Our graduates go on to make significant change in their communities and can be found in schools, hospitals, correctional facilities, and agencies across Canada. We want to collaborate with our alumni and learn how we can better support them. Consider connecting with us!

Our alumni
Homecoming 2021 alumni presentation
September 22, 2021 - 1:00 PM
Virtual event (free)
Faculty of Social Work alumni Susan Bourassa Rabichuk will share her study on female police officers and the impacts on their mental health in a presentation titled: Behind Blue Doors: Cisgender Female Police Officers’ experience's of Psychological Stress & Mental Health
Collaborating with our community
Publications:
Our colleague Dr. Alean Al-Krenawi published a book titled: "Culture, Diversity and Mental Health - Enhancing Clinical Practice". The book discusses the importance of culture and diversity within society through multicultural, cross-cultural, and intercultural encounters while applying psychological effectiveness to manage core competencies.
Al-Krenawi is a professor and chair of the BSW Program, Spitzer Department of Social Work, Ben-Guiron University of the Negev.
Dr. Tracey Bone, Faculty of Social Work Associate Professor, also contributes a chapter in this book titled: "Deaf Mental Health: Enhancing Linguistically and Culturally Appropriate Clinical Practice".
For more information on this publication, please visit book website.
Mentoring our students
Are you interested in contributing to our students’ success working in the field? Our Field Education Program is always looking for field instructors and agencies. As part our undergraduate curriculum, students are required to gain field practicum experience in agencies across Canada and graduate.
If you are interested in becoming a field instructor, contact us.
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Fort Garry and Inner City Field Education Program
David Sullivan
Field Program coordinator
david.sullivan@umanitoba.ca -
Distance Delivery Field Education Program
Jacqueline Shortridge
Distance Delivery Field Program coordinator
jacqueline.shortridge@umanitoba.ca -
Northern Field Education Program (Thompson, MB)
Katie Thompson
Field Program coordinator
katie.thompson@umanitoba.ca
As we are an accredited program, Field Instructors must possess a BSW, MSW or RSW with a minimum of two years' experience.
Recognizing leaders in our community
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The Helen Mann 50th Anniversary Award
The Helen Mann 50th Anniversary Award recognizes a person or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the social work profession and/or to the field of social work in Manitoba. The award is presented at our Homecoming events. Everyone is encouraged to nominate a social worker/activist or an organization.
Past award recipients
- Kathy Mallett (1993)
- Jeanette Block (1994)
- Margo Buck (1995)
- Pat Woolley (1996)
- Don Lugtig (1997)
- Elsie Flett (1998)
- Giseles Saurette-Roch & Tom Simms (1999)
- Addie Penner (2000)
- Irma MacKay (2001)
- Maureen Kalloo (2002)
- Kenneth Martin (2003)
- Don Browne (2006)
- Bruce Unfried (2007)
- Sel Burrows (2008)
- Grand Chief Phil Fontaine (2009)
- Audrey Lumsden & Bert Crocker (2010)
- Jaime Carrasco & Martha Aviles (2011)
- Esther Blum & Colleen Waters (2012)
- Sister Jean Ell (2013)
- Sandra Loewen (2014)
- Clark Brownlee (2015)
- Yvonne Pompana (2016)
- Chuck Groening (2017)
- The Comité garderie de l’Association étudiante de l’Université de Saint-Boniface (2018)
About Helen Mann
In 1943, Helen Mann became the first lecturer hired at the University of Manitoba School of Social Work. Mann worked for the School for 31 years. Throughout her career, Mann made an enormous contribution to shaping the standards of social work practice in the Winnipeg community and across Canada. She also contributed to the development of social work in Canada and was renowned for the way in which she combined her skills as an educator and scholar with those of personal graciousness and sensitivity.
Mann’s wisdom and experience has had a profound effect on the Faculty of Social Work. In the Fall of 1992, the Faculty of Social Work created the Helen Mann 50th Anniversary Award to honour her memory. A Helen Mann award was also established to provide bursaries to students who are registered in fulltime studies in the BSW program at the William Norrie Centre or at Thompson, Manitoba, and who require financial assistance in order to continue their studies.
