Social Work Week Celebrations in Communities Across Ontario

Online pop-up shop will sell merchandise aimed at celebrating 24,000 social workers

TORONTO, March 4, 2024 /CNW/ - Ontario social workers are kicking off a week-long awareness campaign today to celebrate the diverse work they do across the province.

The theme of Social Work Week, which runs from March 4 to 10, is Social Work Opens Doors.

The campaign features 17 events hosted by volunteer social work Ambassadors across the province, including a sound bath healing session, an escape room adventure, art therapy sessions and multiple social get togethers.

"Social workers are doing great work every day in many different parts of society – in schools, hospitals, primary care, long-term care homes, community agencies and more," said Deepy Sur, Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW).

"They're out there creating new opportunities for people, by providing direct mental health services, helping them navigate complex systems, and connecting them with the right supports."

Ontario's 24,000 social workers are the largest group of mental health practitioners in the province.

The Social Work Week events are designed to bring social workers together to celebrate and draw attention to the profession. OASW is also spearheading a social media campaign and is offering limited edition merchandise for sale on its website until March 31.

"Every day, social workers open doors to greater mental wellbeing, safety and stability," says Sur. "We want to celebrate that."

Social workers provide an array of services to people, including counselling, psychotherapy,  mental health assessments, stress management, couples therapy, mediation, addictions counselling and more. They are experts in navigating our complex social support systems.

As the voice of the social work profession in Ontario, OASW recently released recommendations to the provincial government as part of their annual budget consultations.

OASW is recommending government ensure every primary care provider has access to a Registered Social Worker to increase access to mental health supports, among many other important priorities for mental health and wellbeing in Ontario. 

For more information about Social Work Week, specific events, and how you can get involved, please visit oasw.org/SocialWorkWeek. 

About OASW

The Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) is the voice of social work profession in Ontario. It is a voluntary, provincial, non-profit association representing over 9,000 members. All members have a university degree in social work at the bachelor, master, or doctoral level. OASW works to actively speak on behalf of social workers on issues of interest to the profession and advocates for the improvement of social policies and programs directly affecting social work practice and client groups served.

SOURCE Ontario Association of Social Workers

To schedule an interview with Deepy Sur or for more information please contact: Lisa Timoshenko, 647-880-6664, [email protected]