We ll begin with some definitions, but we should caution you that these can only be taken as guides. There is considerable overlap between specialties in the human services area. Looking first at Social Work, the minimum qualification is usually a Bachelor of Social Work, which in Manitoba is a four-year degree program offered by the University of Manitoba. Social Workers work with families in a variety of settings, for example, nursing homes, hospitals, school divisions, probation services, but perhaps most commonly they are involved in child welfare. The various Child and Family Service agencies throughout the province employ Social Workers to work with families who need support in order to properly care for their children.
Counsellors help people to solve problems of a personal, psychological, or family nature.
They may be employed by government departments or other agencies, or they may have a private practice. Some Social Workers have private counselling practices as do other persons trained in the area of psychology. With that very basic introduction, let s return to the Bachelor of Social Work program and look at specific requirements and course options. As we mentioned before, the BSW is a four-year degree offered by the University of Manitoba. All students, however, whether they begin at the U of M or at another university, must do an initial qualifying year of 30 credit hours, following which they can be formally admitted to the BSW, which then takes three more years of full-time study to complete.