NSCSW Connections: Communities of Practice

Social workers in Nova Scotia are invited to join your colleagues from across the province to connect, network, organize & share resources.

Communities of practice are wonderful opportunities for like-minded practitioners, or professionals engaged in similar areas of practice, to be able to gather and share ideas and best practices. They are an opportunity for networking, fellowship, resource sharing, and advocacy development. They can also help reduce burnout by reminding us that we are not alone, but rather part of a larger whole.

Get together with your social work colleagues to talk about what matters to you and build your professional network!

Each session will begin with an opportunity for attendees to suggest discussion topics. The facilitator will also propose discussion topics for small group discussions. Attendees will have the permission to move between discussion topics.

These sessions will happen once every three months and are intended to be a low-barrier and informal opportunity. There is no preparation required to attend these events, and you are encouraged to arrive as you are! Bring your lunch, something you want to talk about, or just show up.

Objectives

• Relational: Build relationships with other social workers, supporting professional Social Work identity and practice (Connect).
• Skill: Develop and implement self-reflective processes that support ethical social work practice (Apply).
• Knowledge: Identify and understand strategies and approaches to ethical social work practice used by other social workers throughout the province (Analyze & Understand).
• Values: Examine and shift beliefs, worldviews, and ideologies contributing to ethical social work practice (Evaluate & Understand).

Facilitator

Tyler Colbourne, MSW, RSW, NSCSW Professional Development Consultant

Tyler’s practice as a social worker is informed by intersectional identities as a queer, white, mostly able-bodied settler of European descent with lived experience as a mental health service user and as someone who has struggled with addiction. He cares deeply about decolonization and social justice and strives to approach his social work practice through a systems change and relational approach. To learn more about Tyler, you can read his introduction to NSCSW here.

Foundations

This session relates to several sections of the NSCSW Code of Ethics & Standards of Practice:

Value 4: Valuing human relationships

• Guiding Principle 4.2: Social workers continually develop self-awareness and practise self-reflection to guide their practice and personal well-being.

Value 7: Providing competent professional services

• Guiding Principle 7.1: Social workers are committed to the ongoing development of their professional abilities and knowledge, aiming to ensure the delivery of culturally responsive professional services.

• Guiding Principle 7.2: Social workers practise within their level of competence and seek appropriate guidance when services required are beyond their competence.

• Guiding Principle 7.3: Social workers contribute to the ongoing development of the social work profession and current and future social workers.

Eligibility

This event is only for current members of the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW). All active, candidate, associate, retired associate, and student members are welcome to attend; our professional development programming is part of our member services funded by annual registration fees. There are no other prerequisites for this session.

Tracking professional development

For members of NSCSW, this event is eligible towards the annual requirement for professional development in prevention of vicarious trauma & secondary stress. Members who have already fulfilled that requirement may choose to track this session as an informal self-care activity instead.

Visit nscsw.org/pd for more information about the updated professional development requirements for Nova Scotia social workers.

Questions?

If you have questions, please contact the College's Professional Development Consultant, Tyler Colbourne, at tyler.colbourne@nscsw.org.