Professional Practice Support

The Professional Practice Department contributes to the ongoing development of practice resources and oversees the Continuing Competence Program (CCP). Professional Practice staff also responds to practice inquiries from registrants, employers, the public and other engagement groups. They offer presentations across Ontario to students, educators, employers and other interested parties on a variety of topics.

On this page

Consult with a Professional Practice Associate

The College’s Professional Practice Department offers guidance on professional and ethical social work and social service work practice. Consultations are available to:

  • College registrants
  • Employers
  • Members of the public

What to expect

Registrants are expected to apply their professional knowledge, skills and judgment and are responsible for their own decision-making and actions taken.

Professional Practice Associates can help with:

  • Providing guidance on professional and ethical practice questions
  • Identifying and evaluating the options and risks involved in taking various courses of action
  • Referring individuals to the relevant Standards of Practice
  • Directing individuals to additional College resources (e.g., Practice Guidelines) to support ethical decision-making.

When applicable, Professional Practice Associates may refer individuals to external resources for guidance on issues that are not within the College’s mandate.

Please be aware that the Professional Practice Associates cannot:

  • Provide opinions or clinical information/supervision;
  • Assist with workplace or human resources issues;
  • Tell registrants what to do or intervene in a particular situation;
  • Interpret legislation or provide legal advice;
  • Provide business consultations for private practice.

How to contact the College

Important Note: The College does not provide urgent or time-sensitive consultation appointments. Urgent matters may be better addressed by:

  • Speaking with a clinical supervisor or colleagues
  • Contacting your liability insurance provider, or
  • Obtaining legal advice.

For the quickest response, email practice@ocswssw.org with your detailed questions and inquiries. The response time may vary depending on the nature of your inquiry.

For those requesting phone or video consults, please use the online booking tool:

Book a Consult

Important note: Professional practice consultations are treated with discretion. Any information shared in professional practice consultations is subject to the College’s public protection mandate and should not be regarded as confidential.

Registrants and other engagement groups should be aware that Professional Practice inquiries/consultations will be documented by Professional Practice staff. Documentation from these contacts will be stored securely in the College database.

NEW! Interactive Series – Coffee with the College

The College is pleased to invite registrants to participate in its new interactive series, Coffee with the College!

Hosted by the Professional Practice Team, this engaging lunch and learn discussion will explore some of the most common ethical and practice dilemmas that registrants encounter.

The series will focus on recent trends in practice inquiries, and registrants will also have the opportunity to ask questions and engage in live consultations with the Professional Practice staff, with guidance from College resources and the Standards of Practice to provide further insights. 

Coffee with the College will be offered once a month in 2025, except for July, August and December. All sessions are held from noon to 1 p.m.

Important note: Registration for each session is limited. Please do not register for more sessions than you intend to attend.

Coffee with the College sessions are meant to offer live consultations and will not be recorded.

Presentations

The Professional Practice Department delivers in-person and virtual presentations across Ontario to a variety of engagement groups:

  • Student presentations focus on regulation and how to become a College registrant.
  • Presentations to registrants focus on relevant practice issues the application  of the Standards of Practice and ethical decision-making.

The presentation below is for students in social work or social service work programs, and new graduates who are considering whether to apply to the College.

Resources

College registrants can access practice resources in the College’s Resource Room.

Related FAQs

  • The Professional Practice Department offers a number of free services to registrants, employers, the public and other engagement groups across the province. This includes:

    • Consultations: Registrants can consult with Professional Practice staff about an ethical or practice dilemma they are facing. Employers and the public can consult with Professional Practice staff regarding registrants’ practice.
    • Presentations: Professional Practice staff delivers free in-person and virtual presentations across Ontario on topics including the role of the College, practice issues, the application of the Standards of Practice and ethical decision-making.

  • During a practice call, Professional Practice staff cannot become completely familiar with the full context and details of a specific practice scenario and are unable to provide a yes or no answer to a practice dilemma. Using professional judgment and knowledge base is part of being a regulated professional, and key in managing the many challenging situations which registrants face in their practice. The Professional Practice Department can help guide registrants with useful information and resources to aid in the decision-making process.

  • The Professional Practice Department is not in a position to provide crisis consultations to registrants. Urgent inquiries may be better addressed by consulting with colleagues, supervisors or managers or by seeking a legal opinion. At times, Professional Practice staff is able to respond quickly to practice inquiries; however, due to the volume of inquiries received, there are times when they cannot. Registrants can review the various practice resources, which can be found in the online Resource Room, which may assist them while they wait to hear from Professional Practice staff. These resources have been developed to assist registrants in understanding and applying the Standards of Practice to particular practice dilemmas.

  • Yes. One advantage of having professional liability insurance is that it provides access to free legal advice. The Social Work and Social Service Work Act, 1998 does not require registrants to obtain professional liability insurance, and the College does not offer it. However, the College strongly advises registrants to discuss professional liability insurance provisions with their employer, and to obtain further coverage if necessary. The College does not recommend or require a specific amount of coverage.

  • Professional practice consultations are treated with discretion. Any information shared in professional practice consultations is subject to the College’s public protection mandate and should not be regarded as confidential.

    Registrants and other stakeholders should be aware that Professional Practice inquiries/consultations will be documented by Professional Practice staff. Documentation from these contacts will be stored securely in the College database.