Frequently Asked Questions
Any time you have a change in status, please contact competency@acsw.ab.ca.
If the position:
- is in management, research or policy development, in areas completely unrelated to issues in the scope of social work practice,
- does not require supervising social workers, or
- does not involve teaching social work,
the employee may not have to be a registered social worker.
What if the job falls within the scope of social work practice, but the employee is not working with the public?
If the position:
- is in management, research or policy development, in areas completely unrelated to issues in the scope of social work practice,
- does not require supervising social workers, or
- does not involve teaching social work,
- the employee may not have to be a registered social worker.
Contact us at registration@acsw.ab.ca or at 780-421-1167, or 1-800-661-3089 to confirm.
Registration is required if the person qualifies for registration as a social worker and is working in a position that falls within the scope of social work as defined above, in “What is social work?”; and
- works with the public, or
- provides practice supervision, or
- teaches in a social work education program
Social work is regulated in Alberta by the Health Professions Act (HPA), which gives this definition.
In their practice, social workers do one or more of the following:
- enhance or restore the social functioning of individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities by improving developmental, problem-solving and coping capacities of people and systems,
- promote effective and humane systems that provide resources, opportunities and services to people and link people to those systems,
- contribute to the development and improvement of social policy,
- teach, manage and conduct research in the science, techniques and practice of social work, and
- provide restricted activities authorized by the regulations.
If your employee’s practice involves any of the above, they are active in social work.
Social work is regulated in Alberta by the Health Professions Act (HPA), which gives this definition.
In their practice, social workers do one or more of the following:
- enhance or restore the social functioning of individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities by improving developmental, problem-solving and coping capacities of people and systems,
- promote effective and humane systems that provide resources, opportunities and services to people and link people to those systems,
- contribute to the development and improvement of social policy,
- teach, manage and conduct research in the science, techniques and practice of social work, and
- provide restricted activities authorized by the regulations.
Supervised practice means performing the duties of social work while a more experienced registered social worker on the general registry observes your work.
Most applicants for registration are first registered on the provisional registry when their application has been approved and registration fees have been paid. RSWs who have provisional supervised practice requirements must demonstrate that they have completed their specified hours of regulated social work practice under the supervision of an RSW who is on the general registry.
ACSW recognizes supervised practice hours after you are registered. The requirement for supervised practice hours ends when you or your supervisor submits your supervisor reference form(s).
The ASWB clinical exam is a licensing exam used by the Alberta College of Social Workers. By passing this exam, registered social workers demonstrate that they have the skills and knowledge to safely serve the public as clinical social workers.
ACSW is a member of the ASWB, a non-profit organization composed of the regulatory boards and colleges within the Canadian provinces and U.S. states, which developed and maintains social work licensing examinations, including the clinical exam.
You are not expected to submit all of your competency documents every year. What is required every year is a list of the activities you completed that year to ensure you maintain your minimum credit requirements.
Every five years, your portfolio may be requested for audit. The portfolio must contain learning plans, self-assessments, credited activities, and supporting documentation for all Category A activities recorded for the number of years being requested. While these documents do not have to be submitted annually, it is your responsibility to keep copies of these documents in an up-to-date portfolio.
Members are not expected to submit all of their competency documents every year. On a yearly basis, all that is required is a list of activities completed during the year making sure members maintain their minimum credit requirements. Every five years a portfolio submission may be requested for audit. The portfolio must contain learning plans, self-assessments, credited activities, and supporting documentation for all Category A activities recorded for the number of years being requested. These documents do not have to be submitted annually, but it is the member’s responsibility to keep copies of these documents in an updated portfolio.