News
2026 Annual Meeting and Education Day
Save the Date for AMED 2026! Please save the date for the College’s Annual Meeting & Education Day (AMED)! Date Tuesday, June 9, 2026Time: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ESTFormat: Fully virtualCost : Free This year’s theme is Trust, Care and Accountability. The College’s Professional Practice department is pleased to host the feature presentation, which will address professional boundaries in multidisciplinary settings. There will also be four educational sessions on a range of topics relevant to registrants’…
Discover Resources to Support your Work and Practice
The College is pleased to offer the following resources to support you in your work and practice: Exploring practice, together – Join us for upcoming Coffee with the College sessions Join us for the next dates in our interactive series, Coffee with the College. Hosted by the Professional Practice Team, these sessions offer a forum to explore common ethical and practice issues in a thoughtful, dialogue-based environment. Registrants can engage directly with staff through questions…
College Update About Entry-to-Practice Exams
The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW) is continuing its work with the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) to implement entry-to-practice exams for applicants. We are now at the planning stage where we are in a position to share when exams will begin as a registration requirement. Although we will begin implementing exams in late 2027 for certain applicant groups, the exam requirement for applicants who have graduated from an…
Council Highlights for March 4, 2026
Guests from the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) presented updates around their organization and entry-to-practice exams for College applicants. Council was provided with updates and discussed the College’s phased approach to implementing entry-to-practice exams for College applicants. Council made a motion directing College staff to commit to outlining an approach to support research gaps, barriers, evaluation of outcomes and effectiveness related to entry-to-practice initiatives. Sanjay Govindaraj, Council Chair, provided his report to Council. Denitha…
Message from the Registrar and CEO
Employers are essential partners in the College’s public protection mandate. Every day, you help ensure that Ontarians receive safe, ethical and competent social work and social service work services. We appreciate the role you play and want to share several registration updates from the College that are intended to support your workforce planning while strengthening transparency, fairness and public confidence in the professions. Supporting Labour Mobility Effective January 1, 2026, the Ontario government introduced Ontario…
New Sexual Abuse Prevention Program (SAPP)
Over the past several years, the College has seen a disturbing rise in sexual abuse-related complaints. Sexual abuse is one of the most egregious ways that registrants can harm clients and breach their professional obligations. To address this alarming trend, the College has introduced the Sexual Abuse Prevention Program (SAPP). All registrants (except those in the retired class of registration) are required to complete the SAPP as part of their 2026 Continuing Competence Program (CCP).…
Professional Practice Updates and Resources
Social Service Workers Now Added as Authorized Medical Practitioners for Tax Purposes Social service workers are now recognized by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) as authorized medical practitioners for the purpose of the medical expense tax credit. This means that your clients may be eligible to submit a portion of the costs of their sessions with you on their taxes. In the summer of 2025, the Ontario Social Service Worker Association (OSSWA) brought this matter…
Coffee With the College
The College is pleased to invite registrants to the next dates in our interactive series, Coffee with the College. Hosted by the Professional Practice Team, this engaging lunch and learn discussion explores some of the most common ethical and practice dilemmas that registrants encounter. Registrants will also be able to ask questions and engage in live consultations with the Professional Practice staff. Register via the links below! Wednesday, March 25, 2026 Wednesday, April 22, 2026 For…
Comprehensive Review of the Continuing Competence Program is Underway: Provide Your Feedback
The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (the College) is collaborating with the consulting firm Rigor as part of a comprehensive review of its Continuing Competence Program (CCP). The goal of this project is to develop a clearer understanding of how registrants practise across diverse settings and sectors, identify emerging practices and variations in scope and ensure that the CCP remains current, supportive and effective. The research phase of the project will run…
College Updates: 2026 CCP Required Resources and NEW Sexual Abuse Prevention Program
The College is pleased to provide registrants with the following information to support their practice. In this update: 2026 CCP required resources NEW - Sexual Abuse Prevention Program (SAPP) SAPP information sessions 2026 CCP Required Resources The Continuing Competence Program (CCP) is a mandatory requirement for all College registrants except those in the retired class of registration. This includes registrants who are not currently practising, those in the inactive class and registrants on maternity, parental or sick leave.…
Missed the 2025 Educational Forum? Now Available Online!
The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (the College) is pleased to share that the 2025 Educational Forum is now available to watch by visiting the College website or YouTube channel. The College’s Director of Professional Practice, Christina Van Sickle, MSW, RSW, facilitated a panel discussion entitled The Greatest Risk Requires the Greatest Competence – Private Practice and Psychotherapy. The expert panel explored what competencies are needed to perform the controlled act of psychotherapy, and why…
