Social Service Worker
Langara College’s Social Service Worker Program prepares students for immediate entry into all social service sectors, as well as for further education in Social Work and other helping professions.
Students who successfully complete the nine-month program earn a Social Service Worker Certificate. They also have the option of adding 30 Arts and Sciences credits to the Certificate to earn a Coordinated Diploma.
The program consists of two semesters of full-time studies. There are two practicum placements, including a five-week full-time block placement at the end of the second semester..
Many practicum placements will require a Criminal Record Check. This is especially true for agencies that work with children, youth and other vulnerable populations of people. Students concerned about this may wish to discuss this with Program faculty.
Students move through the program together as a cohort. All core Social Service Worker courses are taught by program faculty. This provides a supportive, experiential learning environment and a personal, professional network both during the program and after its completion.
Interested in learning about Canadian Social Welfare?
The Social Service Worker Department also offers two university transferable courses to students interested in possibly working in human services.
These are required courses for a student wishing to apply to a Bachelor of Social Work degree program at a university in B.C.
They are open to all students.
The courses are:
SSRV 2000, Introduction to Social Welfare in Canada:
This course will introduce students to the
role that social work and allied professions
play in the ameliorating of the social
welfare conditions that affect people and
communities. Through course assignments,
students will be able to relate the contexts
of their own experience to the social
contexts of disadvantaged people
SSRV 2001, Introduction to Social Work Practice:
While learning about the practice of social
work students in this course will have the
opportunity to explore a variety of areas of
practice within the Canadian context. They
will explore the role of a social worker and
develop an appreciation of how a helping
professional can affect people’s lives.
They will also be introduced to the ethical
underpinnings of the profession
