Aboriginal Social Work Committee 2006 Annual Report

The Aboriginal Social Work Committee had another active year. The members of the committee participated in planning and presenting a workshop on the Myths and Misconceptions about Aboriginal Social Workers at the annual ACSW conference in March. ASWC members are again planning a workshop for the 2007 ACSW annual conference next March in Calgary.

Brenda Gladue and Jennifer Kneiss are currently co-chairs: committee members in 2006 were Phyllis Bayley, Verna Wittigo, Phyllis Pruden and Vince Steinhauer. The committee is seeking a member from southern and eastern Alberta to ensure representation of those Aboriginal voices.

Brenda Gladue who serves as the chair of the CASW Aboriginal Interest Group, delivered a presentation of their report, “Aboriginal Women in Poverty” at the national social work conference. Several ASWC members were able to travel to Halifax to attend the national conference.

A major initiative for the ASWC was planning and hosting the first Aboriginal Think Tank that was held in Red Deer at the end of September. Much effort went into coordinating this Aboriginal gathering which has generated follow-up activities for the ASWC. There are three Aboriginal sub-committees currently being established in Calgary, Edmonton and the northern Region.

The Aboriginal committee is inviting all Aboriginal social workers to become more involved with these committees and other activities planned for the upcoming year. A new website for the committee is currently being established and will become a public forum for Aboriginal workers involved in their communities. More information will be provided via email or media.

Contact either Brenda Gladue at or Jen Kneiss at for information, involvement, initiatives, suggestion or if you are interested in becoming a committee member or sub-committee member.

NOTE: I would also like the Aboriginal Social Work Committee’s Strategic Plan to be part of this report.

Aboriginal Social Work Committee Strategic Plan Overview : 2005 – 2006

To encourage the participation of other Aboriginal Social Workers, the Aboriginal Social Work Committee (ASWC) has had several ideas that appear to be contingent upon Council’s response to the Committee’s Strategic Plan.

These plans may appear to be extremely ambitious, but are an important first step in building the cornerstones for a credible and effective Committee that reflects the goals and visions of Council within a diverse community.

The ideas in this Strategic Plan are based on guidance provided by the Elders who led the Aboriginal Social Work Committee (ASWC) through the Strategic Planning Process at their first retreat in January 1995. Issues identified at that retreat were similar to those identified at Council retreats / plenary in 2004-2005, and have also been reflected in the 2006 planning sessions.

The main theme of this plan is the need to strengthen Aboriginal participation within the Alberta College of Social Workers. The main identified goal is for the Aboriginal Social Work Committee (ASWC) to gather Native voices and to assist the College in finding like-minded individuals so that all constituents can work together effectively. While the idea is a simple thought, the Aboriginal Social Work Committee (ASWC) has found that this will not be easy in action and has identified the following six areas that need to be addressed in 2005-2006 in order lay the groundwork for future Committee / Council success:

Communication:

  • Web site-e-mail link to the committee chair
  • Work with the communications committee to develop / address a strategy to reach Aboriginal Social Workers within and outside of the College
  • Initiate national and international connections with other First Nations Social Workers
  • Utilize Aboriginal Multimedia outlets

Membership:

  • Develop a strategy / survey geared at encouraging Aboriginal Social Workers to self identify
  • Actively recruit membership through assisting Aboriginal members from different regions to meet and discuss concerns
  • Develop and utilize an identifiable logo that will appear on all Aboriginal Social Work Committee (ASWC) reports, correspondence, posters, business cards, advertisements, etc.

Networking:

  • Committee members will attend a variety of meetings and conferences to meet and touch base with other Aboriginal Social Workers and other like minded individuals and professionals
  • Create a dialogue by spearheading / developing a provincial symposium for Aboriginal professionals to discuss and strategize the 4 pillars of Community Development and Human Services

Teaching / Education:

  • Encourage Committee to present a topic of concern at the 2006 provincial conference
  • Enable Committee members to attend the 2006 National Conference to share ideas of Traditional Aboriginal Practice and other ACSW policies and practices pertaining to Aboriginal Social Workers and Aboriginal issues
  • Assist Council in understanding the Aboriginal perspective
  • Plan another retreat for late 2006-early 2007 to evaluate effectiveness of Strategic Plan and set new goals

Special Projects:

  • Survey
  • Symposium
  • Logo

Budget:

  • Encourage Council to recognize that the Aboriginal Social Work Committee (ASWC) also needs financial support in order to reach the goals set out in its Strategic Plan
  • Request a projected amount of money from the 2006 budget.
  • Lobby Council for acceptance of amount – approved February 2006.