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Understanding Social Work Leadership in Canada

Understanding Social Work Leadership in Canada

The Understanding Social Work Leadership in Canada (funded by SSHRC-IG) is hoping to develop a better understanding social work leadership. We are developing these understandings by conducting analysis on 56 oral histories created in 1983/84 by the CASW (PI Karen Hill) focused on social work leadership in Canada from about 1920 to 1980.

The project will also conduct 50 contemporary oral histories with social work leaders who have retired from the field. Through a comparative analysis of this experiential knowledge a model of social work leadership will be proposed.

The research team digitized and closed captioned 56 oral histories from 1983/84. We conducted analysis on these materials to understand what constituted leadership for a historical perspective during some of the most important periods of social development in Canada.

We want to learn more about contemporary leadership by conducting more oral histories with social work leaders who practiced between 1984 and 2022. The research team is developing an online nomination portal which will support a national process for selecting contemporary oral history participants.

Analysis of these oral histories together with the historical knowledge we have developed will be used in the development of a model for social work leadership in Canada.

How can you use this research?

The 56 oral histories from 1983/84 are currently available online via YouTube and can be used for teaching or research purposes.

Look for the launch of the USWLC website in September 2022 for ongoing information about the project – visit Social Work Leaders.

You can contribute to the project by nominating a social worker (see website for more details).

Researcher

Tara La Rose headshot image

Tara La Rose

PhD

Associate Professor, Social Work

Citation

La Rose, T. (2019). Rediscovering Social Work Leaders Through YouTube as Archive: The CASW Oral History Project 1983/84. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 37(2), pg. 93-112. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15228835.2019.1609385