The Manitoba College of Social Workers is a member of several national and international organizations that promote the profession of Social Work and the protection of the public interest. Please access the following links for more information about the College affiliations:

Canadian Association of Social Workers: http://www.casw-acts.ca/

Canadian Council of Social Work Regulators:http://www.ccswr-ccorts.ca/index_en.html

Association of Social Work Boards: https://www.aswb.org/

Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation: http://www.clearhq.org/

Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW)

CASW acts as the national voice for Canadian professional social workers. With most provincial/territorial partner organizations appointing one member to the Board, a unified voice for the Canadian social work profession is assured.  The Board of Directors works from a national and international perspective to benefit the social work profession. Members of the College automatically become members of CASW through its organizational affiliation with CASW.

CASW Goals:

1. There is a clear and positive image of the social work profession.
2. The social work profession has a positive impact on public/social justice issues.
   a) Policy makers will understand the impact of policy decision on social justice.
 b) Social service development will be responsive to the social needs of Canadians.
3. All social workers have access to a broad base of information they need to enhance their practice.

Canadian Council of Social Work Regulators (CCSWR)

The Canadian Council of Social Work Regulators (CCSWR) was formed in 2009 to provide a national structure for the provincial and territorial social work regulatory authorities. Current membership includes the 10 provincial social work regulatory authorities responsible for regulating over 35,000 registered social workers across Canada. The Mission of the CCSWR is to be the national and international voice on social work regulatory matters in Canada. It will consider, develop and share positions and policies on matters of common concern and interest.
The objects of the CCSWR are:

• To demonstrate leadership by working to create and maintain an effective forum for the exchange of information;>
• To identify, consider and make statements on issues related to the regulation of social work practice;
• To develop and promote national perspectives on social work regulation;
• To support the development of, and promote national standards for, the assessment of competence in social work practice;
• To respond to matters relating to licensure and/or regulation and which are of national and international importance;
• To undertake projects of national interest;
• To collaborate with other national agencies and organizations.

 Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)

The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) is a non-profit organization composed of the social work regulatory boards and colleges of 49 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and all 10 Canadian provinces. The ASWB mission is to strengthen protection of the public by providing support and services to Social Work regulatory organizations and boards.

ASWB owns and maintains the social work licensing examinations that are used to assess social workers’ competence to practice ethically and safely. The ASWB Bachelor Level exam was previously used by MIRSW for applicants applying for registration through the Substantial Equivalency route of entry. The development and maintenance of ASWB exams includes regular Practice Analyses and review by member jurisdictions including Canadian exam item writers. ASWB exams are also used in other Canadian provinces including Alberta and British Columbia.
ASWB provides valuable educational services to member boards/staff including new board member training, administrator forums and workshops, a Spring Education Meeting and an Annual Meeting in the fall. ASWB has also developed a model practice Act that offers regulatory bodies a resource for developing their own laws and regulations and they are currently in the process of developing regulatory standards for technology and social work practice.

Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR)

CLEAR promotes regulatory excellence through conferences, educational programs, webinars, seminars and symposia. This organization provides networking opportunities, publications, and research services for those involved with, or affected by, professional and occupational regulation. As a neutral forum to encourage and provide for the sharing of best practices, CLEAR serves and supports the international regulatory community and its vital contribution to public protection. CLEAR has defined its own educator role as proactively identifying critical issues; providing a dynamic, interactive forum for exploration of these issues and collecting and disseminating relevant information on them. There are four core areas of substantive inquiry that CLEAR supports through its annual conference and other venues: compliance and discipline; testing and examination issues; entry to practice issues; and administration, legislation and policy.

CLEAR offers Board member, executive leadership and investigator training as well as webinars on topics of interest to the regulatory community.