Growth of Field of Social Work

Canadian Association of Social Workers was founded in 1928, and promoted the field of social work in Canada. Rev. J.G. Shearer was chosen as the first Director of the Social Service Council of Canada. In 1918 Charlotte Whitton was chosen as his assistant, her first introduction to the social service field. The subsequent story of social work in Canada is intricately tied to her activities for the next 20 years. A Canadian association was first discussed as early as 1918, but it was not until l924 in the context of a meeting of the American association in Toronto that a committee to found a new organisation was established.

The members of the committee were representative of the gender relations in the new profession. While women were fast filling the new positions in the field, the administrative positions were being largely being filled by men. The committee consisted of C.M. Hincks of the social hygiene council, Dr. Wodehouse of the tuberculosis association, Ms. Plumptree of the Red Cross, Judge Mclachlan of the Canadian Association of Child Protection, Dr. Shearer, Ms. Smellie of the VON, and Dr. Carl Dawson of the McGill social work school. An earlier report on founding a Canadian association was prepared by Dr. Dale of the University of Toronto