Declaration

                                                                                                                         

NATIONAL SOCIAL WORK WEEK RECOGNIZED ACROSS ALBERTA

Social Workers Speaking up: Poverty costs

Supported by the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW), the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), community leaders and organizations, as well as social workers locally and from across the country, National Social Work Week celebrates a proud profession with a long history of commitment to improving the well-being of people in society.

Social workers have a wide scope of practice.They are found working in hospitals and mental health clinics, within a broad variety of public, not-for-profit and private human service agencies, as independent practitioners who counsel individuals and families, as researchers, as facilitator-educatiors and as policy consultants. They are skilled and ethical practitioners who provide services to society's most vulnerable members such as children, the mentally ill and seniors, and they also work for positive outcomes with many other individuals, families, and groups within each community.

The goals of Social Work Week in Alberta include:   

•  Educating the public about the wide range of roles social workers perform
• Heightening the professional profile of Registered Social Workers (RSW); and,
• Encouraging organizations who employ Registered Social Workers, and the communities that benefit from their efforts, to celebrate the role and contribution of these professionals by hosting a wide variety of events.

The Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) is the designated regulatory body for the practice of social work in Alberta and supports the professional practice of over 6,000 social workers in the province.  

This year marks the 20^th  anniversary since the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) received federal approval for one week in March to be designated National Social Work Week.  

The theme for National Social Work Week 2009 is, “Social Workers Speaking up: Poverty costs".

Social workers daily see the costs of poverty - emotional, physical, social, and financial. If we want to ensure the health and well-being of all people living in Canada, poverty reduction is the best starting point. Poverty costs people their physical, emotional, social, and mental well-being. During National Social Work Week, social workers call upon citizens to recognize the impacts of poverty and to support its eradication.