target Audience
6. Previous Experience
Is the target audience clearly defined? Will this workshop appeal to a broad
range of social workers or to a group of social workers with a particular need?
Will this workshop appeal to advanced practitioners (5 years + experience)?
Does the presenter have recognized expertise in the topic area and a
demonstrated ability to share the information with others?
9
10%
10%
news
‘Social Workers:
Inspired to Serve Humanity’
in the
3. Additional Presenters: If there are additional presenters, please provide
names, credentials, brief biographies relevant to their workshop, job
titles and organizations represented. Please note: All conference
communication will be through the primary presenter. The primary
presenter is responsible for communicating all conference
information to their co-presenters.
4. Title of Workshop: The title should be brief (8 words or less) and
specific; it should reflect the essence of the presentation. Please do not
use abbreviations in the title.
5. Conference Brochure Summary: Include a brief (maximum 25 words)
description of the workshop for the conference brochure. Submissions
of more than 25 words will be edited.
6. Long Description of Workshop: Please submit a single spaced
description of no more than 350 words. This description will be posted
on the ACSW website.
7. Learning Objectives: Identify the learning objectives of your
workshop. Please be specific with regard to knowledge, skills or
abilities social workers will gain from attending your workshop
8. Target Audience: Identify who your workshop would benefit.
Parameters to consider are field of practice, level of education and
length of experience of participants.
9. Length of Workshop: 3 hours ~ 6 hours ~ 9 hours ~ 12 hours
10. References: Please provide contact information (name, organization,
phone number) of two references that can confirm the effectiveness of
your presentation skills. References can be individuals or organizers at
recent conferences at which you have presented.
11. Audio visual: Identify the audio visual equipment you will need for your
workshop. (i.e. overhead projector, flipchart, slide projector, etc.) LCD
projectors and laptop computers will not be provided. These are the
responsibility of the presenters.
12. Handouts: ACSW is not responsible for photocopying handouts.
Handouts and other information relevant to the presentation can be
put on the ACSW website if received by ACSW at least 10 days prior to
the conference.
The Faculty Beat
Lynne Dulaney
in the
news
University of Calgary Faculty of Social Work
All good things must come to an end:
Prof retires after 23 years at FSW
If you completed a BSW degree in Alberta in the past 23 years, it’s quite likely you took a class or two
with Dr. Kim Zapf.
Since coming to the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Social
Work in 1986, Zapf worked with the Edmonton Division
for seven years, the Access Division (four years), and on the
Calgary campus (twelve years), while also teaching credit
course offerings in nine other delivery sites across Alberta. As
well, he served the Faculty as associate dean (1996-97), acting
dean (1997-98), and Access division head (1999-2002).
Over these years, Zapf taught hundreds of students across the
province in all BSW core courses, as well as electives dealing
with rural/remote practice, multicultural practice and social
action. But as all good things must come to an end, Zapf
chose to pack up his cherished Toronto Blue Jays memorabilia
and retire from the Faculty of Social Work in August.
After retirement, I hope to maintain contact
with the Faculty through sessional teaching
opportunities. I am also convinced that my
fulltime support will push the Blue Jays to new
heights of baseball glory!
Kim Zapf with his new book, Social Work and the Environment: Understanding
People and Place
More recently, he worked on curriculum and a team-teaching
model for the BSW integrated course, integrating content
and assignments across core courses.
One of Zapf ’s professional and personal triumphs during his
academic career was his leadership in developing the contextfocused content and delivery model for the Faculty’s original
BSW Access program in 1998. Now called the Learning
Circles, this innovative program still brings the Faculty’s
accredited undergraduate degree to rural, remote and
Aboriginal communities across the province.
Maintaining a focus on rural/remote practice and the
environment, Zapf published three books and over 50
refereed journal articles and book chapters during his career.
He presented his work at more than 60 conferences across
North America as well as in Denmark, Sweden, Finland,
Australia, Hawaii, and South Korea.
This year has seen a flurry of publications concluding several
long-term projects before retirement, including his new
10
Centre for Social Work Research
& Professional Development Fall
Program 2009
n October 5, 2009, Calgary: Assessing Practice Outcomes in
in the
n October 15 - 16, 2009, Calgary: Cognitive-Behavioral
news
book Social Work and the Environment: Understanding People
and Place, which exposes social work’s neglect of the physical
environment and proposes a new metaphor of “people as
place” as the foundation for relevant practice in the 21st
century.
Clinical Setting
Presented by Daniel Lai, PhD, RSW.
Therapy for OCD and Anxiety: User-Friendly Treatment for
Children and Adolescents
Presented by Aureen Pinto Wagner, PhD.
n October 19 - November 14, 2009, Online: Clinical Social
Also in early 2009, Zapf published an entry on “rural regions”
in the new Encyclopedia of Social Work with Groups; a chapter
on the original Learning Circles model in Walking in the
Good Way: (loterihwakwarihshion tsi ihse): Aboriginal Social Work
Education; and two chapters in Northern and Rural Social Work:
A Canadian Perspective, the final volume of the Northern Social
Work series, and several other works.
Work Supervision
Presented by Jane Matheson, PhD, RSW.
n October 19, 2009, Calgary: Impact of State and Family
Violence on Refugee Women
Presented by Dave Este, PhD, RSW and Liza Lorenzetti,
MSW, RSW.
n October 28, 2009, Calgary: Support Group Facilitator
Along with colleague Dr. Ralph Bodor, Zapf published a
chapter on “The Geographic Base of Canadian Social Welfare”
in the sixth edition of Canadian Social Welfare.
Training
Presented by Mare Donely, MSW, RSW.
With colleagues Les Jerome and Dr. Margaret Wilson, he
co-authored an article on “Team Teaching in Social Work:
Sharing Power with BSW Students” for the Journal of Teaching
in Social Work, while another article on integrated BSW courses
is currently under review.
Practice
Presented by Dan Wulff, PhD.
“After retirement, I hope to maintain contact with the Faculty
through sessional teaching opportunities,” Zapf says, adding
that after more than two decades of academic writing, he is
keen to try his hand at fiction. “I am also convinced that my
fulltime support will push the Blue Jays to new heights of
baseball glory!”
n November 19 - 20, 2009, Calgary: Spirituality, Suffering
When pressed about further plans for retirement, Zapf quotes
19th century British essayist Charles Lamb: “I shall walk about;
not to and from.”
Please join the Faculty of Social Work in wishing him all the
best in his journeys. n
Lynne Dulaney is the communications consultant for the Faculty of Social Work at
University of Calgary.
n November 2, 2009, Calgary: Non-violence and Social Work
n November 16 - 17, 2009, Calgary: You and the Law:
Health and Human Service Practice and Legal Implications
Presented by Salimah Walji-Shivji, MSW, LLB.
and Illness: What Clinical Practices Invite Individual and
Family Healing?
Presented by Lorraine Wright, PhD.
All workshops are approved for ACSW Continuing Competency
Category A. For more information and to register, visit
www.fsw.ucalgary.ca/pd.
The Centre for Social Work Research and Professional
Development is committed to making professional
development offerings more accessible to the social work
community throughout the province. Workshops are planned
outside of Calgary, especially in Edmonton and Lethbridge.
If your agency is interested in partnering with the Centre,
phone 403-220-2160 or email fswcrd@ucalgary.ca.
11
President
regular
feature
Randy Harris, MSW, RSW
President’s Report
Randy Harris
In June, representatives of the 10 provincial social work bodies met in Calgary to start planning
a competency project born out of the need to specify the competency profile for Canada’s social
work profession. The Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) has led to broad discussions on the
competencies required for entry to practice. Discussion has focused on the educational level
achieved as an entry to practice indicator. Unfortunately, there have been unsubstantiated
assumptions about which educational level is necessary for entry of practice. This project will
provide us with data to put the discussion to rest.
As the AIT promotes labour mobility in Canada and includes
provisions that mandate the acceptance of registered social
workers who move to other provinces, what constitutes
an appropriate entry level of practice has taken on more
importance.
perform tasks. Competency profiles are seen to focus on
discrete tasks rather than the need to be capable in many areas
and the ability to manage this in an appropriate manner. This
complexity is recognized by our requirement for references as
part of the registration process.
Every seven years, the Association of Social Work Boards
(ASWB) conducts a job analysis—a survey of the profession
to determine the knowledge and skills needed by entry
level social workers at each stage of practice. As an ASWB
member, we benefit from this analysis but unfortunately
the ASWB does not include diploma level social workers.
L’ordre professionnel des travailleurs sociaux du Quebec is the only
Canadian body that has developed a list of competencies for
entry to the profession, but this does not include the diploma
level either. Consequently, the project will focus on diploma
and bachelor level graduates.
No list of competencies can be sufficient to determine one’s
appropriateness for entry to practice. We will always need
information from supervisors and others who know our
practice. However, it will be a big step forward if we can
determine a set of competencies for use across the country. n
By project’s end we will have determined the competencies
considered essential for entry to the social work profession.
