A complicated welcome: social workers navigate policy, organisational contexts and sociocultural dynamics following migration to Canada

Abstract

Canada is promoted as a land of opportunity, with its natural beauty purportedly matched by the generosity of its people. Since 1994, Canada has been ranked in the top 10 places to live in the world, and in 2013 it placed third in the global ‘better life index’, recognised for its comfortable standard of living, low mortality rate, solid education and health systems, and low crime rate (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD], 2013). It is a promising option for migrant professionals looking to leave their home countries for a variety of reasons related to social, political and economic conditions. This chapter reports on the experiences of 44 social workers who undertook their social work education outside Canada and migrated to Canada with the intent of continuing to practise social work. We bring analysis to three key areas experienced as problematic: policy, including immigration, recognition of foreign credentials, and registration with the licensing body; organisational context, including issues related to the search for employment and process of hiring; and socio-cultural dynamics, the more subtle relations required to ‘fit in’ and feelings of ‘difference’ in relation to one’s colleagues. The findings for each of these are discussed in detail below, drawing on Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital (Bourdieu, 1986).

“Biculturation”: Transnational social workers navigating movement into indigenous space in Aotearoa New Zealand

“…While this research was conducted in Aotearoa, there is no reason to assume that transnational social workers are any better prepared to work with indigenous cultures in other places. Research by Modderman et al (2020) in Australia, and Brown et al (2018) in Canada demonstrates a need for a stronger focus on supporting transnational social workers to be able to work safely in their new homes. While in Aotearoa, the requirement to demonstrate ongoing competence to practise social work with M aori is overt because of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, available training is often insufficient in order to develop and strengthen understandings of M aori ways of knowing, doing and being and to begin the complicated work of challenging structural inequality.…”

“…Two of the original Crossing Borders team went on to co-edit a book, Transnational social work: Opportunities and challenges of a global profession (Bartley and Beddoe, 2018). This book includes perspectives from Australia (Bartley, 2018), Canada (Brown et al, 2018), New Zealand (Beddoe, 2018), and the UK (Hanna and Lyons, 2018) of social workers and other stakeholders within a global neoliberal environment. Peter et al (2020) reported on focus groups, exploring the experiences of 20 transnational social workers transitioning into Aotearoa.…”

Le travail social : une profession transférable ?

“…Les travailleurs sociaux font partie des professionnels de la santé et des services sociaux, de plus en plus nombreux, qui choisissent d'immigrer et d'exercer leur profession à l'extérieur du pays où ils ont obtenu leurs qualifications (Brown et al, 2015;Fouché et al, 2013;Hussein et al, 2010). À l'instar de la Nouvelle-Zélande (Bartley et al, 2012), du Canada, de l'Afrique du Sud et de l'Angleterre (Pullen Sansfaçon et al, 2012;Hussein et al, 2010), la mobilité internationale des travailleurs sociaux est un phénomène qui s'observe également au Québec (Pullen Sansfaçon, 2010).…”

“…Les données dont il est question dans cet article ont été recueillies au Québec, principalement à Montréal. Ces données sont issues d'un projet de recherche pancanadien qui avait pour but de mieux comprendre l'expérience des TSI quant à leur adaptation professionnelle (Pullen Sansfaçon, Brown et Graham, CRSH 2011-2012, 2012-2015. Ainsi, une collecte de données similaire a été effectuée à Calgary et dans les provinces maritimes.…”