The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers was pleased to interview John Fleming for its Council podcast series. John is a public member of Council, who was appointed by the Government of Ontario to Council in 2020. He currently serves as Council Chair, a position he was elected to by his fellow Council members.
Podcast transcript
OCSWSSW: The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers is pleased to interview John Fleming for its Council Podcast Series. The Council is the 21 member governing body and board of directors that manages and administers college affairs. John is a public member of the Council who is appointed by the government of Ontario to Council in 2020. He currently serves as Council Chair, a position, he was elected to by his fellow Council members. Thank you for joining us, John.
John Fleming: My pleasure.
OCSWSSW: You have many years of experience working in government and the nonprofit sector. Can you tell us how your background and experience prepared you for service on the College Council?
John Fleming: I’d be happy to do that. I have, as you mentioned, a long career in public service. I’ve been a city manager. I’ve been a deputy minister in a number of portfolios in Ontario. I’m very much accustomed to working with and as a part of governing bodies. And so that whole governance thing has some resonance to it, I’m certainly familiar with public speaking. I think probably the most important thing is through most of my career, I’ve had engagement and involvement in one way or another with a variety of human services.
At the end of my public sector career, I was Deputy Minister of both Corrections and what was then Community and Social Services in Ontario. I have lots of familiarity with the whole human services system. When I quote unquote “retired,” I was National CEO of the Arthritis Society for a while, and so have some experience in the not-for-profit sector. Since then I’ve been doing a lot of work on a number of boards with a fairly strong emphasis in the healthcare field. So yeah, I bring lots of experience to board governance and the kind of issues that go with the provision of human services.
OCSWSSW: What do you see as some of the challenges facing regulators, such as the College?
John Fleming: Well, at the very core of what this college is all about, of course, is protection of the public from the work and the conduct of social workers and social service workers. There are always challenges around making sure that professionals are aware of what the right standards of practice are and follow those and are compliant with those. Making sure that the public is aware that there is an easy access to discovering whether someone who’s providing service to them is properly registered with the College.
Right now, there’s lots of discussion about the process that the College goes through in registering social workers. Over the next four or five years, we’re going to be introducing an entry to practice exam, which is just one more tool in the work that the College is doing in ensuring that people really bring the appropriate skills to their work.
I guess the last thing I’d mention is the fact that there is a heightened emphasis in the work that the College is doing around diversity, equity, inclusion, and Reconciliation in the work that the College does and in the work that our registrants do.
Finally, I’ll just mention that we’re well along with the process of governance transformation at the College, something I’ve been proud to have had a significant hand in. I firmly believe that that’s one of the challenges we needed to address, and we’ve made superb progress on that front.
OCSWSSW: In your opinion, what qualities should a Council member possess?
John Fleming: Again, a complex question. There are a variety of different things that go towards making a good board. Certainly a balance of different skills and knowledge and experience is important. Absolutely, diversity in the members of a College is important. We really need to reflect that the basis of the people who are our members and the public that we serve. Experience in governance is helpful. Certainly experience in the work of the profession and challenges in the work of the profession is important. And then there are practical things like this is, on occasion, challenging work. There are time requirements, so people who express an interest in standing for election to the College need to be aware of the fact that they’ll need to spend a fair amount of time reading and preparing for, and then of course engaging in meetings of committees and the Council itself,
OCSWSSW: As you know, the College is holding an election for Council this May. What would you like to say to individuals who are interested in joining the College Council?
John Fleming: I’d really encourage people who are interested in this. One of the things that our governance transformation is called for is fresh ideas and new ideas coming to the Council. So for people who haven’t stood for election before, I’d encourage you to go for it. You need to go through a careful thought process about whether you are really interested in doing this and what kind of skills and competencies and experience you bring to the table. But for sure, people who have a passion for the work of regulating is really an important attribute. This is not a body that is there to serve the needs of social workers and social service workers. It’s absolutely there to protect the public.
OCSWSSW: That concludes your interview. Thank you for joining us today, John.
John Fleming: My pleasure.
OCSWSSW: If you are a registered social worker or registered social service worker and are interested in joining the College Council, please visit our website where you’ll find information on the Council elections including eligibility requirements and required training. Thank you.