Results could indicate few if any differences in the
competencies of social work diploma and bachelor of social
work graduates. Or, results could demonstrate significant
differences. Either way, we will have evidence to inform
future directions with respect to determining entry to
practice. With a common understanding, I hope we will move
to uniform standards across Canada.
The Alberta College of Social Workers established a Student
Bursary Fund in 2004 to assist social work students to
continue their education through a college or university
program. The bursary fund supports students who
demonstrate their commitment to the profession of social
work through active involvement in the community, their
educational institution, and with the Alberta College of
Social Workers. Each year five bursaries of $1000 each are
awarded. For more information visit the ACSW website. Go
to Activities & Services and then click on Services and
then Student Bursary. The deadline for applications is
October 30, 2009.
Randy Harris is the president of ACSW. He can be reached through the ACSW office
at acsw@acsw.ab.ca.
ACSW Student Bursary
Competency profile concerns often focus on the fact there
is much more to being a social worker than the ability to
12
Executive Director &
Registrar
Rod Adachi, MSW, RSW
Summer 2009 has been a season of changes for social work. On the national front an
organizational review of the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) has been
initiated. Emily Drzymala, ACSW’s board representative to the CASW, writes about this in
her first report in this role (see page 14).
On the regulatory side, the Canadian Council of Social Work
Regulators (CCSWR) is a newly formed national association
of provincial and territorial regulatory bodies.
Its purpose is to provide a national structure for provincial/
territorial regulatory authorities to present and pursue issues
of common interest and to share, consider and develop
positions on such matters. Two initial areas of focus have
been identified—the Canadian Competency Project and
International Credential Assessment.
The first formal meeting of the CCSWR is planned for
September. The CCSWR will have its head office in Toronto.
In his President’s Report, Randy Harris refers to the
competency project meeting held in Calgary in June. An
application for funding for this project is being prepared
for submission this fall to Human Resources and Skills
Development Canada (HRSDC) under the auspices of the
development of the new Addictions and Mental Health
Framework will impact RSWs working in mental health.
Social worker Linda Dziuba has been recruited as the new
director of Social Work and Spiritual Care Strategies in AHS
and we will be liaising with her about social work and AHS.
Restricted Activities Review
Alberta Health and Wellness is conducting a review of
restricted activities.
In addition to psychosocial intervention, custody and access
and competence assessments have been identified as activities
that impact social work practice.
We look forward to reviewing the feedback collected over
the summer about restricted activities. This information will
help to determine changes and possible additions to restricted
activities for social workers.
CCSWR.
Strategic Planning Retreat
Alberta Health Services
Given the changes taking place and a growing list of activities
requiring attention, members of ACSW Council participated
in a strategic planning retreat in August. An updated strategic
plan will assist Council to establish goals and set priorities
that reflect the regulatory requirements and operational
realities of the ACSW. n
At the provincial level, the reorganization at Alberta Health
Services (AHS) continues to unfold. The release of the AHS
Code of Conduct generated considerable attention amongst
AHS employees.
The recently announced move of up to 150 patients to
Rod Adachi is the Executive Director and Registrar of ACSW. He can be reached
the community from Alberta Hospital Edmonton and the
through the ACSW office at acswexd@acsw.ab.ca.
13
feature
National changes
regular
A season of changes
Rod Adachi
CASW Report
regular
feature
Emily Drzymala, PhD, RSW
Representing ACSW
Emily Drzymala
At its May meeting, the ACSW Council appointed me to represent Alberta on the Canadian
Association of Social Workers (CASW) board of directors. My role includes submitting these
reports, attending all ACSW Council meetings as a non-voting member, and representing the
ACSW Council’s perspective on issues with national scope.
As many of you, I have been fortunate to experience the
satisfaction our profession avails in its breadth of practice
roles. This has included management, policy, administration,
community development, and research, as well as my current
clinical practice in cardiac rehabilitation at the Cardiac
Wellness Institute of Calgary. My background includes work
as a social work educator and practitioner—primarily in
health care, as well as former ACSW president.
children, and Aboriginal internal interests groups.
The 2009/10 year will see the CASW undertake a formal
organizational review, prompted by diversity within the
CASW membership and fiscal planning implications. For
example, not all provinces are members. Of those that are
members, not all represent the total number of social workers
in their province.
All Alberta social workers are represented via individual
ACSW membership because our association function
is combined with our regulatory function within one
organization. Due to our association function, we are CASW
members. Although one of CASW’s purposes is to support
regulatory and non-regulatory work of member organizations,
it is not a regulatory body. Regulation is within provincial
jurisdiction. British Columbia and Ontario have two separate
Founded in 1926, the CASW’s purposes and objectives are to: organizations within these provinces, one performing the
regulatory function and another the association function.
1. advance social justice
Quebec does not belong to the CASW and not all member
2. strengthen and promote the social work profession
provinces currently have mandatory regulation.
3. support regulatory and non-regulatory work of
member organizations.
The CASW held its annual meeting June 17-18 in Winnipeg.
I encourage you to review the June 2009 Annual Report
June 2006
which you can access at www.casw-acts.ca.
You will see the
major focus of activities for the 2008/2009 year was policy,
through work encompassing national coalitions, lobbying,
and a series of position papers on poverty, as well as health,
ANNUAL REPORT
While there are likely 60,000 social workers in Canada,
CASW can speak for 17,000—hence the organizational
review, which will be undertaken with the presidents
group, encompassing presidents of provincial and territorial
associations. I will keep you posted, in subsequent Advocate
reports, on these and other directions as they emerge. n
Emily Drzymala is the ACSW representative for CASW. She works at the Cardiac
Wellness Institute of Calgary, and is a past president of ACSW.
14
New RSWs
Membership as of
August 14, 2009: 6,145
Colleen Miller
Chris Wanamaker
David Aguilera
Melanie Hann
Kimberly Miller
Lorelei Waterchief
Faiza Ahmad
Yvonne Hansen
Archie Mixon
Jeffrey Whitehead
Elissa Aknay
Casey Hargrove
Abeer Morsy
Zofia Whittaker
Paulina Auger
Sharen Harms
Stephen Murphy
Lisa Winsor
Romita Bajaj
Nicolle Hauer
Patricia Neumeyer
Monica Wong
Shawna Bava
Julia Havelock
Patricia Nhongo
Fritzi Woods
Amanda Berjian
Dulcie Herdsman
Shawn O’Grady
Kimberley Yake
Alexandra Bousmal
Scott Hofstetter
Teresa Ogunleye
Jennifer Brause
Jennifer Holtham
Darlene Omstead
Brandy Breakey
Ingrid Hoogenboom
Victoria Parker
Gregory Bubel
Jonathan Hughes
Jade Pecson
Lyndsey Bulger
Jocelan Ireland
Janice Pickering
Lisa Cameron
Taylor Jacobs
Kristina Potter
Maureen Carson
Nicole Jangula
Maria Rauda
Kathleen Carter
Miranda Johns
Sandra Rhead
Leigh Chisholm
Catriona Keenan
Vanessa Rose
Jennifer Corbiell
Barinder Korha
Lindsey Routhier
Nicole Coslovich
Tihana Lakovic
Mandeep Sadhra
Kelsey Coss
Priscilla Lalonde
Maki Sakata
Celine Cyr
Jennifer LeBlanc
Gurbir Sandhu
Cara Dagg
Sergio Leonardo
Sarah Sapergia
Shirley Damer
Audree Lepage Fortin
Stephanie
Cindy DeBrusk
Leanne Levie
Schindler
Amanda Dening
David Lewry
Laura Schmaus
Dawn Doucet
Frederick Lowe
Jaimie Schmidt
Melanie Doyle
Jennifer Macdonnell
Aliya Shahzad
Jacqueline Dzioba
Laverne MacKenzie
Carolyn Shinners
Henry Effon
Shelby MacKenzie
Roxanne
Jeana Eldridge
Monica MacKinnon
Dean Estrella
Knox Makumbe
Amanda Spence
Nancy Forest
Gloria Manitopyes
Andrea Spurrell
Shannon Forsyth
Sarah Marsden
Jade Stangeland
Merlyn Fortune-Browne
Shannon Martens
Candice Strauss
Alma Garbe
Rachel Martini
Lois Tomkins
Ruby Gilmore
Michelle Maser
Shawna Twin
Maria Goudy
Cheryl Massimo
Holly Usher
Lisa Green
Diana McCarron
Kathryn Walker
Liesel Hack
Jodi McGraw
Kristen Walker
Lemiem Haile
Krista McMillan
Kristy Walters
Smigorosky
15
feature
Hiliary Hamelin
regular
Michelle Agopsowicz
regular
feature
Competence
Committee
Beth Price, MSW, RSW
Derek Chewka, BSW, RSW
A comparative review of competence
programs in Canada
In 1997 the Practice Review Board, predecessor of the Competence Committee under the Social Work Profession Act, began
looking at different continuing competency models. At the time the Portfolio Model was fairly new but gaining support.
Over the next few years the committee conducted focus
groups around the province to find out what social workers
were doing that they believed helped to maintain or enhance
their competence for practice. The ACSW Continuing
Competence Program was based on all the information
compiled through these processes. In 2003 social work
came under the Health Professions Act, which includes
a requirement for all professions to have a continuing
competence program. Ours was implemented effective July 1,
2003.
