The mission of the Department of Social Work at the Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO) is to train social work professionals capable of practicing their profession in a variety of settings and contexts (public, parapublic, community, private). To achieve this mission, we draw on a body of knowledge and theoretical, practical, epistemological and methodological perspectives that enable us to grasp the complexity of socio-political and economic realities, as well as their effects on living contexts. From this perspective, research supports the practice of social work professionals, enabling them to deepen, analyze, evaluate and, if necessary, transform it.
School of Social Work Commitment to Truth and Reconciliation
The School of Social Work does not make any explicit commitment to Truth and Reconciliation
It does, however, include Indigenous people in generic comments under its “Mission” section:
(…)
Our programs pay particular attention to minority groups or groups subject to various forms of discrimination, including indigenous populations, racialized groups, LGBTQI+ communities, etc.
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:
- Monitoring and assessing neglect investigations
- 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.
- Ensuring that social workers and others who conduct child-welfare investigations are properly educated and trained about the history and impacts of residential schools.
- 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.
- Requiring that all child-welfare decision makers consider the impact of the residential school experience on children and their caregivers.
Mandatory Course: Yes.
SOC2663 – Cultural diversity and social intervention
History and challenges of migration in Canada and Quebec (ethnic and national minorities). Migration process and integration/insertion mechanisms. Policies and ideologies for integrating immigrants and refugees (Immigration Act, multiculturalism, interculturalism, reasonable accommodation, secularism, etc.). Concepts for understanding and thinking about difference (otherness, culture, identity, “race”, racialization, interculturality, etc.). Mechanisms for marginalizing minorities (ethnocentrism, stereotypes, prejudice, xenophobia, racial profiling, systemic racism and discrimination). Indigenous realities (socio-historical and contemporary perspectives (residential schools, the 60s Scoop and over-representation of Indigenous children, self-determination, etc.)). Decolonization and cultural safety. Models and practices of social intervention with immigrant, refugee and Indigenous populations.
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 description | |
| 4 | Potential for Aboriginal communities and families to provide more appropriate solutions to family healing (practice) |
| Yes. See Mandatory course description | |
| 5 | All child welfare decision makers consider the impact of the residential school experience on children and their caregivers |
| Yes. See Mandatory course description |
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 |
| None posted on School of Social Work website | |
| 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 |
| Not specifically addressed. |
| NOTE: All content has been submitted to the respective faculty for validation to ensure accuracy and currency as of the time of posting. Université du Québec en Outaouais School of Social Work DID NOT RESPOND to our correspondence. Managing Editor: Douglas Sinclair: Publisher, Indigenous Watchdog Lead Researcher, Julia Dubé |