Lyle S Hallman Faculty of Social Work

Laurier's Honours BSW program follows the standards and guidelines of the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE) and aims to educate students for generalist social work practice in Canada. The field placement courses in third and fourth year are central to assisting students to learn through experience while working under professional supervision at social agencies in the community. Graduates will be eligible for membership in the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW). They will also be qualified for professional social work practice in a variety of fields, including child welfare, mental health, family and children's services, social policy and planning, and community development.

One of social work's distinguishing features is its focus on persons in environments. It is understood that the interaction of personal, interpersonal, social, political, and economic factors generate differences in the ability of people to participate fully in society. Those who are vulnerable to being disadvantaged by such differences as class, race, gender, age and ability are of particular concern to the field of social work. Social work attempts to facilitate people's full participation in society through advocating for structural change and through facilitating change in individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations. Thus, social work is concerned with individual and family problems, along with broader social issues such as poverty, and is committed to social justice.

Laurier's BSW program offers a unique focus on Indigenous issues. This includes an examination of the impact of colonial processes on First Nations people and of Indigenous worldviews and healing practices. This is achieved through required courses in Indigenous Studies, as well as through social work courses that focus on Indigenous issues.

All students studying at the Brantford campus take courses from the Foundations core curriculum, and most BSW students also take a variety of electives. This allows BSW students to develop critical thinking skills and to learn of theories in other disciplines that complement and intersect with social work theory. The co-curriculum at Laurier Brantford offers minors in English, geography, history, philosophy, political science, psychology, and health studies that are available to most BSW students