In 2005 and 2008 the committee contracted David
Hargreaves & Associates to conduct external evaluations of
the program. The committee also solicited informal feedback
from members on an ongoing basis. ACSW recognized the
need to collect information to determine how members
were responding to the new legal requirements as well as
their overall opinion of the program. Information from the
reports and member comments assisted the committee in
determining policy changes as well as refining requirements
for portfolio submissions.
As part of our ongoing commitment to ensure that the
program meets current professional standards, the committee
recently undertook a review of various competence programs
employed by other health profession regulatory bodies. This
process allowed our committee to critically assess several
competence programs from across the country.
The following observations were made:
nAll organizations in the review utilize some form of selfassessment and learning plan.
nThe process for documenting competence activities is
almost always an annual process.
nA noticeable difference is that most colleges require
portfolio submissions every three years as opposed to 5 (as
employed by the ACSW).
Some of the Colleges employ a practice visit model in their
competence programs. Only the Quebec Social Workers have
this as a mandatory requirement. In some cases, a practice
visit is used when a member fails the initial competence
requirements. There is also an additional fee paid by members
when this occurs.
Most other competence programs are quite rigid with little
room for extenuating circumstances. ACSW appears to be
more flexible with its members, recognizing diversity and
personal circumstances.
Most colleges require official documentation of Category
A-type activities. ACSW’s Category A Summary Form as an
alternative tool for submission of category A credits is unique
to our membership.
In terms of “rigor” our program is seen as “in the middle” of
other programs. There are a few programs which are much
more exhaustive and demanding of their membership and a
few colleges that are less strict. In Alberta, where continuing
competency is required by law, programs are generally clearly
delineated and expectations more stringent.
The Competence Committee continues to monitor program
developments in other professions as well as for social workers
throughout North America. Any member interested in
reviewing the information that has been compiled is welcome
to come to the ACSW office to do so. n
Beth Price is Research Assistant Multiple Sclerosis Genetics for University of
Calgary, Faculty of Medicine, and Derek Chewka is an Advocate for Children and
Youth Ministry of Alberta. Both are members of the Competence Committee.
16
Book Review:
A resource for everyday life
By Butch Nutter, PhD, RSW
Social Determinants of Health: Foundations for Social Work Policy and Practice by D. Raphael (Ed.), PhD
feature
Reviewed by Butch Nutter
Social Work is one of 28 regulated health professions in Alberta. For Social Work, health is a positive concept emphasizing
social and personal resources. Health includes emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual capacities. Health is a resource
for everyday life. Social workers endeavour to improve health by working with persons and their environments.
Social determinants of health have been extensively researched
in Canada before and since the World Health Organization
issued the Ottawa Charter in 1986. The Chief Public Health
Officer’s Report on the State of Public Health in Canada 2008 and
Social Determinants of Health: Canadian Perspectives (2009) report
this research.
The Chief Public Health Officer’s Report is organized around
nine social determinants of health: Income, employment and
working conditions, food security, environment and housing,
early childhood development, education and literacy, social
support and connectedness, health behaviours, and access to
health care. Canadian Perspectives reviews Aboriginal status,
early life, education, employment and working conditions,
food security, gender, health care services, housing, income
and its distribution, social safety net, social exclusion, and
unemployment and employment security in 24 chapters
written by 29 authors.
Both volumes are important social work resources because
they describe health disparities related to persons’ socially
determined environments. This knowledge is central to our
professional social work person-in-environment enterprise.
In Canadian Perspectives, social determinants’ relationships to
health are examined broadly and in detail. The Chief Public
Health Officer’s Report emphasizes data traditionally recorded
and reported; disease, disability, and death.
These two volumes are basic reading for those of us who
would participate in developing and using social work policy
and practice frameworks. For example, it is clear that family
regular
Butch Nutter
housing, income, and social support and connectedness are
strongly related to children’s present and future health. Most
social workers whose job is children’s well-being are powerless
to affect families’ housing and incomes, but can remove
children from their families and communities thus rupturing
social support and connectedness: Usually at a far greater
monetary cost than improving families’ housing and incomes.
Of course, lives are not this simple, and the social determinants
of health importantly address lives’ complexities.
One of our tasks as social workers is to develop the habits
of recognizing, supporting, and recording the positives. Of
course, we must attend to and repair failures, to the extent
reasonably possible, but we should be equally vigorous in
creating the conditions for success. There are many health
inequities in Canada, partly because of what we are doing, but
largely because of what we are not doing. Integrating social
determinants of health into a policy and practice framework
for social work can help us do better by recognizing,
developing, and recording success and the conditions for
success.
The Chief Public Health Officer’s Report on the State of Public
Health in Canada 2008 is 101 pages and available on line at:
www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/2008/cpho-aspc/pdf/
cpho-report-eng.pdf n
Social Determinants of Health: Foundations for Social Work Policy
and Practice by D. Raphael (Ed.). Canadian Scholars' Press,
Toronto, 2009 (475 pages)
Butch Nutter is a professor emeritus at University of Calgary.
17
Private Practice Page
regular
feature
Audrey Ferber, MSW, RSW
Private Practice Roster collects
information on fees
Audrey Ferber
In order to obtain important data, over the past two years the Private Practice Committee has been working to get all
those on the Private Practice Roster to remember to submit annual renewal forms. The system is now in place and seems
to be working well.
One of the form’s most important questions regards fees.
The form also asks about members’ interest in receiving
and giving consultation/supervision. If you have questions
regarding the list (opposite), please contact Audrey Ferber at
403-225-4008 in Calgary.
• All but one who submitted the correct form with the
question asking permission to put member information on
the website gave permission.
• Because many did not answer all the questions or sent in
the old form, we received only a sampling of responses on
offering a reduced fee for the first session and sliding scale.
Responses received show 2/36 offered a reduced fee for
the first session and 22/36 people offered a sliding scale.
fee for applying and no annual dues. We hope to increase
membership benefits in the next year by providing a
networking website. n
Each December, Brenda Gross from the ACSW office will
send the renewal form to everyone on the roster. Send
The past year’s renewals have provided a number of statistics: forms to Audrey Ferber using the address on the renewal
form before the March 31 deadline. You can also access the
• There are currently 62 active members on the Private
form online at the ACSW site. Click Forms/Private Practice
Practice Roster. As members retire and new members apply, Renewal Form and email to ferber@nucleus.com.
the number seems to consistently stay around 60.
As a member of the Private Practice Committee, I reduce
• One inactive roster member has taken advantage of the
the ACSW office workload and enhance process efficiency
two-year option. One must be active in private practice to
by receiving the forms and collecting the data. I volunteer
be on the roster; however, it is recognized that people may
to do this because I strongly believe in the value of the
wish to take sabbaticals, education leaves, and experiential
Private Practice Roster. This coming year, please help ease the
leaves. Inactive status is allowed for up to two years.
workload by submitting the right form and sending all your
• Five people retired from the roster. One continues in
information in on time.
private practice but chose not to maintain membership.
Four left private practice or are in the process of moving to In existence since the 1970s, the roster provides information
and support to those in private practice. The roster
another province.
demonstrates the ACSW’s sanction of those in private practice
• Since coming under the Health Professions Act, the ACSW
and is also the resource the ACSW office uses when asked for
can no longer set a fee schedule; however, we can collect
a private practice social worker.
data on the range of fees being charged. The 2008 hourly
fee ranged from $50 to $200, with a $125/hour average
We would very much like to see all those in private practice
and $125.50/hour mean.
with a master’s degree apply to the roster. So far, there is no
Audrey Ferber is a member of the Private Practice Committee and can be reached
at: ferber@nucleus.com.
18
Private Practice Roster Social Workers
Interested In Giving and/or Receiving Consultation
Wishing to Receive Consultation in Areas of Interest
Rhita Dillon..................................family violence
Suzanne Shepherd.........................child and family therapy
Kerri Moore...................................trauma, Aboriginal
Laurie Fisher.................................Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprogramming (EMDR), trauma, relationships
Denise Marentette-Milne.................clinical, administration
June Knobel.................................general
Wishing to Give Consultation In Areas of Interest
Lorri Yasenick...............................child and family therapy, court, separation and divorce, high conflict families, parent-child,
mediation
Neville Case..................................child, adolescent, family and sexual therapy
Judi Baron...................................individual, marital, group therapy, Gestalt therapy
Rhonda Zabrodski..........................eating disorders, weight preoccupation
Rita Dillon....................................family violence
Elaine Bucknum.............................separation, divorce issues
Carolyn Anderson...........................childhood trauma, adult survivors, community development, sexual orientation
Connie McCaig...............................children, couples
Terri Saunders...............................clinical supervision for Clinical Registry
Murray Armstrong..........................clinical
Peter Choate.................................adolescents, addiction, parenting assessments
Margo Kushner..............................consultation in child custody evaluation work
Suzanne Shepherd.........................child and family therapy
Kerri Moore...................................trauma, Aboriginal
Barry Hall.....................................cross-cultural clinical practice, clinical, gerontology
Laurie Fisher.................................EMDR, trauma, relationships
Rod Chant....................................family violence, depression, anxiety
Gary Brayton.................................consultation on assessment and treatment of sexually aggressive children and adolescents
Bonnie Osoff-Bultz........................supervision in health care, creative art/drama therapy
Lisette McArthur............................general
Denise Marentette-Milne.................clinical and administration
Jim Pender...................................addictions
June Knobel.................................generalist with focus on trauma with all ages, work with children
19
information
Connie McCaig...............................sexual addiction, trauma, chemical and alcohol addiction
for your
Rhonda Zabrodski..........................marital, eating disorders, couples counseling
By Joan Marie Galat, Advocate Editor
feature
article
Child Welfare
Woes:
Joan Marie Galat
Bosco Homes
When two boys disappeared from a Bosco home in Strathcona County, staff reported them missing within
20 minutes of their discovery. Although not young offenders prior to June 1, one of these 14-year-olds is
now charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Susan Trudel, 50, and Barry Boenke, 68—killed
June 1 in Strathcona County. The second teen is charged with two counts as an accessory to murder, after
the fact.
