All Webinars

This webinar covers various aspects of interprofessional collaboration (IP) that is used in SW practice to address complex situations that cannot be resolved in a compartmentalized manner (working in silos). The webinar also examines the important dimensions of IP collaboration, including roles and responsibilities, structure, and the collaborative process. In conclusion, the authors raise the importance of considering the benefits and implications for SW practice.

Key lessons:

• Complex situations encountered in practice that require IP collaboration and new models of intervention
• Definition and components of IP collaboration
• Aspects that facilitate and hinder IP collaboration
• Solutions to foster IP collaboration
• Benefits of IP collaboration

Join the CASW and our webinar presenter Kate to dive in to building trusting relationships in your practice!

What are some key topics this webinar will highlight?

• Positive Assumptions we make about ourselves as practitioners? about our clients?
• How do we define our clients? Noun or verb? Or other?
• Trust : Intact or Broken? 100% in tact? or is it broken (how much?) and in the need of mending?
• The Myths of Trust
• TEARS = Totally Expected Attitudes and Reaction that Soothes (Making Room for Pain - What is your role as a practitioner?)  
• The “STAR” approach: Sustaining Trust and Respect  - the Talk and Walk  approach
• The “Peace Pizza” - leads to repair of trust

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted every aspect of childhood, from education to protection. Schools were closed in more than 190 countries, affecting more than 1.5 billion learners. At the same time, children in lockdown have been cut off from other community places and people that support their health, development and well-being. Together, these spaces play a crucial role not only in children’s learning, but also in protecting their well-being and safety. As such, it’s important that they reopen as soon as the public health imperative allows. 

To facilitate the decision-making process around how schools and other child and youth serving spaces might safely reopen, Lisa Bender, UNICEF global expert on Education in Emergencies, will share the new Framework for Reopening Schools, jointly developed by UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO, the World Food Programme and the World Bank. This Framework is designed to be a flexible tool that can be adapted to community and jurisdictional contexts. We trust it will serve as a guiding tool in your planning or advocacy with governments in opening safe spaces for children, based on a robust assessment of the benefits and risks, and guided always by the best interest of the child. Our aim is to reopen better, healthier, safer child and youth serving spaces, enabling children to learn and recover from the crisis.

Specific learning objectives for this presentation are:

1.    To restore and enhance the protective environment for children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic;

2.    To provide a framework for planning and deciding on how to open safe spaces for children and youth, considering the new Framework for Reopening Schools for other children’s services and programs;

3.    To support consideration of the best interests of children and youth in pandemic plans and strategies.

This is a very stressful and challenging time across NS for Social Workers quickly learning to develop means of maintaining contact and therapeutic relationships with their clients during COVID 19.  As discussed, a proposal to provide education to the members on quickly transitioning to virtual client care.

Rationale:

Social Workers are needing to make rapid changes to their Social Work Practice to adapt to the COVID 19 Pandemic.  Heidi Sturgeon, a RSW in NS, has been practicing Online Therapy for the past 4 years. During this presentation she will share information to help transition to Online Practice - considering confidentiality and ethical and legal aspects of Practice. Participants will learn what privacy laws to be aware of, what types of software, hardware and paperwork they will need to consider as well as lessons learned from her own practice.

Topics to be discussed:

• Video Options for meeting with clients 
• Home office set up to see clients online
• Practice Management
• Emergency Planning
• Virtual Social Work Practice Tips – lessons learned 

The integrity of offering mindfulness practice to our clients rests in our own practice of mindfulness. Come together as a community to be nourished and supported in period of guided meditation focused on stabilizing the mind/heart/body - evoking our inherent and sustainable loving kindness, compassion, and wisdom.

The Canadian Association of Social Workers welcomes a webinar co-hosted with Children First Canada, Child Welfare League of Canada and Pediatrician, Associate Professor and Journalist, Dr. Michelle Ward to present a webinar titled: Protecting children from abuse in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During this time we are committed in bringing together the voices of everyone working to keep Canada's kids safe.

This is Part 2 of a two part series titled Arts-Based Mindfulness. Missed the first webinar? No problem! You can view it here -> 

Arts-Based Mindfulness Methods for Personal and Professional Benefits. Part 1: Dr. Diana Coholic - YouTube

The webinar builds on the first one. In this session, participants will learn more about how to use arts-based mindfulness activities with a variety of client groups. We will discuss:

• activities to help participants explore and express feelings
• activities to teach mindfulness-based practices and concepts
• activities to build group cohesion and a sense of belonging
• questions to ask to facilitate exploration and discussion
• examples of conversations that have emerged from the activities.

Social workers have always been uniquely positioned to serve in challenging environments. This webinar will review the critical role of social workers and how we might, individually and collectively, consciously choose to engage during this pandemic.  We’ll also look at ways we can meet and ameliorate the fear and anxiety within ourselves, purposefully resource ourselves, and take exquisite care of our hearts, minds and bodies, enabling us to resiliently serve during these turbulent times. We’ll also explore formal and informal mindfulness/compassion practices as a source of wisdom and strength.

Over the past few years, researchers studying mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have reported a multitude of benefits including improved emotion regulation, mood, social competence, and resilience, and research exploring mindfulness continues to expand. While much of this research emerges from the fields of health and psychology, social workers have a unique contribution to make to the practice and study of MBIs. Our approaches are holistic, creative, and strengths-based. We aim to create change that moves beyond an individual focus as practicing mindfulness encourages us to recognize our interconnections with all life forms, and to act to improve the communities we live in. With colleagues, I have been studying an arts-based mindfulness group program for over 10 years. We have tested our arts-based MBI with success with marginalized children/youth, university students, youths and adults seeking mental health services, Indigenous women, elementary school teachers, and women leaving abusive relationships.

• In this webinar, participants will learn about:the personal and professional benefits of practicing mindfulness, for examples, developing therapeutic presence,
• and engaging people in enjoyable processes that foster inclusion and expression,
• a variety of arts-based mindfulness activities used in our MBI how to facilitate/discuss the philosophy of mindfulness including some of its concepts (self-compassion/non-judgement) and practices (mindful breathing/meditation)
• and, importantly, how to facilitate these concepts and practices by way of arts-based and experiential methods that are highly engaging, and foster enjoyment and success.

CASW in collaboration with BMS and Gowling WLG will provide an overview of coverage considerations in relation to COVID-19. This will include for when you are delivering services via Telehealth and important details for Private Practice Clinic owners who purchase Plan 2 in the CASW Liability Insurance Program.

Diclaimer:

The following webinar will be made available on April 6th at 2:00pm as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Canada. The circumstances surrounding COVID-19 continue to change rapidly and the Canadian Association of Social Workers, in partnership with BMS Group and Gowling WLG, wanted to provide an opportunity for members to hear from the experts as the COVID-19 situation developed. As the environment and realities related to COVID-19 are still in their infancy and continue to change rapidly, this information is provided merely as a guide and must be interpreted reflecting on when the information was delivered recognizing that the expert advice may change as the situation develops. In all circumstances, members of the social work profession should consult with a lawyer and/or their insurance company for specific information or guidance related to their specific circumstances.

To connect with the Canadian Association of Social Workers, please contact: casw@casw-acts.ca    

For questions for BMS Group contact: casw.insurance@bmsgroup.com

For Gowling WLG, contact their hotline at 1-866-778-7191.