BRITISH COLUMBIA COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORKERS

2014 – 15 Communications Plan

A Look Back at 2013

of Regulatory Colleges or Bodies Governing Social Workers

Base: Total (n=760) Q.1) In BC, only some social workers are required to be registered with a regulatory body or college that ensure members are qualified, competent and follow defined standards of practice and ethics. Were you aware of this prior to me telling you just now?

Awareness

Communications Plan!

• Research

• Branding

• Positioning

• Messaging

• Web strategy

• Social media

Communications Plan

Target Audiences

• Internal

• Registrants

• Staff

• Organizations

• Social work students

• External

• Public

• Practicing social workers

• Other social workers

• Employee benefits org.

• Media

• Prof. orgs.

• Champions

• Aboriginal bands/groups

• Ethnic groups

• Social work schools

• Government

Key Messages (Internal) Registrants

• Valuable regulatory body and not just a vehicle for punitive

measures • The College provides the legal right to represent yourself as a RSW

or RCSW • Provides recognition as a responsible professional, capable of

practicing within professional standards and being accountable to the public

• The College communicates regularly with you • The means through which you can share experiences • The College supports registrants to be successful professional • The BCASW and the various unions have different, but important

roles

External (General public/service users)

• The College backs up and provides professional support and regulatory guidelines for your social workers, ensuring that the care and services you receive are in keeping with current best practice, and of the highest quality. You can have complete confidence in social service care and expertise provided by BC social workers.

• The BCASW and the various unions of which social workers might be members have different, but important roles.

• The Association promotes and advocates for the professional and personal interest of its members.

• Unions protect and advance the health, social, and economic well-being of its members.

Media

• Go to organization

• Supports and celebrates

• Unions and associations have different but important roles

Print Ads

These ads have been viewed by more than 1.5 million people

Creative Direction

• Objectives

• To increase public knowledge of the existence and role of the BC College of Social Workers;

• To foster a positive attitude about the College among complex partnerships, social work networks and infrastructure;

• To pre-dispose social workers and graduating students to become registrants of the College.

Creative Rationale

• Ensuring the key messages respect all social

workers whether exempt from registration or not;

• Keeping the key messages informative, yet non-threatening to other partners such as unions, educational institutions, and the BCASW;

• Ensuring the public can see a benefit in what could be seen as another layer of bureaucracy.

Positioning Statement

BC College of Social Workers

Strengthening Society

Regulating in the public Interest

The province wide 52 week campaign had over 60 million impressions

Transit

Online Ads

Radio The Good The Shift Drew Wilcomes

Radio… the Challenge

CBC – Social Work Week

Earned Media

What’s the Cost? Year 1

Actual Expenditure 2013

• $90,000

One in Three Social Workers Not Qualified

Would you be okay if you knew the surgeon about to amputate your leg wasn’t really a doctor and had only taken a short course in how to use a saw? Would you be comfortable driving across the new Port Mann Bridge if the person who engineered the span had only completed a two-year course in drafting? Probably not. Yet one in three of the B.C. government’s so-called “social workers” don’t meet the minimum professional requirements set out in provincial legislation. Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Daphne+Bramham+three+social+workers+qualified+their/9592995/story.html#ixzz30xnGy2Ry

Op Ed Piece

Social workers are vital to our communities

If you see social workers as only being involved in child protection, you’re not seeing the whole picture. Social workers touch every aspect of society. Collectively, they provide a level of expertise that enhances many areas of our lives and enriches every facet of our community. There’s no comprehensive list of what social workers do because such a list would be a mile wide and a mile deep. Social workers help people with mental health issues or addictions. They work with not-for-profit agencies such as family-service organizations and family-violence protection programs.

Social workers work with police departments, immigrant-service organizations and people who find themselves in the court system, including family mediation and parent co-ordination programs. If you have a loved one in the hospital, a social worker is available to help them — and you — by offering information and emotional support during your stay, and by assisting you to make appropriate plans upon discharge. If you are going through marital struggles, a social worker will provide counselling to help you develop skills to work through those troubles. And if you are struggling with mental health or addiction issues, a social worker will be at your side helping you find the services you need while providing you with the support necessary to achieve wellness.

Social workers work in government, in hospitals, and in health-care facilities. They work in private practice providing counselling services. But they also can be involved with social-policy development and advocacy for vulnerable populations. They provide expertise during community-planning sessions and are involved with research on issues that can affect us all, such as family violence, poverty and unemployment. And social workers work with people of all ages: children, youth, families and seniors.

As a profession, social workers are highly educated and are committed to continually developing their skills and their knowledge of social welfare and human development and behaviour, with the goal of enhancing quality of life so every individual can reach his or her full potential. It isn’t just a lofty aspiration. It’s a goal that is achieved every day throughout the province, as social workers make a positive difference in people’s lives. Social workers have a measurable effect on the psychological and social functioning of individuals, couples, families, groups, organizations and communities. It’s because of the nature of a social worker’s involvement and influence with such a wide array of life stages and experiences that the B.C. government recognizes the need for regulation of social workers. The public needs and deserves to be provided with assurances that when you hear the term social worker, you know there is a standard for educational qualification, work experience and ethical behaviour.

You know that with regulation, someone is checking credentials and making sure each social worker is competent and knowledgeable. Regulation also means that if there is a problem, someone is there who will get involved to make sure that standards of practice and care are followed. The British Columbia College of Social Workers is the regulatory body created by government to protect all citizens. Public protection is the No. 1 reason a regulatory body exists.

Another main reason for a college is registration, which means a person must first prove he or she is qualified and competent before they can call themselves a social worker. The college, governed by a board of directors which includes social workers and public members, does all of this for you. But in British Columbia, not all people working in social work are registered with the college. Not all individuals working in social work are actually social workers. With some exceptions, this term can only be used by individuals who have registered with the college and have proven to the college that they are qualified and competent.

You have the right to know if the person providing care for you and your loved ones is a registered social worker. It’s your assurance that the individual has met the strict, high standards of registration and is subject to the oversight of the college investigation and disciplinary processes, all put into place for the protection of the public. Social workers by law must maintain the best interests of their clients — often that means you and your loved ones — as their primary professional obligation. If you want to know if someone is a registered social worker, just ask them, or contact the British Columbia College of Social Workers.

2014 - 2015

Studies show

that there

is an exponential

increase in

aware-ness

that occurs when

television advertising,

social media, and creativity are combined

in a well-executed

campaign

viewed by at least 2.4 million people

a week

Closed Captioning Television

Online Ads

With all the changes in advertising the traditional medium of newspapers is still beneficial in raising awareness. Rural papers are outdoing their city counterparts, as local residents read to be informed about what is happening in their local community.

Advertising in secondary markets will be targeted: Prince George, Victoria, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Kamloops and Campbell River.

Print Ads

Social Media

Media Allocation and Metrics

Budget 2014

Media Details Cost Length

TV Closed captioning 60,000 6 month campaign

Online Digital FB, Google, Linked in

30,000 4 months extended

Small Market News print/ Aboriginal Market

40,000 12 month

Design 10,000 12 month

Miscellaneous 10,000 12 month

Earned/Consulting 36,000 12 month

$186,000

Thanks for listening and Questions