After Premier Ed Stelmach stated intentions to conduct a review and the province announced a public
meeting will be held to address concerns about the Bosco Homes facility, Lori Sigurdson , MSW, RSW,
Professional Affairs Coordinator, Alberta College of Social Workers responded.
Bos
“The Bosco Homes tragedy is the tip, just a symptom,” says
Sigurdson. “The Premier needs to do more than review one group
home to understand and prevent such a tragedy from happening
again. He needs to look much, much deeper.”
Sigurdson noted there are many accounts of long standing issues
in the Children and Youth Services ministry. She expressed her
concerns in this excerpted letter to the editor, that appeared in the
Edmonton Journal, June 9.
and
Fifty percent of human services workers have held their
positions for two years or less. A high percentage of staff
is on medical leave. Chronic issues of high caseloads, lack
of resources and de-professionalization of staff have made
it extremely challenging to alleviate the difficulties many
clients face.
Bosco Homes, 6770 - 129 Avenue, Edmonton,
Bosco Homes logo © Bosco Homes
20
The Advocate • Summer 2009
The Bosco Homes tragedy is just the tip, just a symptom. The
Premier needs to do more than review one group home to
— Lori Sigurdson, ACSW Professional Affairs Coordinator
The clients—children, youth, and their families—are experiencing
tremendous difficulties that put them at risk. Poverty, addiction, and
family violence are common family characteristics. Our current economic
recession deepens the poverty they face. Addressing larger system issues
like poverty has been shown to improve the well being of families at risk.
Premier Stelmach would be wise to look at his government’s work in this
area.
Here are some important questions for Premier Stelmach to ask. Does
staff have sufficient resources to serve children and youth? Is caseload
size maintained at levels that support good practice? Is staff supported
to be client centred? Is staff encouraged to work to their full capabilities
professionally? If Premier Stelmach wants to prevent another tragedy he
needs to look beyond Bosco for answers.
Guy Quenneville, a caseworker with Children and Youth Services, has already
considered many of these questions. As an AUPE Local 006 Council member and
Union Steward, Quenneville hears from many union members frustrated by their
workload.
on the attorney general to
investigate Children’s Services
staff after staff failed to return
a boy to his foster mother
despite an order to do so by
Alberta’s highest court. (July)
n Justice Jean Cote of Alberta’s
Court of Appeal convicted
Richard Ouellet of contempt.
When Ouellet asked the judge
to reopen the case, Cote
dismissed his argument, calling
the contempt “lengthy and
undisputed.” (June)
n A youth in government care
was charged with the murder
of Keith Goddard of Edmonton.
(June)
n A youth in government care
was charged with the murder of
Curtis Osterlund of Edmonton.
(June) n Two youths in government care
“The casework practice model has added more to the menu of casework,” says
Quenneville. “There are only so many lunches people can skip, only so many times
people can stay past 4:30 or work on the week-end. People in that zone run the
risk of exhaustion and run the risk of performing poorly. Some days have crises
hand over fist, which takes you away from your regular things to- do list.”
Informal exit interviews conducted by Local 006 reveal social workers feel
frustrated that they are unable to achieve the kinds of outcomes they want for
their clients. Some say they feel abused, mistreated, or put in unethical situations
by management. While varying in scope, these incidents include moving children
and youth when the social worker felt it was not in the child’s best interest, cutting
service to save money, and being told to look the other way on certain issues.
Some have complained to the union that Children and Youth Services has no
policies for whistle blowing and no policies to protect those who do.
Continued on page 22
21
were charged with murder and
accessory to murder in the
deaths of Susan Trudel and Barry
Boenke of Strathcona County.
(June)
n A foster child from the Tsuu
T’ina reserve in southern
Alberta suffered life-threatening
injuries. (March)
n In Edmonton, a four-year-old
girl in a kinship care placement
suffered head injuries and died.
(January)
article
needs to look much, much deeper.
n A senior Alberta judge called
feature
understand and prevent such a tragedy from happening again. He
Consider this
collection of
incidents:
Child welfare woes
feature
article
“Despite changes we have made,
The system fails because there are too many layers, too much
we’re still losing staff at a breakneck
turnover of front line staff, and huge caseloads. People don’t have
pace,” says Quenneville. “I am
concerned that this employer still
the time to do the good in-depth clinical work with their clients.
does not have a complete inventory
of all the tasks that its own staff do
— Maureen Braun, Youth Court Services court coordinator
day-to-day, yet more is being added
without understanding if additional expectations are even
humanly possible to complete—given timelines and resources
allowed.”
From an operational perspective, Quenneville is concerned
it takes longer than it once did to complete basic case
management tasks. He would like to see change fatigue
addressed, as well specific improvements relating to workload,
and organizational structure and processes. At the same time,
he would like to see a moratorium on ongoing change in the
department.
“When you change something, you have to give it time to
work before you come up with another change. The union
receives numerous complaints from people asking: When is
this change going to stop? When are we going to give the
changes we’ve already implemented time to achieve results?”
“Social workers enter when there’s a crisis. If we have the
time and tools, we can do a better job in assisting [families].
Social workers need more resources, such as mental health
services for children, better group care that is better staffed,
and easier access to psychologists and other services.”
One concern is finding enough psychologists and psychiatrists willing to accept the set government rate. Another problem is that social workers are unable to request a placement
until a child is released from custody, so very little planning
can take place. Group care spots only remain open for a limited time and when a crisis unit is involved, the social worker
familiar with the child or youth may not be the one to manage placement. This frustrates children coming out of the
young offenders centre.
“Social workers deal with a lot of anger and frustration with
Quenneville described a conversation with a social worker
who had decades of experience. “She said she was tired of
being made to feel stupid, as each time she mastered a part of
her practice, the requirements would change and she would
have to start all over again.”
that youth,” says Braun. “They come out of jail, go to a brand
Quenneville finds existing research on outcomes in child
welfare lacking. “We need to start measuring the human
resources component and how that variable contributes to
the achievement of child welfare outcomes. We need to spend
more attention on labor relations. What are the impediments
to getting the work done?”
it is usually not directly said, but implied,” says Quenneville.
Maureen Braun is the Local 006 chair, as well as a Youth
Court Services court coordinator with Children and Youth
Services. She feels social workers could achieve better results
if they had more time early on, to give families the child
rearing early tools they need.
opportunities for denying responsibility. Braun feels eliminating
new place with unfamiliar people and are angry. They take off
and breach the conditions the court put on them. The system
sets those kids up for failure.”
“All the blame seems to lie on the front line workers, and
“Instead of advocating for good and effective client focused
practice at the worksite, some have shared with the union that
they sought promotions to get away from the heat, or quit
altogether.”
The convoluted government structure seems to enhance
the regional system would reduce some of the difficulties. “It’s
too confusing for workers. The child is the victim of the whole
process. Who is saying, ‘What’s in the best interests of the child?
What kind of harm have we caused this child?’ ”
22
Quenneville says he struggles with the
connection between kids in the system
and youth crime. “I don’t draw a huge
cause and effect link between youth
committing crime and actually being
in care, because some are already in a
state of crisis when they come to us.
When I think of youth crime, it’s either
deliberate, impulse driven, or driven by
group mentality, which impacts youths
both in an out of care equally. I feel
that my job, beyond providing basic
needs, is to provide a sense of hope and
a feeling of ‘Yes, I can do great things
with my life’ with the youth I support.
The murders in Strathcona County
have sparked another plan to review
how the Alberta government manages
children in care. It is intended to
sense of hope and a feeling of ‘Yes, I can do great things with my
life’ with the youth I support.
— Guy Quenneville, caseworker with Child and Youth Services
determine whether ministry changes would prevent a similar tragedy from being
repeated.
The review process will provide partners and stakeholders in the child
intervention system and the public with opportunities for input. The report and
recommendations, expected to be submitted to the Minister of Children and Youth
Services in spring 2010, will also be publicly released.
