We protect the public by regulating the social work profession.
The Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) serves as the regulatory college for the profession of social work in Alberta.
ACSW’s mandate and purpose are legislated by the Health Professions Act (HPA), which sets out the authority and regulatory duty of the College. The HPA came into force on April 1, 2003, and outlines the regulatory mandate to establish requirements for mandatory registration, continuing competence, the practice of restricted activities and the clinical practice specialization. The HPA provides for protection of title for use by registered social workers and a broadly defined scope of practice.
Under the HPA, our mandated objectives are:
- to serve and protect the public interest
- to regulate and provide direction to the social work profession
- to establish, maintain and enforce requirements for registration and continuing competence
- to establish and maintain requirements for practice enhancements including the clinical practice specialization and the practice of restricted activities
- to establish, maintain and enforce Standards of Practice and a Code of Ethics
- to establish and maintain a complaints and discipline process
- to approve social work education programs for registration
Governance
The ACSW is governed by a Council of ten members, composed of five elected registered social workers and five public members appointed by the Government of Alberta.
Our vision
Albertans trust that social workers are competent and accountable for providing safe and ethical social work services.
Our mission
The Alberta College of Social Workers serves Alberta’s diverse population by regulating the practice of social work. We set standards and administer fair and reliable processes for registration, continuing competence, and discipline.
Committees
The Clinical Committee is a regulatory committee established under the ACSW bylaws to make recommendations to Council on entry requirements for inclusion on the clinical registry, review applications of those applying to be a registered clinical social worker, and to make recommendations to Council on the clinical program policies and procedures.
The Competence Committee is a legislative committee established under the Health Professions Act to advise Council on matters relating to the establishment, maintenance, and enforcement of the Continuing Competence Program. The committee regularly reviews and assures currency of the Standards of Practice, and ensures effective communication with registered social workers about the program.
The Discipline Committee is made up of registered social workers who have an interest in complaints and discipline processes within the Health Professions Act. Some members of the committee conduct investigations of registered social workers due to concerns of unprofessional conduct. When there is a request to review the decision to dismiss a complaint, members participate in a Complaints Review Committee with publicly appointed members. They also sit on Hearing Tribunals alongside public members to determine if there is a finding of unprofessional conduct and what sanctions are appropriate to mitigate risk to the public.
The Education Program Review Committee (EPRC) oversees the approval process for social work education programs in Alberta. EPRC makes recommendations to Council regarding program approval and oversees the ongoing compliance monitoring in accordance with established social work education standards.
The Registration Committee advises Council on matters relating to the establishment, maintenance, and enforcement of standards for registration, as determined by the Health Professions Act. It determines, in accordance with HPA regulations, a combination of education, experience, practice or other qualifications that demonstrate the competence required for registration as a regulated member.
Contact Us
Address:
#100 13220 St. Albert Trail NW
Edmonton, AB T5L 4W1
Phone:
780-421-1167
Fax:
780-421-1168
Toll Free
1-800-661-3089
Fax Toll Free:
1-866-874-8931
Hours of operation: Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Please call 780-421-1167 or email us for support with your registration and practice needs.
General inquiries: acsw@acsw.ab.ca
Registration inquiries: registration@acsw.ab.ca
Competence inquiries: competence@acsw.ab.ca
Clinical inquiries: clinical@acsw.ab.ca
Complaints inquiries: complaints@acsw.ab.ca
Restricted Activities inquiries: restrictedactivities@acsw.ab.ca
ACSW Staff
Jody-Lee Farrah, MSW, RSW
Executive Director & Registrar
ExecutiveDirector@acsw.ab.ca
Debra Samek, MSW, RCSW
Director, Professional Practice
Professional.Practice@acsw.ab.ca
Noreen Majek
Director of Operations/Executive Assistant
Acsw@acsw.ab.ca
Keslin Park, BSW, RSW
Director, Professional Conduct/Complaints Director
Complaints@acsw.ab.ca
Toni Harrison
Hearings Director
HearingsDirector@acsw.ab.ca
Scott McLean, PhD, BCFT, RSW
Director, Education Programs and Standards
Education@acsw.ab.ca