All Webinars

Reproductive Justice (RJ) is a framework and a movement that examines and seeks to dismantle oppressive systemic inequities in reproductive care and bodily autonomy. This webinar explores intersections of race, class, gender, ability, rural vs. urban environments, immigration status, and other factors, to identify barriers and opportunities within healthcare and social systems. Designed for beginners, it introduces strategies for ameliorating these barriers and advocating for equitable, affirming access to reproductive services from a social work perspective. The session highlights social workers' roles in promoting social justice, supporting informed decision-making, and challenging oppressive systems and practices. Participants will also examine the historical significance of RJ and learn practical ways to integrate its principles into practice, with a focus on addressing structural inequities and supporting equity-denied populations in reproductive health.

Learning Objectives:

• Attendees will learn about the definition of Reproductive Justice (RJ), its history, and how this framework and movement intersects with social work values and ethics.
• The webinar will outline some of the nuanced and context-specific ways that RJ appears in social work practice.
• A case study that highlights the intersection of RJ and social work will be used to help conceptualize ways that social workers can integrate a Reproductive Justice lens into their practice.

Presented in partnership with MCSW, this one hour webinar will provide participants with an introduction to the ethical issues that can arise when posting information on social media platforms. The requirements for social workers to “distinguish between their actions and statements as private citizens and actions and statements made as social workers, recognizing that social workers are obligated to ensure that no outside interest bring the profession into disrepute (MCSW, Code of Ethics, 2015, Guideline 7, pg. 26)” will be reviewed. 

Learning Objectives: 

• An introduction to the MCSW regulatory mandate.
• An overview of technology and social media terminology.
• Examples that arise when using technology and social media in social work practice.
• A discussion about the link between professional and personal behavior.
• Ethical considerations and standard of practice.
• An introduction to some risk management strategies.

In Canada, this part of the social work field is gaining recognition for its role in enhancing the quality of care for both animals and their owners. Areas of practice include addressing the LINK between human and animal welfare, support during hospitalization and end-of-life, grief and loss counselling, policy and curriculum development and other roles based on where the veterinary social work role is housed. Veterinary social workers collaborate with veterinarians, those who do animal welfare work, and community organizations to provide support. They also influence policy development at the interface of human beings and animals, ensuring services are inclusive and culturally competent. This growing profession is vital in fostering a compassionate and supportive environment for all involved in animal care.

Learning Objectives: 

•  Highlight the Integration of Veterinary Social Work: Discuss how veterinary social work is being integrated into veterinary practices across Canada, emphasizing the benefits for both animal and human clients.
• Address Mental Health and Well-being: Explore the role of veterinary social workers in supporting the mental health and well-being of veterinary professionals, pet owners, and communities, particularly in managing grief, compassion fatigue, and stress.
• Promote Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Showcase examples of successful interdisciplinary collaboration between veterinarians, social workers, and other professionals to provide holistic care for animals and their owners.
• Educate on Ethical and Cultural Competence: Provide insights into the ethical considerations and cultural competence required in veterinary social work, ensuring that services are inclusive and respectful of diverse backgrounds and beliefs.
• Future Directions and Opportunities: Discuss the future directions and opportunities for growth in the field of veterinary social work in Canada, including potential areas for research, policy development, and education
• Diverse Panel Representation: Highlight the diverse areas of veterinary social work, as the panel represents social workers from across Canada who work in a variety of environments including private veterinary practices, specialty clinics, and academia, to provide a comprehensive view of veterinary social work practice.

Immigrants now make up 1 in 4 Canadians.  Their rich diversity adds to the mosaic and economy of Canada however there are barriers to equitable access and experiences with health and social services, resulting in health inequities. This is also occurring within our context where anti-immigration and hate is increasingly normalized, and our health human resource crisis. 

The National Newcomer Navigation Network (N4) is a national network for the diversity of providers who assist newcomers in navigating the complex Canadian healthcare and social service systems. N4 will be expand our understanding of barriers newcomers face as well as how social workers can support our newest Canadians by sharing best practices and tools.

In this presentation, social workers will: 

• Gain an understanding of newcomer status as a social determinant of health.
• Gain awareness of tools and resources, which support social workers to provide equitable access and experiences in their practice.

Join Kristina Fifield with the Can't Buy My Silence campaign for an online webinar about the misuse of non-disclosure agreements. NDAs (or confidentiality agreements) were invented to protect intellectual property but have become the default solution for organizations, corporations and public entities to settle cases of sexual violence, racism, pregnancy discrimination, disability discrimination and other human rights violations.

The training will look at the abusive use of NDAs through an Intersectional GBV Trauma Lens and will discuss the ethical implications, trauma impacts and far-reaching consequences of NDAs when used to silence survivors/victims, conceal wrongdoing and perpetuate a culture of secrecy. The training will provide ideas for justice initiatives and ways to support survivors/victims in your work who are being asked to sign or who have signed an NDA.

Learning Objectives: 

• To provide up-to-date information to Social Workers about the abusive use of NDAs exploring the traumatic impacts of silencing, systemic injustices that give rise to NDAs, and the legislative changes happening in Canada and abroad around this issue.
• To educate Social Workers about how NDAs are used to protect perpetrators of abuse from consequences and how this permits a cycle of violence to continue unchecked inside workplaces and institutions.
• To share ways to get involved in the movement to ban the abusive use of NDAs, and provide tools and knowledge to help individuals in these situations to navigate the system and ensure they have opportunities to receive the care and support they need. 
• To ensure Social Workers have the knowledge and skills to effectively inform and counsel any survivor who may be asked to sign an NDA regarding their experiences of violence, racism, harassment or other human rights violation(s).
• To support Social Workers in recognizing the intersectional nature of the issue of the misuse of NDAs, including the disproportionate impact on women, gender diverse and racialized individuals, and in responding accordingly.

