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.