Our unique Bachelor of Social Work focuses on the ways social, environmental and economic issues interrelate, and how we all fit into the larger community. Sustainability and social work practice with Indigenous peoples are core to our program. You develop professional practice skills through practicum placements. Upon graduation, you are prepared to work in a diverse range of health, mental health, child and family, community and human service settings.

Bachelor of Social Work Commitment to Truth and Reconciliation

Nothing explicitly mentioned.

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

SOWK 302: Year 3

Indigenous Knowledge: Contributions to Sustainable Social Work Practice: 3 Credits         

Students explore how the field of social work might support Indigenous efforts to maintain healthy families, communities, and nations.  Students are introduced to the philosophical foundations of Indigenous knowledge systems with a focus on exploring traditional healing practices.  Students consider how historical and contemporary expressions of colonialism have impacted the well-being of Indigenous peoples.  Throughout the course, students enhance their self-awareness and investigate how their personal values, beliefs and experiences may impact their future social work practice with Indigenous peoples.

Social Work – Bachelor of Social Work – MacEwan University

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. Mandatory course on impacts of colonialism (SOWK 302)
4	Potential for Aboriginal communities and families to provide more appropriate solutions to family healing (practice)
	Yes, but limited to the one mandatory course which includes teachings on traditional healing.
5	All child welfare decision makers consider the impact of the residential school experience on children and their caregivers
	Yes. See # 3 above

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

At the May 27^th, 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
	Bachelor of Social Work – Home Page and McEwen University – Home PageTREATY SIX TERRITORY – We acknowledge that the land on which we gather in Treaty Six Territory is the traditional gathering place for many Indigenous people. We honour and respect the history, languages, ceremonies and culture of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit who call this territory home.Bachelor of Social Work – MacEwan University
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
	School of Social Work Vision: Creating a just harmonious world with deep respect for the environment, diversity, and Indigenous ways of knowing.The above revised (in 2020) social work vision talks about Indigenous ways of knowing in social work practice.

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