This presentation equips social work practitioners with essential knowledge and cultural insights to understand, address, and prevent gender-based violence (GBV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) within diverse communities. Grounded in a trauma-informed and anti-oppressive framework, the session provides a comprehensive understanding of how GBV and IPV manifest across various cultural contexts, emphasizing how cultural beliefs, social norms, and systemic oppression influence survivors' experiences and the barriers they face in seeking support.

Participants will learn culturally responsive intervention strategies that respect each client’s background and personal experiences. By the end of the session, social workers will gain actionable insights and tools to promote resilience, effectively advocate, and offer culturally affirming support, empowering clients on their healing journeys with dignity.

Learning Objectives:

1. Build a Comprehensive Understanding of GBV and IPV: Equip social workers with a comprehensive understanding of gender-based violence (GBV) and intimate partner violence (IPV), focusing on how these issues manifest within various cultural contexts.

2. Addressing Stigma and Cultural Sensitivity: Explore how cultural beliefs, practices, and social norms can influence the experiences of survivors, and identify barriers they may face in seeking support or services.

3. Intervention and Support Strategies: Learn culturally responsive strategies for intervening in gender-based and intimate partner violence cases, ensuring support respects each client’s cultural background and personal experiences.

The care leaving process has become an issue of international relevance over the last 20+ years, with emerging and growing research in the Canadian context. This research has contributed to a better understanding of care leaving experiences and outcomes for youth ‘aging out’ of care. Research in this field has also helped to inform the development and evaluation of practices, programs, and interventions to better prepare care leavers and help them during their transition to adulthood.  

Although research on care leaving in Canada is still limited, emerging scholars have been advancing the research agenda in different areas (e.g., judicialization, schooling, coping process of care leavers during the transition to adulthood, motherhood). During this webinar, Ph.D. candidates from CANTRAC will present their doctoral research proposals and provide a summary of how it addresses current research gaps in Canada. Preliminary practice and policy implications will also be discussed.

This webinar is intended to help professionals learn about and engage with emerging scholars on their research on the experiences of young people exiting the Canadian child welfare system and care leaving processes.

Household food insecurity is the inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints. It is a significant, serious and avoidable public health issue that disproportionately affects racialized households and has profound impacts on the mental and physical health of individuals and strains the healthcare system. Dietitians and Social Workers have a vital role to play in addressing the causes and consequences of household food insecurity through evidence-based advocacy for effective public policy interventions and the provision of dignified, person-centred care to those experiencing household food insecurity.

By the end of the presentation, you will be able to describe:

• The causes, consequences, and prevalence of household food insecurity in Canada
• Policy recommendations to address the root cause of household food insecurity
• The role of social workers and dietitians in addressing both the causes and consequences of household food insecurity

Studies have shown that youth exiting care are drastically overrepresented in the homelessness population. Few studies, however, have examined the experiences of homelessness of young people after they have exited care using collaborative and participatory methods. This study investigates youth’s experiences while in the child welfare system, their transition out of services, their experiences with homelessness, and the factors that contributed to their struggles and their resilience.

A Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology and arts-based Photovoice (PV) method was utilized to engage eight youth residing in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) between the ages of 18 and 25, with both child welfare system and homelessness experience. Project session transcripts and photographs were thematically analyzed to identify common and individual themes emerging from the experiences of the youth co-researchers.

Themes emerged under three categories: (1) supportive factors that contributed to their resilience; (2) systemic or interpersonal challenges that contributed to negative experiences; and (3) recommendations for policy change. Of importance, six of the eight participants were employed while experiencing homelessness. Findings from this study provide a nuanced and youth-centred explanation of both the risk and protective factors that influence young people’s trajectories from the child welfare system to (and out of) homelessness.

This webinar is intended to help professionals learn about and engage with:

• The realities and challenges faced by young people in care as they transition to adulthood, and in particular the heightened risk of experiencing homelessness;
• A Photovoice and Action Research (PAR) study;
• Key risk and protective factors emerging from the photography; and
• Concrete recommendations for improving child welfare policies, practices and support for youth exiting care.

McCreary Centre Society’s Youth Research Academy (YRA) was established in 2016 to train youth with government care experience in community-based research. Each year, eight youth aged 16–24 complete a 10-month paid employment training program, with the support of community researchers and two Indigenous peer mentors. Evaluation results from the eight cohorts of the YRA completed to date show that the YRA is achieving its aim of supporting young people to achieve educational and employment goals, as well as to develop research skills, build natural connections, and enhance life skills.

Since 2019, the YRA have been conducting a longitudinal study with care leavers in British Columbia. The study aims to better understand the experiences of youth as they transition from the care system. Results are used to provide policy makers and service providers with up-to-date information about what factors appear to support young people to flourish; as well as what is challenging for these young people; and how they can be supported to experience the most successful transition possible.

During this webinar, the presenters will discuss the YRA model and share how their longitudinal study is being used by statutory and non-statutory agencies to help to evaluate and adapt services for care leavers in B.C. A discussion of McCreary’s latest youth group – the Young Indigenous Research Team (YIRT) – will also be featured, which has been formed by Indigenous graduates of the YRA to conduct research projects specific to indigenous youth. Recommendations for those seeking to engage youth with care experience in community-based research will also be shared with the audience.

Webinar Key Objectives:

• To share the successes and challenges of the Youth Research Academy model;
• To share results of the longitudinal study of youth transitioning out of care; and
• To discuss how these results appear to be impacted by the recent extension of supports to care leavers in B.C.