CEU Requirements for Social Workers in Canada by Province (2026)

As professional development is an ethical requirement for social workers in Canada, social work regulatory bodies in each province maintain a continuing education and/or competence program to support social workers in building their knowledge, skills, and competency in various areas of practice.

However, what constitutes as eligible continuing education units (CEUs) under social work continuing education programs as well as the total number of CEUs required vary province-to-province and territory-to-territory. Because each provincial and territorial social work regulatory body sets its own requirements, understanding what applies to you may be challenging.

This article breaks down the CEU requirements for social workers in Canada by province. In saying this, the CEU requirements for social workers listed in this article are based primarily on the requirements for fully registered and actively working registered social workers (RSWs) as outlined by provincial and territorial social work regulatory bodies.

Please note that some social work regulatory bodies may have alternate CEU requirements for social workers with a varying employment, registration, or accommodation status. This means certain registrants may be eligible to complete fewer hours than what’s outlined below, if they fall within a specific classification. We recommend reviewing your specific regulatory body’s continuing education program guidelines to determine any exceptions that may apply.

Newfoundland and Labrador

According to the Newfoundland and Labrador College of Social Workers (NLCSW, 2022, October), social workers in Newfoundland and Labrador need to complete 40 credits per year, with the continuing education cycle running from March through February.

The structure here divides your learning into two categories:

• At least 20 credits must fall within the required category
• While the remaining credits can come from the elective category.

CEUs under the required category include but not limited to activities such as courses, conferences, field instruction, workshops, etc. While CEUs under the elective category include self-directed learning, mentoring relationships, and in-service training sessions, to name a few.

For complete details about how these categories work and what activities qualify, we recommend checking out the NLCSW Continuing Professional Education Policy.

Nova Scotia

Social workers in Nova Scotia are governed by the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW). In Nova Scotia, social workers to complete 40 CEUs annually, with the reporting period running from February to January.

What makes Nova Scotia’s requirements particularly interesting is the emphasis on specific mandated topics alongside discretionary learning. In Nova Scotia, of the 40 credit hours required, 6 must cover mandated topics that the regulatory body has identified as an annual requirement. These topics include social work ethics, anti-racist and anti-discrimination, truth and reconciliation, vicarious trauma and secondary stress and social justice.

The remaining 34 CEUs are discretionary, meaning you can choose topics that align with your practice area and professional interests. However, at least 20 hours of these 34 CEUs must come from formal learning activities, with a maximum of 14 hours allowed from informal learning (NSCSW, n.d.).

You can find the full breakdown of the NSCSW Professional Development Standards here.

Prince Edward Island

The Prince Edward Island Social Work Registration Board (PEISWRB) keeps things relatively straightforward with a requirement of a minimum of 25 CEUs per year (Government of Prince Edward Island, 2017, March 25; PEISWRB, 2009, April, 6).

While this is one of the lower annual requirements in Canada, the PEISWRB clearly identifies the eligible social work content areas and the type of activities required so that social workers can easily fulfill their professional development requirements. To ensure that you’re meeting all necessary CEU requirements, check out the PEISWRB Continuing Education Policy.

New Brunswick

New Brunswick requires 30 CEUs annually, with the reporting period running from April to March.

What’s distinctive about New Brunswick’s approach is the three-group structure that categorizes different types of learning activities required by social workers. Within this category structure:

• Group A such as “academic and systemic learning activities,” and you can earn up to 30 hours in this category.
• Group B encompasses self-directed and experiential learning, with up to 20 hours counting toward your CEUs.
• Group C recognizes contributions to the profession itself, such as attending the NBASW Annual General Meeting or writing about the profession of social work, for an example, and up to 10 hours can be claimed here. (NBASW, 2024, November 30 p. 7-8).

For a more comprehensive look at CEU opportunities under each grouping, consult the NBASW Continuing Professional Education Policy.

Quebec

At the time of writing this article, we were unable to obtain the CEU requirements outlined by the Ordre des travailleurs sociaux et thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec (OTSTCFQ).

For the most accurate and current information regarding continuing education expectations in Quebec, consult directly with the OTSTCFQ to ensure that you’re meeting all provincial requirements.

Ontario

Ontario takes a notably different approach to continuing competence compared to most other provinces. While social workers in Ontario are required to complete specific activities including developing a professional development plan, conducting a self-assessment, and recording their learning experiences, the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW) does not mandate a specific number of credit hours per year.

