Theme 5: Legal and Administrative Issues

Social work oversight is established through legislation and regulation. In B.C., the social work profession is regulated under the Social Workers Act (SWA) and the Social Workers Regulation. The SWA creates the B.C. College of Social Workers (College) and sets out the high-level regulatory framework for social work oversight. The College operates under this framework: the SWA sets out the College’s role and responsibilities and empowers the College to create bylaws to govern the social work profession. Certain bylaws require approval by the Minister of Children and Family Development.