The School and our partners, who are students, staff, sessional instructors, and faculty members, are committed to decolonizing, anti-racism, anti-oppressive, and social justice work in our leadership, research, and education. Our goals are to establish learning opportunities and/or objectives on-campus and in an online environment that promotes decolonial-equity, respect, responsibility, accountability, collaboration, risk-taking, and creativity.

UVic is committed to upholding the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion in our living, learning, and work environments. In pursuit of our values, we seek members in our School, including our partner communities, who will work respectfully and constructively with diverse differences across multiple levels of power.

The School offers an undergraduate, Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), degree and three graduate programs (MSWF, MSWA, MSWI) that emphasize social justice, Indigenous, and anti-oppressive approaches to working with communities, families, and individuals. All of our programs are fully accredited by the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE). UVic is also home to the Centre for Indigenous Research and Community-Led Engagement (CIRCLE) and the Indigenous Mentorship Network of the Pacific Northwest (IMN-PN).

Our programs emphasize social justice, Indigenous and anti-oppressive approaches to working with communities, families and individuals. Our Mission Statement provides greater detail about our School’s emerging vision and how it relates to our practice, scholarly activities and approach to education.

All of our programs are fully accredited by the Canadian Association for Social Work Education.

School of Social Work Commitment to Truth and Reconciliation

Mission

We recognize the impact of ongoing colonialism in lands currently known as Canada and the ongoing commitment to advancing practices of racial equity and decolonization within our School, the university, and with our community partners more broadly. We utilize an intersectional, decolonial equity, and anti-racist approach to advancing teaching, learning, scholarship, research, service, and community activism. In this, our mission is that our School leadership will reflect decolonial-equity values in all that we do as scholars and learners.

BSW Program

Our undergraduate (BSW) program nurtures accountable and critically engaged social work education, research and practice in the advancement of decolonization, anti-racism, Indigenous resurgence, feminism, 2SLGBTQ+ liberation struggles, disability justice and other social justice struggles.

In addition to the comprehensive standard BSW program, we also offer child welfare, Indigenous and Indigenous child welfare specializations.

TRC Call to Action # 1

We call upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to commit to reducing the number of Aboriginal children in care by: 

1. Monitoring and assessing neglect investigations
2. Providing adequate resources to enable Aboriginal communities and child-welfare organizations to keep Aboriginal families together where it is safe to do so, and to keep children in culturally appropriate environments, regardless of where they reside.
3. Ensuring that social workers and others who conduct child-welfare investigations are properly educated and trained about the history and impacts of residential schools.
4. Ensuring that social workers and others who conduct child-welfare investigations are properly educated and trained about the potential for Aboriginal communities and families to provide more appropriate solutions to family healing.
5. Requiring that all child-welfare decision makers consider the impact of the residential school experience on children and their caregivers.

Mandatory Course: Yes. 

SOCW354 – Introduction to Indigenous Perspectives on Social Work Practice 1.5 Units

Critically examines the historical process of colonization in Canada, the resulting barriers embedded in policy and practice, and alternative ways of viewing the social-psychological position of Indigenous people in Canadian Society. Contemporary issues and the movement toward self-determination are discussed in relation to social work theory and practice.

SOCW451 – Indigenous Policy Analysis in Social Work 1.5 Units

Builds on the structural theories and perspectives of social work practice introduced in 354. Focuses on in-depth exploration and critical analysis of past and present policies of Canadian governments that affect the lives of Indigenous peoples. Contemporary responses and initiatives of Indigenous peoples through their own policies and practices are also discussed.

Child Welfare Specialization

This specialization is intended to prepare students for child welfare work, with an emphasis on protection work in government and other mandated child welfare settings. A non-child protection option is available for students who do not intend to practice in mandated settings after graduation.

Year 3

• SOCW350A – Social Work, Social Justice and the Law (1.5)
• SOCW354 – Introduction to Indigenous Perspectives on Social Work Practice (1.5)

Year 4

• SOCW451 – Indigenous Policy Analysis in Social Work (1.5)
• SOCW475 – Critical Practice in Child Welfare Contexts (1.5)
• SOCW434 – Decolonizing Trauma Policy and Practice (1.5)

BSW Specializations: For Indigenous students only

Indigenous Social Work Specialization

This specialization is a concentration within the BSW program and provides opportunities for Indigenous BSW students to focus their undergraduate program on preparing for leadership roles as helpers and healers in Indigenous communities and various Indigenous organizations. Students will co-create learning environments with other Indigenous students and faculty in the School. The intent of this specialization is to provide Indigenous students an opportunity to develop helping and healing practice frameworks that centralize Indigenous knowledges, peoples, nations, and communities.

Indigenous (Child Welfare) Specialization

The intent of this specialization is similar to the Indigenous Specialization with an emphasis on the well-being of Indigenous children, families and communities.

Faculty of Social Work Commitment to Call to Action # 1: 3, 4 and 5:  3 out of 3 = 100%

3	History and impact of residential schools (theory)
	Yes. See mandatory course descriptions and Child Welfare specialization
4	Potential for Aboriginal communities and families to provide more appropriate solutions to family healing (practice)
	Yes. See mandatory course descriptions and Child Welfare specialization
5	All child welfare decision makers consider the impact of the residential school experience on children and their caregivers
	Yes. See mandatory course descriptions and Child Welfare specialization

Compliance with CASWE/ACFTS Statement of Complicity and Commitment to Change

At the May 27th, 2017 Board meeting, the Board of Directors of CASWE-ACFTS committed to ensuring that social work education in Canada contributes to transforming Canada’s colonial reality and approved a “Statement of Complicity and Commitment to Change”. “This is an important step in engaging social work education in the reconciliation process and supporting the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action” affirms CASWE-ACFTS President, Dr. Susan Cadel.Of the 12 actions articulated in the “Statement of Complicity and Commitment to Change, the following two are directed at Schools of Social Work

7	Will encourage institutional members to post a territorial acknowledgement on their School’s website and post a link to the CAUT guide to territorial acknowledgement on the CASWE-ACFTS website to assist Schools with this task
	We acknowledge and respect the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples on whose traditional territory the university stands and the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day. We also encourage faculty to use their own land acknowledgement, one that is meaningful to them, in addition to this one.Located on School of Social Work – Home Page and University of Victoria – Home Page
8	Will encourage and support Canadian schools of social work in revising mission statements, governance processes, curriculum, and pedagogy in ways that both advance the TRC recommendations and the overall indigenization of social work education
	Yes. See mandatory course descriptions and Child Welfare and Indigenous specializations

NOTE: All content has been submitted to the respective faculty for validation to ensure accuracy and currency as of the time of posting. The University of Victoria School of Social Work reviewed and approved the document. Managing Editor: Douglas Sinclair: Publisher, Indigenous Watchdog Lead Researcher, Julia Dubé