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IMAGE: KINDEL MEDIA VIA PEXELS

Social Work implements new Bachelor of Social Work Program starting this Fall

The Faculty of Social Work is excited to announce a new curriculum for the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program.

After two years of preparation and consultation with community members, students, faculty members, and instructors, the revised curriculum was approved by UM Senate in April 2022 and is set to be implemented over the next two years starting this Fall.

The BSW program, accredited by the Canadian Association of Social Work Education (CASWE), greater aligns with the direction of change in the CASWE core learning objectives, specifically in terms of decolonization, Indigenous Knowledges, and working with marginalized communities.

Some highlights of the new program:

offers students more choices of electives
prepares students with analytical and practice skills to respond to the needs arising from emergent issues
introduces sixteen new core courses grouped into four conceptual domains:
- 1) Social Justice, Rights, Diversity;
- 2) Indigenization, Decolonization, Reconciliation;
- 3) Social Work Professional Ethics and Identity; and
- 4) Community Well-being and Practice
incorporates more content on Indigenous Knowledges, cultural diversity, and working with specialized populations like immigrants and refugees, 2SLGBTQ+.

The new program focuses on building students’ knowledge and skills on community well-being. In the Faculty of Social Work, we are committed to decolonization, reconciliation, and Indigenous resurgence. We are all Treaty people willing to live up to treaty commitments, recognizing past and current harms by the social work profession, working to repair relationships, and appreciating common and diverse practices among all treaty people.

The program strives towards just societies, connected communities, and enhanced well-being. It prepares social work professionals to engage in practices designed to transform unjust social arrangements, advance human and environmental rights, promote diversity and enhance well-being.

For more information on the new curriculum, please visit: https://umanitoba.ca/social-work/programs-study/new-bsw-curriculum

Advancing Reconciliation and Promoting Indigenous Achievement, Faculty of Social Work

Social work students explore role in healthcare through interprofessional learning

This fall, a cohort of social work students participated in an interprofessional learning experience with the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. This event emphasized the importance of social work practice in addressing the intersection of individuals and their environments in healthcare settings. During the event, a screening of Falling Through the Cracks: Greg’s Story, depicted the tragic death of Greg Price and highlighted systemic issues in healthcare, including the need for improved communication. “‘Greg’s Wings’ provided a meaningful learning experience for students, particularly in the context of healthcare collaboration and the challenges faced within this system,” said Vicki Verge, Instructor and Faculty-Field Liaison, Faculty of Social Work.

CBC Manitoba: Pinaymootang Health Centre helps fill health-care gaps for First Nation, surrounding communities

A Manitoba First Nation is helping to bridge the gap in health-care services not only for its members, but for multiple surrounding Interlake communities. The Pinaymootang Health Centre helps care for thousands of Manitobans every year, but nearly half of its clientele comes from outside Pinaymootang First Nation. "We see 47 per cent of clients that come in from various areas," health director Gwen Traverse said. "Whether the surrounding First Nations or the non-Indigenous communities that utilize our services." Gwen Traverse is currently a student in the Distance Delivery Southern Cohort BSW program.