Social workers have a significant impact on the decisions made for children and families, therefore they should be concerned with their own and their colleagues ongoing commitment to culturally safe practice. It is important for social workers to understand what cultural safety means and how to do it well when working with service users. Additionally, social workers should stay current using anti-oppressive, strength-based, and holistic approaches to ensure that past harms will not be repeated, by becoming educated with the past and present concerns in current policies and practices. Registered Social Workers are required to complete 40 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) each year. Social workers are currently required to dedicate 3 of these hours to training and activities in the realm of ethics to ensure they stay current with ethical practice. We think that the BCCSW should add cultural safety as a required category to ensure that social workers stay current with culturally safe practice as well. Please help us to ensure Registered Social Workers are required to dedicate 5 hours to training and activities relevant to maintaining their knowledge and skills in cultural safety within their 40 hours per year of CPD. Thank you for taking the time to consider signing this petition to ensure cultural safety within social work practice.
"Be the Change you wish to see in the World" - Gandhi
