Open Discussion a Highlight at Employer Roundtable

employer roundtable 2020

The College hosted its 8th Employer Roundtable virtually on September 29, 2021, for employers in the Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury and Timmins region. The Roundtable included 17 participants from 13 different organizations across various sectors and disciplines.

The biannual event is part of the College’s employer outreach initiative and an opportunity for employers of social workers and social service workers to connect and engage with the College.

Discussion points

The College’s Registrar and CEO Lise Betteridge, MSW, RSW, Deputy Registrar, Denitha Breau, and Director of Complaints and Discipline Richelle Samuel facilitated a discussion regarding the regulatory role of the College, its public protection mandate, registration with the College, and the value of hiring registered social workers and registered social service workers.

Employers who attended the event provided valuable feedback about barriers to registration, and the upcoming review of the College’s Standards of Practice, including the need for the College to take a greater role in the inclusion of Indigenous practices into the Standards of Practice.

While not all the employers in attendance require mandatory registration with the College, many agreed that registration with the College is a key asset in their hiring process, and many offer employee incentives to help promote registration.

Stakeholder outreach and awareness a College priority

Since 2017, the College has hosted Employer Roundtables in Kingston, Kitchener, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, and Windsor. Strengthening stakeholder engagement – including employers – remains a key priority. The College is proud to provide opportunities such as the Employer Roundtables and Employer Communiqué to further engage with employers across Ontario.

For more information about the Employer Roundtable, please contact Amy Vranchidis at avranchidis@ocswssw.org.