- 4 mins
Each year, social workers in Alberta must pay a $400 annual dues fee. While this cost may not seem unreasonable—since oversight is essential for maintaining professional standards—it can be a significant burden for new graduates. Many new social work graduates face financial challenges and find it difficult to cover these fees, along with added costs like police checks, which are rarely reimbursed during practicum placements.
Unpaid Practicums
Both diploma and bachelor’s social work programs require students to complete an average of 700 hours of practicum, and most of these hours are unpaid. With many non-profits operating at capacity, students often find themselves taking on real cases and responsibilities. Ideally, practicums should offer a mix of learning and shadowing, but this expectation is rarely met.
If we value this unpaid work even at a minimum wage—say, $15 per hour—social work students contribute about $10,500 worth of labor, which could cover at least a year of tuition. While I understand that it can be a burden for staff to train practicum students, within a few weeks most students are capable of performing many tasks, particularly the entry-level work they’re often assigned. At a minimum, it seems reasonable to compensate them at least minimum wage. Unpaid practicums are an issue not only in social work but also in fields like nursing, and the practice should be reconsidered across professions.
On top of unpaid practicum work, social work students receive little relief regarding professional fees. The ACSW offers a one-time fee reduction if requested, but the process involves a lot of bureaucratic hurdles. Social work graduates shouldn’t have to navigate these obstacles just to make their profession financially viable.
Comparison to Other Professions
Even though some social workers can secure positions with Alberta Health Services (AHS) or other government roles, which offer better pay and benefits, the majority start in entry-level positions that don’t always require a social work degree. In fact, social science graduates with backgrounds in fields like sociology often take on similar roles.
Yet only social work graduates need to pay for registration, even when the job doesn’t specifically require it. I understand that there’s a concern about social workers potentially overstepping their roles, but in many ways, social work is not so different from related fields like education, criminal justice, or psychology. In some cases, graduates from these fields may be equally or even better prepared for challenging front-line work.
Additionally, diploma-level social workers may struggle to find employment when competing with those who hold a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). In many provinces, a bachelor’s degree is required, which limits opportunities for diploma holders. In Alberta, this distinction may not be as critical for securing a job, but the market can still be selective. Since both diploma and bachelor’s graduates pay the same $400 renewal fee, it’s a point worth considering.
Provisional License
Starting out as a social worker often means obtaining a provisional license to secure registration status and appeal to potential employers. (This differs for roles requiring an MSW, as clinical practice rightly mandates full registration.) For those fortunate enough to find a role, the next step is ensuring the organization has a fully registered social worker on staff who can supervise them for their required supervision hours. Surprisingly, many frontline organizations lack registered supervisors, leaving new hires to seek external supervisors, who typically charge hourly rates.
Social work graduates don’t enter the profession for high salaries. Many are already in financially vulnerable positions, and some carry significant personal trauma. In a conservative province that isn’t prioritizing increased social services funding, social work graduates are often forced to take any job they can find—sometimes outside of social work entirely.
This delay in entering the field can lead to other setbacks, like needing to redo police checks, which many organizations require to be no more than six months old. Additionally, maintaining registration means keeping up with continuing competency requirements. For graduates in roles without ongoing training, this can mean paying out-of-pocket for competency courses, as free options are limited.
While continuing education is crucial, why make it so challenging—especially for new grads, many of whom may not even be working in social work roles yet? The profession, which promotes inclusivity and reducing barriers, has created a registration process that feels unnecessarily difficult for recent graduates.
Leaving Social Work
I don’t fault those who switch careers or practice without registration (within reasonable limits). Does being registered make me a better social worker? Not necessarily. I’m not suggesting we eliminate registration for entry-level social work positions; instead, we need a smoother, more supportive registration process for the first few years after graduation.
Honestly, the only significant task I perform with my social work registration is writing Fair Entry letters. Ironically, the city allows other staff members—who don’t have social work registrations—to handle the client intake and vetting process, while a registered social worker simply signs off. My non-social work coworkers are entirely capable and skilled. This speaks to a larger issue with the Fair Entry system but also underscores how the registration requirement can feel redundant.
I’m not alone in these frustrations. Many other social workers feel similarly—they tolerate the system because there’s no alternative, yet feel shortchanged by the ACSW. They don’t see the value in registration, especially when they’re often marginalized within their workplaces, underpaid, and frequently non-unionized.
Addressing these registration barriers might actually lead to more social workers becoming and staying registered. Currently, there’s a significant number who choose inactive status simply to avoid the hassle.
