Faculty of Social Work News Archive

March 1, 2024 — 
CBC Saskatchewan: Organization calling governments to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic in the Prairies

February 28, 2024 — 
The deaths of five people this week in southern Manitoba are a clear example of domestic violence and come in the midst of an epidemic of intimate partner violence in the province and beyond, experts say. "When anything ends in a fatality, when a life is taken, that's the most severe form of violence that someone can endure," said Tracie Afifi, a University of Manitoba professor in the department of community health sciences. "Here we have the death of an intimate partner … [and] we have the deaths of three children that were part of that relationship and a fourth family member as well, who was also a child," she said. "Without a doubt this is intimate partner violence."  Kendra Nixon, a professor in the Faculty of Social Work and the Director of RESOLVE at the University of Manitoba, says it's troubling to see the issue rising.

February 9, 2024 — 
The Master of Human Rights program’s annual Symposium took place on Wednesday, January 25, 2024 at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The symposium gives students enrolled in both the interdisciplinary graduate degree’s practicum and thesis streams an opportunity to present their research and share field experience gained from their respective placement sites.

January 15, 2024 — 
The inaugural Emerging Researcher Spotlight symposium on February 1 offers a compelling look into new and developing areas of research at UM.

January 8, 2024 — 
On Jan. 2, Research Manitoba announced support for 11 early-career researchers from the University of Manitoba.

December 20, 2023 — 
Intimate partner violence is a major public health concern. According to Statistics Canada, in 2018, 44 per cent of women experienced some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime. Rates of intimate partner violence are not only alarmingly high, but steadily increasing. In 2022, there were 117,093 victims of police-reported intimate partner violence in Canada. This marked a 19 per cent increase since 2014.

December 13, 2023 — 
Congratulations to the graduates of the Cree Nation Child and Family Caring Agency / Opaskwayak Cree Nation Child and Family Services’ Bachelor of Social Work cohort. The cohort officially started the program in January 2021 with the intention of in-person learning in the community of Opaskwayak Cree Nation. However, due to the pandemic restrictions, students were challenged with new technologies and new methods of learning, all while working full-time and caring for their families. This Fall, 10 cohort students graduated with their BSW degree. Meet some of our graduates.

December 11, 2023 — 
Recipients of the SoTL Development Fund received funding to attend the November 23-25 Symposium for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Canmore, Alberta, which brought together faculty, students, educational developers, and administrators to share existing knowledge and developing research in the systemic inquiry of teaching and learning.

December 7, 2023 — 
On November 20th, for Two-Spirit and Transgender Day of Remembrance, the Inner City Student Council in collaboration with the Inner City Social Work faculty and staff partnered with the Clan Mother’s Healing Village to come together and honour the lives lost due to anti-transgender violence. Elder Mae Louise Campbell, Jamie Goulet, and Debra Diubaldo from the Clan Mother’s Healing Village led ceremony while staff, students, and community members from Mount Carmel Clinic shared stories of remembrance, violence, and the need for change. “We have a responsibility in social work to advocate for policies and practices, both within the university and beyond, that allow Two-Spirit, Trans and Gender Diverse folks to thrive,” says Dr. Christine Mayor (she/her), assistant professor, Faculty of Social Work.

October 6, 2023 — 
The Winnipeg Human Rights Tour began in 2022 as a way to introduce new Master of Human Rights program students to some of the many Human Rights aspects of Winnipeg. Beginning in St. Boniface at the grave of Louis Riel, founder of Manitoba, the tour has now been successfully delivered to two generations of Master of Human Rights students and has grown in content, scope and recognition.