Social distancing measures continue to be necessary for protection of the public during this challenging time.
What this means for our office
If you wish to visit our office in Halifax, please make an appointment first, to make sure that the office will be open that day and to confirm that the person you need to speak with will be available in person.
- All visitors will be asked health screening questions when they make an appointment, and again when they arrive at our office.
- We are collecting visitor names and contact information in case contact tracing becomes necessary.
- The requires non-medical masks to be worn in all common areas of the building (lobby, elevators, restrooms, hallways, etc.) unless you are exempt from wearing one for a valid medical reason.
Our small but dedicated team of staff are on a telework rotation. When working remotely, our staff continue to check voice mail and email regularly, and will respond to all messages as soon as we can. Most meetings are being held via teleconference.
We continue to fulfil our essential regulatory functions. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch by email or telephone if you have questions or need support.
What this means for social workers
Social workers are supporting communities that are affected or fearful of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Some of our members have asked for guidance on specific topics; we hope Alec’s recent blog posts about telepractice, social work practice during emergency situations, and taking time for reflection are helpful.
Public health guidelines continue to change as more becomes known; we encourage all members to stay up to date on guidance and regulations that may apply to your practice. The Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) is helping social workers stay up to date with the latest information by maintaining a page on their website with for health care professionals, the public, and communities.
Private practice
Public health approved guidelines for reopening private practice offices in Nova Scotia beginning June 5, 2020.
Please review these documents carefully, as compliance is required in order for Private Practitioners to resume offering in-person services for elective and non-urgent care. Do not hesitate to reach out to the College if you have any questions about these guidelines
Reinstatement
The NSCSW is in conversation with our government partners about the potential of boosting staff levels should the pandemic continue, in order to ensure that the delivery of core social work services are maintained in times of disaster and emergencies.
We all hope that it does not come to this. However, we want to be prepared.
The NSCSW has a process in place to quickly reinstate retired social workers for the purpose of emergencies and disasters, to ensure services to the most vulnerable in our society are continued. If you are willing and able, please contact Executive Director/Registrar Alec Stratford at [email protected] for more details.
Professional development
Professional development guidelines for social workers have been temporarily changed for 2020, to accommodate and encourage self-care and reflection.
Our in-person spring and summer events were cancelled. This included our annual conference, and our annual general meeting was changed to a virtual format and postponed until June 10.
We are continuing to monitor the situation, and will evaluate options for future events as more information becomes available. Some sessions are being redesigned for online delivery, and others will be rescheduled when we can safely gather again. All College events will be posted on our website, and announcements will be included in the member newsletter.
The CASW has a robust collection of online resources for professional development. Members of our College have free access to all of their , their online journal, and a full-text journal database. .
This page was updated July 30, 2020.