This comes on the heels of a report and recommendations released July 2009 by
the child and youth advocacy review committee, made up of members both in and
out of government, including two former youth in care. The committee examined
how to improve public reporting, how children and youth in care can have a strong
voice, how to identify and report on issues to help improve child welfare services,
and promising approaches and best practices for transparent and accountable child
and youth advocacy.
The Advocacy Review Report and Recommendations included 10
recommendations, developed in three areas, to provide an inclusive plan to
strengthen the child and youth advocacy system. The government accepted
and immediately began to implement the recommendations which address
accountability, reporting and systemic advocacy, and process improvements. n
Joan Marie Galat is the Advocate’s contributing editor, as well as a full-time writer and presenter. Her latest
book is Day Trips From Edmonton.
According to an Alberta government news release on
July 22, the review panel will examine these questions:
n Are the necessary checks, balances and processes in place to ensure
accountability and transparency in the child intervention system?
n Does the system have the capacity to effectively respond to emerging
societal trends, service demands, and evolving workforce and practice
issues?
n Is the system organized and aligned with leading practices and evidencebased research?
23
article
“The system fails because there are
too many layers, too much turnover of
front line staff, and huge caseloads,” says
Braun. “People don’t have time to do
the good in-depth clinical work with
their clients. They jump from crisis
to crisis. It’s not because they are not
skilled, these people are trained.”
I feel that my job, beyond providing basic needs, is to provide a
feature
“We have to relook at a lot of our
organizational structure and processes, and its impact on transparency,
accountability, and effectiveness,” says
Quenneville. “There’s a performance
appraisal process in place for evaluating
frontline workers, completed by their
direct supervisor and manager, but no
process for frontline workers to provide feedback to managers and supervisors on their performance appraisal. Accountability is not shared up and
down the system.”
in the
news
"Never again."
Until the next time.
Suzanne Rosebrugh, MSW, RSW
Response to Lori Sigurdson’s letter to the Edmonton Journal regarding Bosco Homes
Hello Lori.
...a tragedy occurs, unfortunately,
As a member of ACSW, I just wanted to take a moment to
thank you for your letter to the editor regarding the recent
situation involving the two youth from Bosco Homes.
involving a death, most often of a child
and the outcry begins. Changes are put in
As social workers we have seen the issues before, an insidious downgrading of the systems that help children and
families, including the intentional de-professionalization of
staff. Then a tragedy occurs, unfortunately, involving a death,
most often of a child and the outcry begins. Changes are
put in place and the vow is made “never again.”
place and the vow is made “never again.”
rather than the simplistic, blaming stance heard in the
media.
Until the next time.
You spoke for the families and kids who need good
service from qualified, committed professionals. You spoke
for the staff and social workers who were involved with
these kids and now live no doubt with anguish as a result.
You spoke indeed for the boys themselves as you invite
Mr. Stelmach and his government to ask themselves the
tough question, “Did we do our best to provide the help
they needed”?
You spoke indeed for the boys themselves
as you invite Mr. Stelmach and his
government to ask themselves the tough
question, “Did we do our best to provide
Isn’t it interesting that for any NGO to get funding they
must develop a logic model that speaks to immediate,
short-term and long term outcomes. Wouldn’t it be
the help they needed”?
great if the government had to do the same process
when they created their goals and translated them into
policy?
Your letter, in response to this latest “next time” was
articulate, explicit and factual. Your commitment to the wellbeing of the people we serve as social workers was expressed
in the identification of critical policy decisions and their
effects that are directly related to the problems in the system.
So again thank you, Lori, for being an excellent voice.
Best regards,
You provide little opportunity to those who need to hear
this to accuse you or the ACSW of being “bleeding-heart
do-gooders.” You identify concrete system variables that
contribute to the problems.You spoke to the bigger issues
Suzanne
Suzanne Rosebrugh is a Clinical Social Worker and Counsellor with the
Counselling, Career & Learning Centre, Red Deer College.
24
By Don Milne, MSW, RSW
feature
article
and
Joan Marie Galat, Advocate Editor
People Power
Richard Ramsay
Don Milne
The People Power series is dedicated to acknowledging the contributions of our
social work colleagues
It’s hard to write a short article about Richard (Dick) Ramsay’s social work contributions. His career, which
began in 1965, includes four co-edited books and more than 50 chapters, journal articles, and media
productions, mainly on social work and specifically on suicide prevention. Active in social research, he
was the principal researcher or co-principal director on more than 20 major projects and has worked in
close collaboration with various provincial/state authorities and voluntary mental health groups.
Ramsay (MSW, RSW) obtained his Bachelor of Arts from the University of
Alberta in 1962 and worked in Public Welfare in Red Deer for a year before
attending McGill University and earning a master’s of social work degree
in 1965. He spent four years with the John Howard Society in Ottawa and
Windsor, and co-founded the Ottawa Distress Centre before moving to
Edmonton in 1969 to serve as the director of treatment for Mapleridge—a
residential treatment centre for girls—until 1975.
Dick Ramsay chats with Veronica Marsman (Past-President of
CASW and IFSW Member at Large, North America), with Bob
Johnson in background
The work most dear to
Ramsay has involved
Stay true to the fundamentals of the
suicide prevention trainprofession. Get involved in something you
ing and research. His
believe in beyond the immediate demands
favorite research project
of your job.
was conducted with
— Dick Ramsay's advice for social workers
Chris Bagley on the
prevalence of suicide
behaviors in a general population. The first of its kind in Canada, this research
is still cited in major studies on suicide behavior.
25
People Power
feature
article
Volunteer work founding a telephone crisis centre in Ottawa
shaped Ramsay’s goals and future actions. “What I learned
from the natural care giving experiences of volunteers, and the
Listening Model I developed for distress line volunteers, turned
into a 40 year involvement,” says Ramsay. “The Listening
Model gave me the confidence to accept my first spring
session teaching social work
interviewing at the invitation
of Bill Kirwin in 1974.”
Dick Ramsay in 1978
Highlights:
Awards Dick Ramsay has
received over the years
n Canadian Merit Award for distinguished service
and leadership in voluntary community activities
(1979).
Ramsay was also involved
in Edmonton’s start-up of
AID Service of Edmonton,
now The Support Network.
His model became the
foundation of his approach
to conceptual frameworks
and teaching social work
methods for the next 29
years.
n Alberta Export Achievement Award (Ramsay, Tanney,
Tierney, Lang) (1987)
n University of Calgary President’s Export Achievement
Award (Ramsay, Tanney, Tierney, Lang) (1988)
n Canada 125 Medal for Community Service (1993)
“We were the first to distinguish between attempts with
intention to die and attempts without intention to die,” says
Ramsay, whose crisis line work led to an appointment on
the government established Suicide Prevention Provincial
Advisory Committee.
n AASW Distinguished Service Award (1994)
This group helped launch Alberta’s suicide prevention
strategy in 1981. Based on the Listening Model, the training
component formed the foundation of a standardized training
program, now disseminated world wide as ASIST, through
LivingWorks Education. Ramsay is a co-founder and
president with staffed offices in Canada and the United States.
n Calgary Economic Development Authority Export
n Alberta Health Pioneer Recognition for Alberta
model of suicide prevention (1995)
Achievement Award (LivingWorks) (1997)
n John H. Reid Award for Outstanding Achievements
in injury control (1999)
n Canadian Policy Research Knowledge Broker Award
In 1970, Ramsay became an Alberta Association of Social
Workers (AASW) member and served on its executive for
nine years, including an unprecedented five-year stint as
president. His exemplary leadership was demonstrated in his
work with AASW, as well as with CASW, beginning in 1975,
to develop Canada’s first comprehensive social work code of
ethics. It endured for ten years before being updated in 1993.
(Living Works) (2002)
n International Federation of Social Workers Andrew
Mouravieff-Apostol Medal (2006)
26
People Power
In 1975, Ramsay joined the University of Calgary, Faculty
of Social Welfare. He served with distinction and rose to
associate dean status and acting dean for a brief stint.
Another career highlight occurred when the United Nations
asked Ramsay to develop a strategy guideline that countries
around the world could use to develop suicide prevention
strategies. In 1993, a group from 12 countries met in Banff to
draft the guide, which is still used as the standard around the
world.
Ramsay has clearly
Dick Ramsay in 1989
demonstrated the finest
characteristics of ethical and contributing social work. His
advice for all social workers has clearly served him well: “Stay
true to the fundamentals of the profession. Get involved in
something you believe in beyond the immediate demands of
your job.”
We wish him many more years exemplifying great leadership
in his chosen profession. n
Don Milne, a retired social worker who served as the first president of the Alberta
Association of Social Workers, worked in the field of preventive social services with
the City of Edmonton.‑
Continuing to take part in suicide prevention, Ramsay is
involved with national strategies in Ireland, Norway, Scotland,
and the USA. He describes Scotland
as “now the best example of a
THE CANADIAN FEDERATION OF CLINICAL HYPNOSIS
well-funded, government initiated
strategy in the world.” His biggest
Alberta Society
disappointment has been the “fall
of Canada from a leading national
strategy advocate in 1987 to a nation
Edmonton, Alberta – October 16 – 18, 2009
that is now at the back of the national
Grey Nuns Hospital
strategy pack around the world.”
