From Toronto to Renfrew: A social work journey rooted in justice and passion by Katie Barr

As a SASW member Katie has written for us to highlight her social work journey

I’m a social worker who became interested in the profession while doing volunteer work, after completing a Bachelor’s in Women’s Studies in Ottawa, Canada. Once I knew I wanted to be a social worker, I completed a Master’s of Social Work at the University of Toronto. I worked in Toronto for a while and then I moved to Scotland a few years later, in 2013 – kind of on a whim – and started working in Midlothian. Since then, I’ve worked across several councils in areas like criminal justice, mental health, and even a short stint in children and families.

Transferring my qualification was a really frustrating process. It took ages, with loads of unexpected paperwork and ordering copies of syllabi from years ago. Eventually, the SSSC approved it without any extra study, but there's definitely room for improvement, including being clear about what’s required in the initial application. 

In 2018 I retrained in social policy research, and in 2020, just as the pandemic hit, I took a break from frontline work to be a research officer. I hadn’t planned to leave at such a critical time, it just worked out that way.  After three years, I realised how much I missed social work. I re-registered, started back through agency work, and found a permanent post. That’s also when I joined BASW. I wanted to reconnect with the profession and stay passionate about it.

I now work as a Mental Health Officer in the West of Scotland. It’s not a case management role, it’s a specialist position involving legal responsibilities under mental health and incapacity legislation. I assess people, consent (or withhold consent) to hospital detentions, and make sure people’s rights are upheld. Sometimes that puts you at odds with clinical staff, which can be tricky. I also write suitability reports for people applying to become legal guardians.

When I returned from maternity leave and made the move back into practice, I stumbled across BASW online. I was drawn to their work, not just the practical support like insurance, but their strong stance on ethics, anti-oppressive practice, and social justice.

I got involved in two BASW committees: the Professional Development and Education Committee (because I’m passionate about social work education and CPD) and the Policy, Ethics and Human Rights Committee. That one felt especially aligned with what social work is truly about, not budgets and bureaucracy, but values, rights, and real change.

SASW also runs great events like the MHO Forum and CPD sessions. I’d love to learn more about their lobbying, they’re refreshingly bold and clear in their positions, like when they pushed back on SSSC fee increases.

Looking ahead, I’d love to see more from SASW on how changes to the UK benefits system affects people in Scotland. It’s issues like that, rooted in justice and lived experience, that drew me back to social work and keep me committed to it.