From time to time, the College posts links to research projects which may be of interest to registrants. Registrants may wish to consider these opportunities as part of their Continuing Competence Program (CCP).
In order to be included on this page, research must:
- Be directly related to social work and/or social service work practice and/or regulation.
- Contribute to ethical and professional practice.
- Relate directly or indirectly to the mandate of the College.
- Build upon the knowledge base of the social work and/or social service work professions.
- Have received ethics board approval.
- Be conducted under the auspices of an employer, an accredited university or other organization satisfactory to the Registrar.
Disclaimer: The College provides these links only as a convenience. The College does not sponsor or endorse, and is not affiliated or associated with any of the research related to these links. See the College’s Terms and Conditions for more information. The Registrar may, in the Registrar’s sole discretion, deny a request to post a research link.
Current Research Opportunities
Research study: Self-compassion, compassion for others and organizational compassion among social workers in Ontario
Researcher: Gissele Taraba, MSW, MSc, Professor, School of Social Work, Wilfrid Laurier University
Description: Social worker burnout is an increasing concern as the world becomes more complex and seemingly divided. What role can compassion play in social work during these difficult times? Social workers across Ontario are invited to participate in an online survey exploring the following questions:
- What are the levels of self-compassion and compassion for others among social workers across Ontario?
- Are there differences in levels of compassion between social workers employed in child protection and those in other types of employment?
- What are the primary barriers and facilitators to organizational compassion for social workers who are currently employed?
This is the second time this survey is being distributed. The response rate for the first survey, conducted in 2022, was too low to share meaningful outcomes. A greater response rate this time will help represent social workers’ perspectives on barriers and facilitators to compassion. Results from the 2022 survey will be combined with the results of this study.
Participants must provide consent before completing the survey. This study has received approval from the Wilfrid Laurier University Research Ethics Board (REB #9362). If you require an accessible document or have accessibility needs, please contact Gissele Taraba at gtaraba@wlu.ca. She will do her best to meet these needs.
Survey: https://wlu.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_07h6RrP3HB1TtOu
Research study: Moral distress, organizational efforts to reduce secondary traumatic stress, and turnover intention among Canadian child and youth service providers
Researchers: Denise Michelle Brend, Phd, social worker and psychotherapist, Associate professor, Université Laval
Description: Do you work with children or youth who have experienced trauma in Canada? We aim to better understand the moral distress that may arise from the challenges encountered in your work, strategies your workplace employs to address exposure to traumatic stress, and other factors that might be related to your wellbeing. We invite professionals in your sector to complete an online questionnaire to help us to better understand some of the experiences that can reduce wellbeing and contribute to workforce turnover. We believe this is an important effort both to protect professionals and children and youth who are shown to be negatively impacted by turnover among their service providers. Wave 1 of data collection will end on December 31st 2026.
Survey: https://www.limesurvey.cstip.ulaval.ca/index.php/345784?lang=en
Research study: From Past to Present: Exploring How Past Experiences Shape the Attitudes of Healthcare Professionals
Researcher: Maya E. Amestoy
Description: You are invited to participate in a short online survey exploring how Canadian mental health professionals’ past and current experiences influence their attitudes toward patient care, treatment approaches, and workplace dynamics. The study is open to clinical psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers, nurses, counsellors, and psychiatrists who have at least one year of experience working directly with patients in hospital or private practice settings and are currently living and working in Canada.
Participation involves completing a 20 minute online survey, which includes hypothetical vignettes and brief self-report questionnaires. Participants will receive a $10 CAD honorarium for their time.
This study is being conducted at the University of Toronto Scarborough in the Department of Psychological Clinical Science and has received ethics approval.
Survey: https://utorontopsych.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_72RaRn0n8Zgadfg
Research study: Social Workers’ Experiences in Interprofessional Collaborative Practice within Northern Ontario Healthcare Settings.
Researcher: Jennifer Bailey
Description: The purpose of this study is to construct an understanding of the experiences in interprofessional collaborative practice in both educational and professional settings and support social workers to develop and maintain competency for interprofessional collaborative practice. The purpose and goals of this work seeks to contribute to the practice of social work and is being conducted under supervision of Laurentian University as part of my requirements to obtain a MSW. It has received approval from the Research Ethics Board at Laurentian University.
For more information: http://www.ocswssw.org/wp-content/uploads/Recruitment-Poster.Bailey.pdf.
If you have a question regarding one or more of the above research opportunities, please contact the appropriate researcher(s). If you are a researcher and would like to post your project on this webpage, please contact the College’s Professional Practice department at practice@ocswssw.org.