Instead, the focus is on goal-oriented learning that aligns with your professional goals and objectives. That said, the OCSWSSW does recommend aiming for at least 25 hours annually to help fulfill your learning goals effectively. This flexible approach emphasizes quality and relevance over simply accumulating hours (OCSWSSW, 2017, p. 10).

Learn more about the OCSWSSW Continuing Competency Program.

Manitoba

The Manitoba College of Social Workers (MCSW) structures its continuing education requirements over a designated three-year cycle (pre-directed by the MCSW) rather than annually like most provinces. This structure can provide more flexibility for social workers when planning their professional development.

During each designated three-year reporting period (which is currently April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2028), social workers must complete 75 credit hours total. Of these, a minimum of 40 hours must come from formal activities, and there are minimum hour requirements within certain categories such as social work with Indigenous peoples, equity, diversity and inclusion, and the MCSW’s standards of practice and code of ethics. The remaining 35 hours can be either formal or informal activities, giving social workers flexibility in how they structure their learning (MCSW, 2025).

This three-year cycle can be particularly beneficial for social workers who want to pursue more intensive training programs or certifications that might be difficult to fit into a single year but can count toward a large number of CEUs.

Get the full details about the MCSW’s Continuing Competence program from their CCP Toolkit.

Saskatchewan

In Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Association of Social Workers requires 40 hours of continuing professional education per year (SASW, 2024, September 20). Social workers are required to obtain CEUs within three categories:

• Category A covers formal learning activities such as workshops, university courses, and conferences, for example.
• Category B includes teaching and mentoring activities such as teaching, research, and supervising social work students, to name a few.
• Category C recognizes informal learning which includes but not limited to self-directed learning, committee work, and educating others about social work (SASW, 2020, January 1).

For specific requirements set out within the SASW continuing competence program check out the SASW website.

Alberta

Starting 2026, The Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) requires all social workers to obtain a total of 40 CEUs per year, with the continuing education year running from January to December. The structure includes minimum of 15 CEUs for each of the two categories: Continuing Education and Professional Engagement.

Continuing Education focuses on knowledge-acquisition activities such as course work, webinars, and attending conferences, for example. Whereas, professional engagement focuses on active engagement within the social work community that “facilities learning, collaboration and relationship building” such as supervision, mentorship, practice-related discussion groups etc. (ACSW, 2025, December 8).

Keep up-to-date on the ACSW’s Continuing Competence Program through the ACSW website.

Also, to read our ACSW Continuing Competence Program Interpretive Review for a simplified breakdown of the new ACSW competence program changes.

British Columbia

In British Columbia, the British Columbia College of Social Workers (BCCSW) has a minimum of 40 hours CEUs per year, with their Continuing Professional Development year running from November to October.

Within the BCCSW’s Continuing Professional Development program, off your 40 hours, 31 can be general continuing professional development activities on topics of your choosing. However, 3 hours must be dedicated to each of these specific topics:

• Ethical conduct and ethical decision-making
• Cultural safety, cultural humility, and anti-discriminatory practice
• Indigenous-specific cultural learning and anti-indigenous racism and discrimination

Additionally, there’s a maximum of 15 hours that can be claimed under each activity category under the general continuing professional development activities category such as self-directed learning, work-based learning, professional activities, formal/educational activities, and other activities (BCCSW, n.d.).

Complete details are available on the BCCSW Continuing Professional Development page.

Northwest Territories

Social workers practicing in the Northwest Territories are required to complete 40 CEUs annually, consisting of a combination of formal or informal activities. Formal activities include but not limited to courses, conference, seminars and teaching. Examples of informal activities include self-directed learning, research and writing, supervision, or committee work to name a few (Government of the Northwest Territories, 2011, October, 21).

For the most current information about what’s required, social workers should consult with the Government of the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services department.

Yukon and Nunavut

Currently, social work is not a regulated profession in Yukon and Nunavut (Association of Social Workers in Northern Canada, n.d.), which means there are no formal CEU requirements mandated by a regulatory body in these territories. However, this doesn’t mean continuing education isn’t important for social workers practicing in these regions.

