Indigenous Bachelor of Social Work

About this programme

The Indigenous Social Work Degree (IBSW) was developed through an inter-tribal process to articulate social work education founded in Indigenous knowledge. This collective work was carried by First Nations colleges and post-secondary Institutes in Alberta through leadership of our community Elders (primarily Blackfoot and nêhiyawêwin speakers) and a working group called the Social Work Task Force. Development occurred over a twenty-year period from visioning to implementation in September 2016. Initiated by Marie Smallface-Marule at Red Crow Community College and then acted on through the efforts of many individuals over time, the Elders articulated a Declaration in 2002 which informs the curriculum of this unique degree. The four-year program can be achieved through two routes, a Diploma of Social Work or a university transfer route, although only the Diploma of Social Work has been accepted for entry into the first offering of the IBSW degree (September 2016) and the work is in progress towards university transfer entry in the future which require transfer agreements among Indigenous Institutes. The delivery of this program is an act of sovereignty — to act on the conviction that Indigenous Post-Secondary Institutions have a responsibility for the education of Indigenous people and for the preservation of Indigenous knowledge and life-ways. The Elders directed the working group to request an agreement with the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE) to affirm the Indigenous accreditation pathway that the IBSW has taken. Accreditation has been granted thr