Diploma of Social Service Worker

This award-winning program equips you to help people work through diverse challenges and improve quality of life.

Critical training

In this program, you’ll learn from professors and guest speakers who have considerable experience in family therapy, policy development, social work, social justice and other social service fields. You’ll gain a solid skills foundation through a laboratory practicum, and you’ll develop plans for starting and running a service organization.

Things you'll learn to do

• Conduct effective assessments.

• Manage interventions.

• Develop advocacy strategies relevant to a client’s needs.

• Work with government agencies to navigate regulations.

• Become fully aware of the services available and how to deliver them.

• Understand the scope of your practice and when (and where) to refer clients.

Hands-on experience

The Social Service Worker program maintains connections with hundreds of organizations – including community-based organizations, group homes, children's aid organizations and youth centres – that welcome our students for their Year 2 practicum placements. You'll complete more than 600 hours of field placement in a social service setting, reinforcing the practical skills you've learned in class.

Additional information

You'll learn through:

• Seminar presentations with class interaction

• Laboratory practicum that simulates the Year 2 practicum situation to give students a solid skills foundation for their upcoming experience in the field

• Guest speaker presentations from those active in the field

Success in the program requires that you be open to the specific issues and contexts of people with various racial, cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

When you graduate from the Social Service Worker program, you’ll be eligible for admission to the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. As a member of this body, you can use the title “Registered Social Service Worker.”

The Social Service Worker program maintains linkages with a number of universities, which offer further educational opportunities for our graduates.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the program, graduates will be able to:

• Develop and maintain professional relationships which adhere to professional, legal, and ethical standards aligned to social service work.

• Identify strengths, resources, and challenges of individuals, families, groups, and communities to assist them in achieving their goals.

• Recognize diverse needs and experiences of individuals, groups, families, and communities to promote accessible and responsive programs and services.

• Identify current social policy, relevant legislation, and political, social, and/or economic systems and their impacts on service delivery.

• Advocate for appropriate access to resources to assist individuals, families, groups, and communities.

• Develop and maintain positive working relationships with colleagues, supervisors, and community partners.

• Develop strategies and plans that lead to the promotion of self-care, improved job performance, and enhanced work relationships.

• Integrate social group work and group facilitation skills across a wide range of environments, supporting growth and development of individuals, families, and communities.

• Work in communities to advocate for change strategies that promote social and economic justice and challenge patterns of oppression and discrimination.