Queering Canadian Social Work Accreditation standards and procedures: a content analysis

ABSTRACT

This paper reviews and critically analyzes the Canadian Association for Social Work Education—Association Canadienne Pour La Formation En Travail Social’s (CASWE-ACFTS’) Accreditation Standards and Procedures from a Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIESC) lens to examine how such are addressed in relevant documents. The CASWE-ACFTS Queer Caucus undertook a lead role in examining ‘diversity’ in the documents as it serves as an umbrella term for SOGIESC and other intersecting positionalities. This paper iterates an initial response in the CASWE-ACFTS Queer Caucus’ ongoing consultation with the CASWE-ACFTS’s Education Policy Committee’s work on Education Policy and Accreditation Standards 2019 (EPAS2019). The content analysis of the documents reveals that SOGIESC issues are not adequately addressed and this has implications for undergraduate and graduate social work curricula in Canada. The authors provide recommendations that address the integration of SOGIESC in CASWE-ACFTS’s Accreditation Standards and Procedures documents.

KEYWORDS:

• Accreditation
• Canada
• gender identity and expression
• LGBTQ
• procedures
• sexual characteristics
• sexual orientation
• social work
• SOGIESC
• standards

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. We have opted to use the terminology SOGIESC to broadly capture the concept of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sexual characteristics. In particular, we are referring to those whose sexual orientation is non-heterosexual, those whose gender identity and expression is non-cisgendered and those whose genitalia may be ambiguous. SOGIESC as terminology broadly captures those who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, Two-Spirit, Intersex, Queer and Questioning. Yet, this is not a conclusive list, for SOGIESC is a term commonly used in United Nations arenas to also recognize cultural differences, intersectionalities and fluidities therein.

2. We acknowledge that there is a desire to move away from ‘intersectionality’ and ‘intersectionalities’ since these terms have been co-opted by institutions like academe to manage tokenistic diversity. See the works of Crenshaw (1989), King (2015) and Puar (2007, 2012).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nick J. Mulé

Nick J. Mulé, PhD, is an associate professor in the School of Social Work, cross appointed to the Faculty of Health and Sexuality Studies, the latter housed in the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Maryam Khan

Maryam Khan, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Cameron McKenzie

Cameron McKenzie, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.