FALL CONFERENCE
Introductory, Intermediate/Advanced Workshops
Ramsay co-developed the first
large scale standardized suicide
intervention training program and
For more information
www.clinical hypnosis.ca
(403) 341-6913 or 1-800-386-7230
27
article
Key registration challenges also led up to the hearings.
“Almost as soon as the Act was passed in 1969, AASW was
asking for amendments to include mandatory registration
for private practice. Membership factions emerged. Some
demanded MSW, plus experience, as the required standard.
Others, supporting the emergence of social service diploma
programs and the new BSW degree, demanded a broad
enough≠ standard to include their graduates.”
training-for-trainers course
in the world. More than
900,000 community and
professional caregivers have
completed the training and
over 4,000 active trainers
are certified. The program
has been adopted widely
across Canada, USA, United
Kingdom, Australia, New
Zealand, Ireland, and
Norway.
feature
He recalls facing the challenge to develop something
more than 10 declarations and comprehensive enough for
disciplinary hearings. “We had gone through the challenges of
our first hearings under the 1969 Act in 1974. These turned
out to be way beyond any of our expectations at the time.”
feature
article
By Richard Gregory, BSW, MSc, RSW
Richard Gregory
A non-traditional
social work practicum
social work
in Africa
Eight Mount Royal College and six Medicine Hat College students completed an international social work
practicum in Africa, primarily working through the United Church of Zambia (UCZ) Mission programs.
A non-traditional practicum, the trip worked well for students who are flexible and like change, but
proved more challenging for students who prefer structure and routine.
Many challenges arose from being together 24
hours a day, seven days a week; however, each
student identified areas of personal and professional
growth and almost all met their desired learning
outcomes. The students found the trip a very
rewarding experience and everyone developed a
greater appreciation for the resources available at
their home colleges!
Our group in front of house #4
The April 26 to June 30 practicum began with
a Cape Town tour. Students learned about South
African history and the influence of apartheid.
They visited Robben Island, where Nelson
Mandela was held prisoner for 18 years, and
listened to unique tour guides—former prisoners
who had served time with Mandela.
28
We visited a co-op environment, the Philani Programme,
where women are taught weaving, painting, sewing and other
handicraft skills. The co-op pays them 75% of selling prices.
Upon reaching Livingstone, Zambia, we met with the regional social services manager for the southern province. Mr. Moono
leads eight directors who work to oversee area services. They travel to smaller communities, often by bus, to deliver services and
are initiating a new a public welfare scheme. It will be Zambia’s first public assistance program.
There is a prevalent belief that
old people are possessed by evil
spirits, which is why they live to
Meeting with the
be deaconess
old. Families are more likely to
try to get rid of old people than
provide for them.
Mr. Moono discussed disconnect between service models,
which follow a British system and cultural considerations.
While an adoption and foster care structure is in place, the
area’s culture dictates that families and communities look
after orphans.
The orphanage in Livingstone
The orphanage in Livingstone
Another challenge involves working with seniors. There is a prevalent belief that old people are possessed by evil spirits, which is
why they live to be old. Families are more likely to try to get rid of old people than provide for them.
The 14 students spent almost 8 weeks in Mwandi, a village about 120
kilometres from Livingstone, in the southern province of Zambia. Mwandi was
very welcoming of our group. The people are extremely friendly and children
run and play freely in the village with little adult supervision. Mothers and
older siblings carry infants and young children on their backs, and you seldom
hear a baby cry. It very much exemplified the village raising a child idea.
Upon seeing us, excited children often yelled “Mukiwa, mukiwa!” At first this had
a celebrity feel to it, but after a while we really wanted to teach them our names!
The welcome from the principal of the YMCA Training Centre in Lusaka
29
“Mukiwa, mukiwa!” (White person, white person!)
article
Social work in Africa
feature
The students struggled with their
decision to take a township tour
as these excursions make poverty
a tourist attraction. At one child
care facility, children—mostly
Accommodation for eight weeks
four and five years old, were programmed to engage tourists to obtain money. Lined up against a wall, they waited for us to arrive
Accommodation
and at the guide’s direction, sang a song.
Once againforoneight
cue,weeks
they ran to the tourists and asked to
be picked up or to hold hands—often pulling off sunglasses and cameras. The children repeated this
routine, two or three times a day, as part of an advertised program supported by the township tour.
The children at this facility were clearly exploited to work for any support the program received.
Social work practicum in Africa
feature
article
The UCZ Deaconess in Mwandi has a background in
community development. She pointed out the community
does not identify situations as being problems; rather, they
identify them as challenges.
The OVC (above) and some of the 208 children there (below)
We met the woman in charge of the seniors program and
learned she also volunteers with the Orphans and Vulnerable
Children (OVC) Project, to check on orphans. One of eight
women in the community doing this work, she must visit the
208 children on her case load every month. Some students
joined her on these visits.
Projects
Thanks in part to three Alberta Rotary Clubs that partially
covered expenses, students built homes for vulnerable families Children at the OVC
unable to afford their own dwellings. Capable family members were expected to
assist and many children also helped. The mud houses, actually built from termite
excrement, each cost about $1000 to build.
In another project, students painted
a school inside and out. They also
worked with the school’s pupils and
several conducted home visits with
families. Others helped with the
hospital outpatient clinic, a pre-school
program, and the seniors program.
This is how we build a house!
...the community does not identify
situations as being problems;
rather, they identify them as
challenges.
A number of students organized presentations and group projects. Some planned
and facilitated a girls group at the OVC Project; others presented on problem
drinking, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, sexual abuse signs, impacts on children
witnessing domestic violence, myths and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS, and life
choices. Students also worked with OVC Project counsellors and helped facilitate
some of their groups.
I worked with some families of children with special needs, conducted a staff presentation on building children’s self esteem,
provided staff development to OVC Project counselling staff, and helped others complete funding proposals.
As well as working with the OVC Project program and at the HIV clinic, some
students traveled as part of two outreach programs for children under five—an
HIV program and immunization, nutrition, and follow-up program. Unfortunately,
professional inappropriateness issues forced us to discontinue placing students in these
programs. Politics relating to the situation also caused us to lose the outpatient clinic
placement. Complicating things further, the Netherlands and Denmark withdrew
What a difference a little paint and
some new flooring makes!
Our group in front of house #4
30
financial support to Zambia’s Ministry of Health because Zambian
bureaucrats embezzled a lot of the money. This resulted in cancellation of
the outreach under five immunization, nutrition, and follow up program.
Social worker training in Zambia
Valuable Lessons
Some students experienced unexpected cross culture issues. For example, when
the students planning to set up a support group for people with addictions were
developing posters, they discovered the Lozi language does not have a word for
addiction.
...myths about drinking and
pregnancy include beliefs that
the baby will be calmer, more
beautiful, have lighter skin, or
cry less if a woman drinks during
pregnancy.
Upon discovering support groups are not
part of the culture, they shifted focus and
worked with a youth pastor to develop
and deliver an educational presentation on
problem drinking. Students discovered many myths about drinking and pregnancy
including beliefs that the baby will be calmer, more beautiful, have lighter skin, or cry
less if a woman drinks during pregnancy.
The primary building product – termite poop!
Two students learned a valuable lesson about heeding safety warnings. One night
they chose to walk to the hostel from a Livingstone bar instead of taking a taxi
and were mugged by a man wielding an axe. Although not physically harmed, they
Buffalo soldier (probably suffers from PTSD)
were very frightened by the experience.
Cultural
Differences
Mwandi is a very religious
and conservative community
and his house (lower right).
where programs without
church affiliation are still Christian influenced. This proved somewhat overwhelming for those from more secular backgrounds.
Buffalo
(probably
suffers suffers
from PTSD)
Buffalosoldier
Soldier,
who probably
from PTSD,
We learned that grieving a death occurs in a very cathartic manner, for
a very intense but short period. Afterwards, people are expected to get
on with their lives. This seems to be a result of the amount of grieving
31
Where Buffalo soldier lives – he would never take a house built by white people though
article
Students are tested on information delivered in lectures. Our students attended four lectures and saw the classrooms had no
technology or text books. They use public library resources, where there are apparently only three social work books. We gave
them about twenty books and they were very pleased.
feature
We travelled to Lusaka to spend a week with about 60 students and
One of the houses we replaced—6 people lived here!
faculty in a social work diploma program delivered by the YMCA
Training Centre. The Zambian government sets curriculum guidelines
One of the homes that we replaced – six people lived in this house!
and recently changed the one year diploma to a two year program.
Social work practicum in Africa
feature
article
that has to be done. Women who lose their husbands are often
obligated to marry their husband’s brother. It is also believed
a widowed woman can be cleansed by having sex with her
husband’s brother.
There are no services for people
with disabilities, mental health
concerns, or addictions.
