The Social Service Worker (C119) two-year diploma program. will teach you the knowledge, values and skills you need to work directly with a wide range of people confronting the full breadth of social issues and challenges.

If you have strong interpersonal skills, are committed to working toward a more just and equitable society by examining the dynamics of power, oppression, and social location - this program is for you. As a graduate of this program, you will be prepared for roles in a variety of agency settings, including mental health, homelessness, poverty, substance use and addictions, long-term care, criminal justice, crisis supports, and settlement and immigration.

You will examine social service workers' expanding professional roles and responsibilities in large urban centres and other communities. In addition to learning the theoretical models, methods, and skills of social service work practice, you will study and develop skills in the following:

• group facilitation
• allyship and anti-oppressive practice
• counselling
• substance use and addiction
• social change and proposal development
• values, ethics and professional practice
• mental health well-being

You will also gain real-world experience with a supervised unpaid year-long field placement. In preparation for your the field or clinical placement experiences, you will be required to work in multiple small and large groups within classes and community settings.

Many Social Service Worker program faculty have professional experience in the following areas:

• marginalized communities
• institutional health and social service organizations
• federal, provincial, and municipal governments
• research and initiatives in social innovation
• a range of not-for-profit organizations and agencies
• direct practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities

ACCELERATED SOCIAL SERVICE WORKER PROGRAM OPTION

George Brown offers a full-time, one-year accelerated Social Service Worker (SSW) program to university graduates with a degree in a related field, such as psychology, sociology, women’s studies, environmental studies, education and cultural anthropology. If you have a degree from another discipline, you may be considered if you successfully complete a minimum of six relevant social science courses.

This SSW accelerated program option is also open to college diploma graduates, including:

• Assaulted Women’s and Children’s Counsellor/Advocate
• Child and Youth Care
• Community Worker
• Behavioural Science Technician
• Recreation Management in Gerontology
• Early Childhood Education

Find a complete list of degrees and diplomas considered for admission to the Social Service Worker (Accelerated) (C135) program.

SSW Pathways to BSW and MSW

George Brown College is a signatory of Colleges and Institutes Canada’s Indigenous Education Protocols, which reaffirms the importance of structures and approaches required to address Indigenous peoples' learning needs and support the self-determination and socio-economic development of Indigenous communities.

In response to this and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action, the Social Service Worker program is committed to developing the capacity of its students to work with Indigenous individuals, families, groups, and communities. The faculty acknowledges the support of Indigenous Education and Services at George Brown College and the Negahneewin Council at Confederation College, who have helped them with this process. The Indigenous Learning Outcomes guide the integration of Indigenous learning into the curriculum.