The history of the ACSW dates from before 1950, when there were Northern Alberta and Southern Alberta branches of the Canadian Association of Social Workers. Throughout the 1950s, social workers struggled for recognition within their provincial boundaries, leading to the development of provincial associations. The Alberta Association of Social Workers (AASW) was legally incorporated in 1961.
The first social work legislation in Alberta, the Social Workers Act (RSA 1969) provided for the regulation of social workers with a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree or equivalent. When the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program was introduced at the University of Calgary a few years later, the regulation was revised to include registration for individuals with a BSW plus two years of practice experience. In 1984, the regulation was again revised, allowing for registration of BSW graduates immediately upon graduation. The Social Workers Act gave control of the title "Registered Social Worker" and registration was entirely voluntary. By 1991, a total of 1500 social workers were registered in Alberta.
Members of the association continued to pursue recognition for the profession of social work. The goals included mandatory registration, which would require all social workers to be registered in order to practice, and control of the title "social worker" so that only those who were registered could be called social workers. When anyone could use the title "social worker" the public perception of social workers was hard to change and was limited only to those involved with social assistance and child welfare. Furthermore, the AASW had no legal mandate to address concerns about individuals practicing social work who were not registered.
In 1991, the Alberta Legislature passed the Social Work Profession Act (SWPA). This Act did not include mandatory registration nor control of the title "social worker;" however, it did give greater recognition to social work as a profession. The SWPA created a new structure for the regulation of the profession, including a Practice Review Board, a Discipline Committee and a legal disciplinary process. It also brought public members into the structure through representation on both the Council and the Discipline Committee.
The Social Work Profession Act was proclaimed and came into force in September 1995 when the by-laws and regulations were finally approved. With the proclamation, the name of the Association was changed to the Alberta Association of Registered Social Workers (AARSW) and the minimum education eligibility requirement for registration became a college diploma in social work from an approved program. Under the SWPA, five college social work diploma programs in Alberta were approved.
After much lobbying by AARSW Council, the Provincial Legislature passed an amendment to the SWPA in November 1998. In February 1999, the Act was proclaimed, making registration mandatory for social workers. Transitional exemptions applied to employees of Alberta Family and Social Services and for social workers working on reserve under the Child and Family Authorities Act and the Social Development Act. Shortly thereafter, another amendment was passed providing individuals who were "actively engaged in social work practice" but who had no formal social work education a one-year opportunity to apply to be "grandparented" as Registered Social Workers.
In May of 1999, the Health Professions Act (HPA) was passed. The HPA is an omnibus bill that covers 30 health professions including social work. On April 1, 2003 the HPA came into force for social work when the social work regulations were approved. The HPA requires mandatory registration without exemption for all social workers practicing in Alberta regardless of job title. This legislation recognizes the scope of practice of social work and establishes "social worker" as a protected title that can only be used by registered social workers. Under the HPA professional regulatory bodies are called "colleges". With the requirement for mandatory registration, the membership of the ACSW has grown to over 5,800.