The culture in this community is very patriarchal and also polygamist, although
most men cannot afford more than one wife. We saw many frustrating situations
where men watched women work, but did not help. Women perform much of
the community work while many men seem to do little other than talk about
how important they are because they are men. This is especially evident among
the unemployed.
People with HIV typically seek
traditional healers first. Many
become very ill before trying to
access western medical services.
In some areas it is still believed
that HIV-infected men can cleanse
themselves by having sex with a
virgin.
Drug use is not that common in rural Zambia but there is a huge
problem with alcoholism and no programs to help people with the
problem. There is a lack of services for abused children and very
little done to investigate child abuse.
There are no
services for people
with disabilities,
mental health
concerns, or
The outpatient clinic
addictions. Not
The outpatient clinic
included in the
education system, children with special needs grow up cared for by their
families, but often in isolation with minimal external stimulation. Many with
mental illness are seen as being cursed and treatment is left to traditional healers.
Zambia has one hospital that deals with mental illness and apparently only one
psychiatrist in the whole country.
HIV Outreach
32
HIV
The group with people of the UCZ Mwandi Mission Partners
feature
We were exposed to people with HIV every day, in every
setting. Approximately 25% of children who participate in OVC
Project programs are HIV positive.
—the
camp
where
we lived
The
group
with
the people
of the UCZ Mwandi Mission Partners – the camp where we lived.
article
People infected with HIV typically seek traditional healers first. Many become
very ill before trying to access western medicine services. In some areas it is still
believed that HIV infected men can cleanse themselves by having sex with a
virgin.
And the adrenaline junkies!! Livingstone has lots to offer to those who l
rush!
...western doctors have started
to work with traditional healers
to combat HIV. ...the traditional
healers initiated this strategy
in recognition that HIV was
something new, outside their
traditional experience.
Walking with lions in Livingstone
Livingstone
We were told of a program in Cape Town
where western doctors have started to
work with traditional healers to combat
HIV. Apparently the traditional healers
initiated this strategy in recognition that
HIV was something new, outside their
traditional experience.
Many 12 and 13 year old girls are having
babies. HIV prevention education, which
offers the only available information on
the subject, takes an “abstinence
only” approach in this community.
Larger centres offer more messages
that encourage condom use. n
Richard Gregory, Medicine Hat College social
work program coordinator and teacher,
organized and supervised this practicum.
Mwandi
Part-time Medicine Hat College instructor
Kallie Lavoie, MSW, RSW, participated in the
first three weeks of the trip.
33
And the adrenaline junkies!! Livingstone has lots
to offer to those who like a bit of a rush!
information
for your
For your information
PLEASE NOTE: For more listings, please see “Calendar of Events” at: www.acsw.ab.ca/calendar_of_events
Cruelty-Crime Connection Conference
Hosted by the Alberta SPCA
October 8 - 9, 2009
Mayfield Inn, Edmonton AB
We Can Do Better – Poverty Reduction Forums
Calgary - October 20, 2009
Edmonton - October 21, 2009
The connections between animal cruelty, domestic violence, child
advocate for a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy in Alberta.
abuse and elder abuse will be explored in detail at the Cruelty-Crime
Public Interest Alberta has organized a series of public forums to
Please join in on this important conversation and make your voice
Connection conference at Edmonton’s Mayfield Inn on October 8th
heard.
and 9th, 2009.
Speakers:
Hosted by the Alberta SPCA, this multi-disciplinary conference
• John Kolkman — Research and Policy Analysis Coordinator,
Edmonton Social Planning Council
features a variety of presenters of both international and local
acclaim.
• Bill Moore-Kilgannon — Executive Director, Public Interest Alberta
This event will be of interest to professionals in social services, police,
• Sherri Torjman — Vice President, Caledon Institute of Social Policy
veterinary medicine and anyone who helps victims of violence—both
animal and human.
We Can Do Better Report by John Kolkman www.pialberta.org/content_pdf/we_can_do_better
Conference details and online registration can be found at
albertaspca.org/conference or by calling 780-447-3600, ext. 3739.
Poverty Policy, by Sherri Torjman www.caledoninst.org/Publications/PDF/720ENG.pdf
GROUP HOME AND AUTO INSURANCE
for members of the Alberta College of Social Workers
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34
Professional Mental Health Training Group presents
Sponsored by Alberta Health Services—Shared Mental Health Care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a model of treatment that emphasizes acceptance of
emotion and thought while maintaining a focus on positive behaviour change that is meaningful and
consistent with personal values. ACT uses a variety of therapeutic techniques including mindfulness to
help patients make experiential contact with previously avoided thoughts, feelings, and sensations and
to make potent life enhancing choices. ACT is a powerful approach approved as an evidence-supported
treatment.
SPEAKER & TRAINER:
LEARN
Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D. works at the US National Center for
PTSD and maintains an international training, consulting and
therapy practice and is an expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She has co-authored 3 books on ACT
and has extensive expertise in post-traumatic stress and substance abuse and has authored a number of articles and
chapters and books on these topics. Dr. Walser is an experienced trainer and is best known for her dynamic and warm
ACT trainings. Her workshops feature a combination of lecture and experiential exercises designed to provide a unique
learning opportunity in this state-of-the-art intervention.
•
•
•
◊◊◊
Dr. Steven C. Hayes says...“Robyn Walser is one of the most passionate, creative, and bold ACT trainers and therapists on the planet. If
you want a warm, challenging ACT training experience you could do
no better than to take one of Robyn's ACT workshops. A clinician's
clinician, Robyn has the experience, vision, and values of a person
deeply connected to this work for many years. She gets it, and she
will make sure you do too.”
•
How avoidance of difficult
thoughts, feelings, memories
and sensations actually is
associated with increased
suffering
How to use acceptance and
mindfulness to promote
positive functioning
How to help clients make
powerful value-based life
enhancing changes
How ACT techniques are useful
for intervening with multiproblem patients dealing with
issues such as depression,
anxiety, substance abuse and
PTSD
Designed for Social Workers, Family Therapists, Psychologists, and Counsellors, Dr. Walser will discuss, demonstrate, and provide learning opportunities for professionals to learn ACT techniques that can be used across a spectrum of presenting problems and ages using a mix of lecture, experiential exercises, and case discussion.
Introduction to ACT - Thursday, Oct 29, 2009. Edmonton - Mayfield Inn—$189 (early bird) $209 after Oct 1.
Introduction to ACT - Friday, Oct 30, 2009. Calgary, Coast Plaza Hotel—$189 (early bird) $209 after Oct 1.
Advanced ACT - Saturday, Oct 31, 2009. Calgary, Coast Plaza Hotel—$189 (early bird) $209 after Oct 1.
Continental breakfast and lunch
is included!
For more information call
403-703-3806
35
REGISTER AT:
WWW.PMHT.ORG
information
Introductory and Advanced Training Workshops
October 29, 30, & 31, 2009
Calgary and Edmonton
With Robyn Walser, Ph.D.
for your


information
for your
Diversity Matters: An Ongoing Conversation
November 2 – 3, 2009
Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites, Vancouver, BC
Red Deer College Social Work Diploma Program
40th Anniversary Celebration
November 6-7, 2009
To be held at the Coast Plaza Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia,
Are you a graduate of RDC’s Social Work Program? Make plans to join
this conference is open to professionals, educators, managers,
the celebration of 40 years of Social Work education at Red Deer
executives, ethicists and researchers in health care, social services,
College! In conjunction with Welcome Back Weekend, be a part of
and community service and development; government leaders and
these events:
policy-makers; as well as consumers and all those interested in the
topic.
• Educational presentations featuring the expertise of alumni –
eligible for Category A credits.
The conference provides opportunities to learn, network, and share
• Screening of “Forty Years of Living History” video production with
leading practices in serving diverse patients and communities. The
alumni and faculty speaking about personal, professional and
conference is organized by Diversity Services, Providence Health Care
program journeys.
and Covenant Health (Alberta).
• Food and socializing.
For more information about conference objectives and plenary
• See who else is there from your class.
• Participate in the RDC Wine Tasting, Performing Arts Review, Open
speakers, see www.providencehealthcare.org/documents/
House, and more!
conference-overview.pdf. Registration forms will be available once
the program has been finalized.
For further information or to get put on the mailing list contact
Brenda Joyce at brenda.joyce@rdc.ab.ca or 403-314-2478.
Alberta-wide training in
Motivational Interviewing
for your agency or organization
Paul Burke Training & Consulting Group
www.paulburketraining.com
250-385-6468
Motivational Interviewing is a way of communicating
and helping people move toward positive change.
It’s all about what we do, and It’s all about the way we do it.
36
 Courses 
For Stepfamilies
Building Stepfamilies That Work
bring more to life
 for women in a stepfamily
relationship who have never
had a biological child of their
own
You want to enhance the lives of older adults.
Our Gerontology certificate can help you achieve it!
