Petition to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly or the Legislature and the Government of Nova Scotia.

Request for Action:  We, the undersigned citizens of Nova Scotia, call for the Government of Nova Scotia to guarantee accountability in the practice of Social Work and to initiate legislative reform for the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW) to fulfill its regulatory duties effectively. Specifically, we request that the Government of Nova Scotia introduce legislation providing for the immediate dismissal of the current Registrar and Executive Director of the NSCSW and amending the Social Workers Act to ensure that ethical and professional standards are consistently upheld across Nova Scotia.

The current governance of the social work profession in Nova Scotia is alarmingly below the standards upheld across Canada – Why?

We, the public, demand the immediate removal of the Registrar and Executive Director of the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW). His tenure has significantly diminished public trust in the integrity of social work in Nova Scotia, lacking any meaningful plan or commitment to change in favour of the public's best interests.

The Registrar’s interference with the complaints process is denying Nova Scotians fair access to the NSCSW's complaint processes.  This has resulted in the public's concerns about social worker's professionalism unaddressed further exacerbating our provincial social work crisis.  His leadership has seen the NSCSW fail to protect public rights as guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Social Workers Act and Regulations, and the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Furthermore, the Registrar has neglected the social justice rights of the public and NSCSW's members, particularly those employed within the child welfare system.  He has improperly transposed regulatory concerns to the NS Department of Community Services to shift blame onto the Government, rather than confronting serious performance issues within the regulatory authority of the NSCSW.  This has led to the dismissal of public complaints without proper investigation, denying Nova Scotians fair access, due process, transparency, and justice.

Instances have also emerged where the Registrar and the NSCSW have intentionally interfered with and distorted issues in complaint investigations.  This has damaged the reputations of complainants, covered up professional misconduct and harmed the reputation of the profession of social work in Nova Scotia and across Canada.  Perhaps politically motivated, his actions suggest retaliation against those raising legitimate concerns, making the NSCSW complicit in professional misconduct and conduct unbecoming, while also undermining the fundamental principles of justice.

The public perceives the Registrar as unfit for his role, and his continued leadership only deepens the systemic social work crisis in Nova Scotia. It is time for decisive action to restore trust and ensure the professional practice of social work aligns with the highest standards of social work, integrity and justice. Nova Scotians deserve better, and the time for change is now.

Nova Scotians deserve better. The time for action is now.

If you stand with the public’s concern and need for regulatory accountability and reform to address the provincial social work crisis in the Province of Nova Scotia and regulatory practices of the NSCSW, please help all Nova Scotians impacted across our province by signing this petition and calling on the Government of Nova Scotia for immediate and systemics reforms of the profession of Social Work.

(Image extracted from CBC's "Community Services doesn't know how many cases its social workers are juggling", published by Michael Gorman on May 15th, 2024. (Robert Short/CBC)")