About two-and-a-half years after an accreditation body told Laurentian University to hire more social work faculty or risk losing accreditation, the university has received four-year accreditation status.
The university has announced the four-year accreditation status of its Honours Bachelor of Social Work (HBSW) program and its Baccalauréat spécialisé en service social (B.S.S. spéc.) by the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE).
In the fall of 2016, Laurentian was short seven professors and two support staff members (one full-time and one part-time) in its social work program.
It committed to hiring more professors, and in early 2017, the university received a two-year accreditation from CASWE.
Social work Bachelor and Masters programs receive CASWE accreditation only when they meet national standards, said a press release put out this week by Laurentian.
This ensures that students acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes to function as competent practitioners.
There are several components to the CASWE accreditation process, including a self-study and application, a review of the self-study report and application, site visits, and a review of site visit reports.
“Laurentian University is committed to offering high-quality programs,” said Laurentian's interim president, Pierre Zundel.
“This renewed accreditation reflects the excellence of our HBSW and B.S.S. spéc. programs and is a testament to the commitment and expertise of our faculty.”
The School of Social Work at Laurentian University aims to educate social workers who can apply critical analyses to respond to those in need in order to promote social change, problem-solving in the context of social justice and respect for human rights, and to improve the general well-being of individuals, groups, communities, and society.