 Information: 
Gerontology certificate programs:
• Studies in Aging
• Business and Entrepreneurship
The Stepfamily Foundation
of Alberta
Distance learning and part-time study
403-245-5744
www.stepfamily.ca
Choose Gerontology at Mount Royal College
mtroyal.ca/gerontology
20th Asia Pacific Social Work Conference
November 11-13, 2009
Auckland, New Zealand
Financial Works Conference
October 19-20, 2009 - Edmonton, AB
An In-Depth View of Financial Literacy,
Individual Development Accounts &
Financial Asset Building Strategies
This is a joint conference of the Asia Pacific Association for Social
Work Education (APASWE) and the International Federation of Social
sponsored by Financial Plus Asset Building Collaborative
www.financial-plus.org
Work-Asia Pacific Region (IFSW-AP).
Visit the following website for more details: www.swinnz2009.co.nz.
6th Canadian Risk and Hazards Network (CRHNet)
Symposium: Synergy and Creativity in Emergency
Management: Engage – Communicate - Collaborate
Nov 24 – 27, 2009 Held at Fantasyland Hotel (in West
Edmonton Mall), Edmonton, AB
Learn best practices first hand!
- Financial Literacy and Individual
Development Accounts
- Evaluating Impact
- Engaging the Financial Community
- Education & Resources
- Policy & Research
- Training: Developing Your Support System
- Housing
Presentations will be grouped into four general themes:
• Health sciences or services
Key note speakers and plenary sessions will be delivered by local,
National and International professionals representing SEDISocial and Enterprise Development Innovations (Ottawa),
The BC Asset Building Collaborative (British Columbia),
Momentum (Calgary Alberta), and Inger Giuffrida & Rita Bowen of
The Assets Alliance (United States).
• Natural sciences
• Social sciences or services
• Governance, policy and management
For more information, visit www.crhnet.ca/
Financial Literacy & Asset Building is an essential component of a
poverty reduction strategy. Increase your capacity to help low
and middle income families to move towards financial inclusion making the most of limited resources and
building a strong financial foundation.
37
REGISTER online at www.financial-plus.org
information
When He Has Kids...and You
Don’t
for your
 a course for couples
information
for your
Rocky Mountain Play Therapy Institute Presents
ATTACHMENT ACROSS THE LIFESPAN
play therapy approaches to assessment & treatment
Mark your calendars now for Parkland Institute's Annual
Fall Conference:
The Moral of the Story: Art, Culture, Media and Politics
November 14 - 16, 2008
University of Albera, Edmonton
3rd International Conference: October 30th
Pre-conference: October 27 - 29, 2009
Certificate in Portable Play-based School and
Outreach Counseling
Best Western Village Park Inn, 1804 Crowchild Trail NW, Calgary, AB
KeyKey
Presenter
– Athena
Drewes,
PsyD,
RPT-S
- October
30/am:
Presenter
– Athena
Drewes,
PsyD,
RPT-S
- October
30/am:
Helping Foster
Children
Heal Broken
Attachments
Helping
FostertoChildren
to Heal
Broken Attachments
Featuring:
• Sol Guy (tentative) - new media cultural storyteller
Your Choice of Afternoon Sessions
• Tariq Ali - writer, journalist and film-maker
1. Teachers as Secondary Attachment Figures
Presenter - Athena Drewes, PsyD, RPT-S
Why do we talk about what we talk about?
2. Interventions in Schools: Theraplay Strategies
Presenter - Gail Smillie, M. Ed. RCC CCC
• Media • Activist Art
3. The Attachment Dance: Working with Couples and Trauma
• Politics in Fiction • Alternative Media
Presenter – Donna Dupuis MSW, RSW, Tep
4. The Attachment Dance in Bullying: Change the Internal Music Change the Dance Presenter - Ann Reilly, M.S.W., R.S.W., B.A., CPT
What should we be talking about?
• World views vs a political continuum
October 27, 28, 29 3-Day Pre-conference:
Participants who attend the pre-conference will be offered a 4 day certificate
(28 hours of certified play therapy training) which involves a 3 day
pre-conference and a one-day credit for conference attendance.
• Workshops
• Examples of what has worked
For further information & online registration visit
www.rmpti.com or call RMPTI at 403-245-5981
Conference website:
parkland.arts.ualberta.ca/index.php/conference08fall/index
Download Registration Form here:
ualberta.ca/PARKLAND/programs/conference/2008/Registration%20Form%202008.pdf
6th Annual Diversity and Well-being Conference
From Monologue to Dialogue: Promoting Health Literacy with Diverse Populations
November 19 & 20, 2009
Ross Glen Hall, Mount Royal College, Calgary, Alberta
Health literacy is how well people can find and understand basic
health information and services to make the best health decisions
for themselves.
Diversity is all the ways we are unique, for example: ethnicity,
religion, gender, sexual orientation, ability, socio-economic
circumstances, and language. Join us to:
• Learn about health literacy and how it affects you and your work
• Network with others who share an interest in health literacy
• Suggest ways and approaches to understanding health literacy
and diverse populations
JOB POSTING:
CHILD AND PLAY THERAPIST
Rocky Mountain Psychological Services is
looking for an energetic, team oriented
individual to provide child and play therapy
services to children, adolescents and their families. Successful
candidates will have 3-5 years counseling experience post Master’s
Degree and an interest in becoming certified as a Play Therapist.
The position is full-time and has a flexible start date. Salary is
competitive with an accompanying incentive plan and is based on
clinical experience. Parking included.
To apply, forward your Curriculum Vitae to:
Phone: 403-943-0205
Email & web: diversity.services@albertahealthservices.ca
R O C K Y M O U N TA I N
www.calgaryhealthregion.ca/programs/diversity/index.htm.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES
RMPS
1318 15th Ave SW
Calgary, AB
T3C 0X7
Or Email rmpti@telusplanet.net
38
ACSW’s
Partners in Advocacy
Alberta Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental
From Hell to Healing: Experienced social workers, psychologists,
Health
psychotherapists, art therapists, youth workers and para-
professionals—soccer moms & dads, tutors, farmers & conflict
www.aamimh.ca
Edmonton Social Planning Council
HUMILITY IS ESSENTIAL. Traumas suffered by the people are immense.
“The most important quality for working here is a good dose of
www.edmontonsocialplanning.ca
Friends of Medicare
humility. The people you are working with have learned how to thrive
in a very challenging environment and have much to teach you. ...No
www.friendsofmedicare.ab.ca
Greater Edmonton Alliance
romantics need apply; the job is very challenging. Ideal candidates:
independent, comfortable with being thrown into new situations,
humble in their style of entering into a community, and realize that
www.greateredmontonalliance.com
they are the LEARNERS in this situation.”
Public Interest Alberta
Sierra Leone Needs Social Workers & Child Protection Workers
Need volunteers to work in Sierra Leone to help children orphaned by
Parkland Institute
war to transition out of orphanages to more permanent family homes.
Qualifications:
www.pialberta.org
www.ualberta.ca/parkland
1. Previous experience in Africa preferred.
2. Experience working with children & youth
3. Experience with transitioning from residential care or families
would be very helpful
4. Credential in Social Work or Psychology are helpful but not required
if you have the other qualifications.
INTERESTED?
Please READ the entire NGOabroad website. www.ngoabroad.com/
The Health Sciences Association of
Alberta represents more than 17,000
professional, technical, and support
employees in Alberta’s health care
system. We bargain for fair wages
and decent working conditions for our
members.
Email info as requested on home page: embedded resume & answered
Questionnaire to info@NGOabroad.com.
We are recruiting now for November 2009 onwards. Please send
Questionnaire & resume in July or after Oct 2009. NGOabroad will be
closed in Aug & Sept. n
DEADLINE for the WINTER 2009 issue of the
Advocate is OCTOBER 15, 2009.
We also raise public awareness about
the important role of allied health
professionals including social workers.
To place your notice in For Your Information,
contact Lori Sigurdson at the ACSW office:
E-mail: acswpac@acsw.ab.ca
Toll-free: 1-800-661-3089
(421-1167 in Edmonton)
www.hsaa.ca
39
information
resolution trainers—are needed to volunteer in Gulu, Uganda.
for your
Volunteers needed to work in Africa — NGOabroad
Experienced Social Workers needed in Gulu, Uganda
in the
news
PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050109
RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO
ALBERTA COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORKERS
550 10707 100 AVE NW
EDMONTON AB T5J 3M1
ACSW 2010 Conference
Social Workers: Inspired to Serve Humanity
March 18 - 20, 2010
Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton AB
See pages 8-9 for Call for Proposals
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Free
InitialConsultation
Consultation
Free Initial
Warm
Atmosphere
Warm Friendly
Friendly Atmosphere
Monthly Payments
Payments Available
Available
Weekend/Evening
Appts. Available
Available
Weekend/Evening Appts.
Free
Parking
Free Parking
Convenient Location
Location
Children Welcome
Welcome
Licensed
forAlberta,
Alberta,Nunavut
Nunavetand
andNWT
NWT
Licensed for
CALL RHONDA FOX-MILES, CIRP, RSW
780-444-3939 in Edmonton
1-877-535-5355
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Edmonton, AB
40

989-03-2009 Advocate Fall - Alberta College of Social Workers

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