Social work is a profession built on the foundations of equity, social justice, and accessibility. Yet, the path to becoming a social worker in Alberta contradicts those very values.

Social work students in Alberta are required to complete multiple unpaid practicums, totalling hundreds of hours. These placements are full-time and financially inaccessible, requiring students to pay tuition to work for free, while being unable to hold additional jobs due to the time commitment.

These barriers are especially harmful to:

• Low-income students
• Students with disabilities and neurodivergence
• Single parents and caregivers
• Black, Indigenous, and racialized students
• Those living in rural communities without access to diverse placements
   

This structure reinforces privilege, limits diversity in the field, and contradicts the Code of Ethics that social workers are required to uphold.

  
Our Demands

1. Waive or Reduce Practicum Tuition Fees:

Push post-secondary institutions to eliminate tuition fees associated with unpaid practicums.

2. Advocate for Paid Practicums:

Work with educational institutions and placement agencies to create a pathway for funded or paid practicum placements, especially for students in financial need.

3. Require Practicum Sites to Provide Accommodations:

Ensure practicum agencies meet accessibility standards for students with disabilities, neurodivergence, and mental health needs.

4. Create Flexible Practicum Options:

Allow for part-time practicums, virtual placements, or competency-based alternatives for students who face significant barriers.

5. Include Lived Experience in Practicum Policy Creation:

Engage social work students, especially those with lived experience of marginalization, in creating more inclusive practicum models. 

 
Why It Matters

By continuing to uphold practicum requirements that are financially, physically, and mentally inaccessible, educational institutions are gatekeeping the profession from those with lived experience — the very voices needed most in social work.

If we truly believe in justice, equity, and dignity for all, we must dismantle the structural barriers preventing marginalized people from becoming social workers. 

We urge educational institutions to act in alignment with the ethics and values of our profession. Stand with us to make social work education more equitable, inclusive, and accessible for all.