While there’s no formal social work regulatory body to date, a social work regulatory body in either or both territories may be created in the future. For instance, according to a news article dated November 2024, the Yukon Government tabled a motion to “introduce regulation and oversight for social workers” in that territory (CBC, 2024, November, 21). If a social worker regulatory body does develop, CEU requirements for social workers under a continuing competence program may also be required of social workers in the respective territory.

The best organization to receive the most up-to-date information about changes made to regulation in the Yukon or Nunavut is the Association of Social Workers in Northern Canada. While the Association of Social Workers in Northern Canada is not a regulatory body, they are an Association for Social Workers across the three Canadian territories.

Conclusion

Understanding the CEU requirements for social workers in your province or territory is fundamental to maintaining your registration and building your skills as a social worker. As you’ve seen in this article that the requirements vary significantly across Canada, which makes it imperative that you follow your particular regulatory body’s guidelines about its own continuing competence or continuing education program.

Are you also searching for a social work clinical supervisor?

Check out clinical supervisor listings on the Canadian Clinical Supervision Therapist Directory.

References

ACSW. (2025, December 8). Competence program changes information for registrants. Live webinar hosted by the ACSW. ACSW’s On-demand webinar available for review at https://acsw.ab.ca/changes-to-acsws-continuing-competence-program-join-us-to-learn-more/

Association of Social Workers in Northern Canada. A professional association for social workers in Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon. Retrieved from https://www.socialworknorth.ca/

BCCSW. (n.d.). Continuing Professional Development. Retrieved from https://bccsw.ca/for-registrants/continuing-professional-development/

CBC. (2024, November, 21). Yukon to regulate social workers so territory won’t be an ‘outlier’ minister says. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-clinical-social-work-regulations-mostyn-1.7389040

Government of Prince Edward Island. (2017, March, 25). Social Work Act Certification Regulations. Retrieved from https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/sites/default/files/legislation/S%2605-1-Social%20Work%20Act%20Certification%20Regulations.pdf

Government of the Northwest Territories. (2011, October, 21). Continuing competency program for NWT social workers. Retrieved from https://www.hss.gov.nt.ca/sites/hss/files/continuing-competency-program-nwt-social-workers.pdf

Government of the Northwest Territories. (n.d.) Social worker license. Retrieved from https://www.hss.gov.nt.ca/en/services/social-worker-licence

NBASW. (2024, November 30). Continuing Professional Education Policy. Retrieved from https://www.nbasw-atsnb.ca/assets/Uploads/2024-11-30-CPE-Policy-EN-Fillable-PDF.pdf

NLCSW. (2022, October). Continuing Professional Education Policy. Retrieved from https://nlcsw.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/continuing-professional-education-policy.pdf

NSCSW. (n.d.). Professional Development Standards. Retrieved from https://nscsw.org/practice/professional-development-standards/

PEISWRB. (2009, April, 6). Continuing Education Policy. Retrieved from https://socialworkpei.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Continuing-Education.-Policy-April-20091.pdf

OCSWSSW. (2017). Continuing competency program: Instruction guide. Retrieved from https://www.ocswssw.org/wp-content/uploads/OCSWSSW-CCP-Instruction-Guide-2018-English-revisedJuly2018-v2.pdf

MCSW. 2025). Continuing Competence Program Toolkit. Retrieved from https://mcsw.ca/flipbook/ccp-toolkit-for-the-2025-2028-cycle/

SASW. (2024, September 20). V.B.4 Continuing Professional Education Policy. Retrieved from https://www.sasw.ca/document/7833/5-5-Revised-CPE-policy-Sept2024-v3.pdf

SASW. (2020, January, 1). Saskatchewan Association of Social Workers: Continuing Professional Education: Definitions/Recording Requirements for Continuing Professional Education Activities – Appendix 1. Retrieved from https://www.sasw.ca/document/5077/Appendix%201%20-%20cpe%20-%20january%202020.pdf

SASW. (n.d.). Continuing Professional Education. Retrieved from https://www.sasw.ca/site/member/cpe

Disclaimer #1

This article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as professional advice. The information is accurate as of the date written and may change based regulatory changes by any of the provincial or territorial regulatory bodies.

Disclaimer #2

This article is not written on behalf of or for any social work regulatory body and has not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by any social work regulatory body.

Please note that this article is an interpretive review of various regulatory bodies’ continuing competence or continuing education programs only. We strongly recommend consulting with your province or territory social work regulatory body if you have questions or need advice with respect to regulatory functions such as their continuing competency programs.