On September 10, 2021, College Council passed a motion to approve, in accordance with the ASWB’s timeline, entry-to-practice exams for social work and social service work applicants to the College. This decision is in line with the College’s Strategic Plan 2020-23, which includes an objective to “review registration processes and consider entry-to-practice exam for new social workers and social service workers.”
Entry-to-practice exams are an additional tool that help measure applicants’ readiness to practise, ensuring that only those with specific qualifications are eligible for registration. Most other Canadian social work regulators now either use, or intend to move toward, use of the ASWB exams.
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Development and implementation
The ASWB is responsible for developing and implementing the entry-to-practice exams. There are a number of initiatives that will be developed in accordance with the ASWB’s timeline prior to implementation of the exams. These include:
- adopting entry-to-practice exams for both social work and social service work, and French versions of both exams;
- supporting the execution of a practice analysis for social service work and the development of a social service work exam; and
- developing an implementation plan.
The development and implementation of the exams will take several years. It is anticipated that the exam requirement will not be fully implemented until 2027.
During the development and implementation of the exams, the ASWB will carefully consider matters related to accessibility and inclusivity, including (but not limited to) the following:
- Ensuring that each question is written and reviewed by practising social workers and social service workers and reflects diversity in practice setting, ethnicity, race and geography. All questions will be reviewed and approved before ever being used on an exam.
- Considering the geographical locations of testing centres to ensure accessibility in all areas of the province.
- Making every effort to reduce barriers for applicants through ongoing communication and collaboration with social work and social service work educators, and the provision of resources for their students.
For more information on the development of exam questions, including the ASWB’s practice analysis, visit the ASWB website. Updates on the implementation plan and timeline will be posted on this webpage as they become available. Please contact the Communications Department at communications@ocswssw.org for inquiries related to the entry-to-practice exams.