Make a difference
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Thanks to your support, our students in financial needs are given opportunities to further their education and research through awards and bursaries. If you are interested in supporting Faculty of Social Work students, make a gift to social work fellowships and bursaries.
For specific funding opportunities, select “Social Work” under the fund search.
Ongoing projects and events
National Forum on Education Equity for Children & Youth in Care
Child welfare and education professionals are independently and universally mandated to work in the best interests of children. Yet, despite the fact that collaboration is unequivocally endorsed as “best practice” for working with youth (Darlington & Feeney, 2008, p. 195), it has not yet emerged as an intuitive approach to practice for educators and child welfare workers, nor is it instituted in policies, practices, and structures. Given that both professions share collective responsibility for children in care, facilitating an interprofessional focus and dialogue around the needs of children in care can highlight a greater understanding of the value of working collaboratively, with a view toward improving children’s educational experiences.
The objective of this national forum is to bring together an inter-professional group of researchers, academics, and practicing practitioners to highlight current research and works in progress on the policy, practices, and programs related to educational experiences and outcomes of children in care of child welfare systems.
FREE WEBINAR SERIES
Succeeding Together? School Experiences of Children in Care in Canada
September 22, 2021 - 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Presented by: Dr. Kathryn Levine, University of Manitoba & Dr. Kelley Gallagher-Mackay, Wilfrid Laurier University
Perspectives on School for Children in Care
October 6, 2021 - 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Presented by: Michelle Kowalchuk, MAYC & Dr. Melanie Janzen, University of Manitoba
Post-secondary Pathways - Child Welfare Political Action Committee, VOICES
October 25, 2021 - 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Presented by: Marie Christian, VOICES & Jane Kovarikova, Child Welfare PAC
Supporting Transitions
November 18, 2021 - 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Presented by: Dr. Anne Edwards, Oxford University & Marie Christian, VOICES
School-based Successes: Stories of Hope, School Advocacy Course and School-based Advocacy Groups
December 8, 2021 - 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Presented by: Dr. Marlyn Bennet, University of Manitoba & Amy Komus, Seven Oaks School Division
Please visit equityforkidsincare.net for more information and to register.
Twitter: twitter.com/EduEquityKids
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Strangers in New Homelands Conference
www.strangersconference.com
Conference chair: Dr. Michael BaffoeThis conference has run through very critical times in world migration history: the unprecedented displacement and movements of people from their homes into other countries, especially to Europe seeking safety as well as better life conditions.
This year marks the 13th edition of the Strangers in New Homelands Conference and focuses on the challenges and opportunities in world migration and settlement in the continuous era of global conflicts and post-COVID-19 global pandemic.
Presentations and workshops examine how migrants interact with potential oppressions and markers of identity such as race, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, age, religion, language, and socioeconomic status.
Registration is now open for the upcoming conference. To register, please visit: umanitoba.ca/social-work/strangers-conference
International social work conference 2021
Building Back Better (Not Just a Slogan): Innovations in Social Work Practice, Policy and Education to Eradicate Inequality and Poverty in the COVID-19 Recovery
Governments have promised us ‘a just recovery’ in which we will ‘build back better’ to decrease the inequalities and poverty revealed in the pandemic. This conference is about our collective vision of what a just recovery could look like.
Online Session - The Impact of Forced Organ Harvesting on Our Society
September 25, 2021 - 7:00 AM Central Time (US & Canada) (GMT -5:00)
This online session addresses the impact and broad implications that forced organ harvesting has for civil society. Human rights atrocities, as part of a planned cold genocide, affect not only the victims and the perpetrators, but all global societies.
Presenters include:
Larisa Vilsker, Human Rights Advocate
Thierry Valle, President - Freedom of Conscience, France
Antonella Marty, Assoc. Dir., Center for Latin American at Atlas Network, Author
Maria Cheung, Professor & Associate Dean - Faculty of Social Work UM
Oskar Freysinger, Former Member of Swiss Parliament
Sophia Bryskine, Senior Researcher - Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting, Australia
Contact us
Faculty of Social Work
Room 521 Tier Building
173 Dafoe Rd. W
University of Manitoba (Fort Garry campus)
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada