King's Social Work Professors receive Association of Social Work Boards Foundation grant

Congratulations to King’s School of Social Work professors Dr. Dora Tam, Dr. Siu Ming Kwok, and Dr. Rachel Birnbaum who are the recipients of the latest American Foundation for Research and Consumer Education in Social Work Regulation’s, Association of Social Work Boards Foundation grant. Over an 18-month period and a total of $10,000 in funding, the research study looks at “Models of Assessment on Professional Suitability in Canadian Social Work”.

Social work in Canada lags behind social work in other developed countries and some established professions in conceptualizing and assessing professional suitability. This 18-month research project is built upon the Applicant’s ongoing research in the past twelve years, and is timely as the majority part of Canada still relies heavily on the education sector to carry out its gatekeeping function. This proposed project is aimed to engage the education, practice, and regulation sectors in the research process; examine the multi-di­mensionality of and assessment of the entry-level of professional suitability; and articulate the roles of education programs and regulatory bodies in gatekeeping functions. The proposed project will use a Holistic Approach to conduct 60 individual interviews in the provinces of British Columbia and Nova Scotia. Anticipated outcome is to forward the evolution of guiding principles for models of assessment on professional suit­ability in Canadian social work.

The proposal was submitted during the 2015 grant application cycle and recommend for approval to the Foundation Board of Directors by the Foundation Review Committee. The Foundation supports and sponsors projects that explore the ways in which professional social work regulation affects the profession and the public it serves. 

Congratulations!