Human Services Diploma

Admission Requirements

1. Completion of an Education Assistant/Community Support Certificate or Education Assistant/Community Support Certificate, Indigenous Focus or equivalent Human Services Certificate within the last 5 years with a minimum C (60%) in each course.
2. Applicants with credentials older than 5 years or from another institution are required to have the following:
   1. Minimum C (60%) in each course.
   2. Completed 20 hours volunteer work and HSW Professional Reference Form.
   3. Signed Human Services Requisite Skills and Abilities document.
   4. 300 word HSW Letter of Intent for coming into the program and career goals.

Before Classes Begin

Attend a group information session. This mandatory session is designed to assist students in making an informed decision about pursuing a career in Human Services. The admissions department will send you an invitation with details regarding the date and time of the information session. Please note: NIC students who have completed their EACSW certificate are not required to attend this session.

Once accepted to the program but before classes begin, you will be required to:

• hold a Standard First Aid Certification with CPR Level C that will remain valid through to the end of the program.

• The Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum (PVPC) is mandatory for all staff and students who work in Health Authorities. Most of this training will be completed online through the Learning Hub. However, any students working in high-risk areas* are required to complete an additional 8-hour classroom module at their own cost, and prior to their placements in high-risk areas*. High-risk areas* are: Correctional Health Services, Emergency Departments, Home and Community Care, Long Term Care, Mental Health and Substance Use, In-Patient Psychiatry, Neurology, Brain Injury, Paramedics, Protection Services.

• complete a Personal Immunization form which will be sent to you by the admissions office when you have a seat in the program. It must be validated by the public health nurse at your local health unit. Please note: For NIC students who have completed their EACSW certificate and previously submitted this form, it is not a requirement.

• submit a Criminal Record Check permission form, which will be sent to you by Admissions once you are offered a seat in the program. Please note: Criminal record checks are valid for five years; previous NIC students may not need to resubmit this form.

Course Requirements

Completion Requirements

• A letter grade of C (60%) or better in all classes.
• A letter grade of P (Pass) in all Practicum courses.
• Students must receive a letter grade of C (60%) or better in all core (HSW 250 , SSW 250  and PSY 250  and PSY 251 ) courses to be promoted from one term to the next term. A student who fails any core course in the program cannot progress until the course is passed. University Transfer and ENG 115  or ENG 125 courses are not a requirement of progression but must be completed with a grade of C (60%) or better in order to obtain the credential.
• In order to repeat a core course, you must reapply to the program in a subsequent offering of the same term in which the failure occurred providing there is an available seat. If in repeating the course, you fail again, then you will be removed entirely from the program and can only re-enter by going through the admission process. Please note that you may be required to begin at term one of the diploma year.
• If you fail a core course, re-enter the program and successfully repeat the failed core course, and then fail another core course, you will be removed entirely from the program and can only re-enter by through the admission process. Please note that you may be required to begin at term one of the diploma year.
• Re-entering the program under any circumstance is dependent on an available seat and at the discretion of the human services department and in consultation with the Dean. If you fail a core course you may be asked to complete a learning assessment prior to being reconsidered for re-admission. These regulations are important to the profession to ensure that graduates have the required skills and knowledge, and are therefore deemed safe to practice.
• All students are required to adhere to the program expectations document and the Canadian Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Ethical Practice. Failure to adhere to these standards may result in your being required to leave the program.