Request For Proposal - CASW Immigration Hub

Request for Proposal

Internationally Educated Social Worker (IESW) Immigration Hub

CASW Assessment of International Credentials

Organization Background

Founded in 1926, the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) is the national professional association for social workers in Canada with a mandate to support the profession and advance issues of social justice on its behalf. The CASW Federation is comprised of 10 provincial and territorial partner organizations and a national office located in Ottawa, ON.

CASW has provided the Assessment of International Credentials service for Internationally Educated Social Workers (IESWs) for over 45 years.

Overview

CASW has received funding through the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) Foreign Credential Recognition Program to strengthen, improve and streamline the assessment of international credentials application process by developing and implementing an online Internationally Educated Social Worker (IESW) Immigration Hub.

CASW has two key roles regarding Internationally Educated Social Workers (IESWs). This includes operating a fair and equitable credential assessment service and supporting the profession, including those trained internationally, to become regulated to practice the profession supporting stronger individuals, families, and communities.

CASW currently completes credential assessments for approximately 600 IESWs per year. Questions and Answers regarding the assessment can be found here: https://www.caswacts.ca/en/internationally-educated/assessment-international-credentials-questions-and-answers. The assessment procedures can be found here: https://www.casw-acts.ca/en/internationallyeducated/assessment-international-credentials.

Purpose and Requirements

CASW is seeking a qualified proposals to research, curate, and develop comprehensive online content and multimedia resources for an IESW Immigration Hub, supporting internationally educated social workers in understanding and navigating assessment, registration, immigration pathways, and employment in Canada. As per CASW governance requirements, a minimum of three quotes must be obtained as part of the procurement process for this work.

Overall Objectives

The objective of this project is to strengthen resources for Internationally Educated Social Workers (IESWs) by developing all content for an online IESW Immigration Hub on the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) website.

The Hub will support IESWs by researching, curating, coordinating, and developing high‑quality immigration and settlement resources, helping to streamline the IESW assessment, registration, and immigration experience to Canada.

It will provide comprehensive, user‑friendly content, including videos and webinars, to help IESWs understand and navigate the social work profession in Canada. The Hub will cover topics such as the history of social work in Canada, the roles of the three pillars of social work (Education, Regulation, and Association), levels of government and social work legislation, and the social work landscape across different regions of Canada.

The Hub will also offer curated links to social work immigration resources and information from all levels of government; profiles and firsthand accounts from IESWs detailing their journeys from pre‑arrival through credential evaluation, registration, and employment. This will also include links to further education on social work practice in the Canadian context, including courses and continuing education that address Indigenous cultures, systems of oppression, and the ongoing experience of colonization.

Scope and Deliverables

Phase 1: Planning, Research, and Curation (Months 1 - 3)

• Detailed workplan with milestones and roles. Including regular by-weekly check-in with IESW Program Manager.
• Environmental scan of IESW relevant immigration, settlement, credentialing, association, and regulatory resources (federal and provincial/territorial).
• Map and summarize key processes: credential assessment, regulatory registration, and related immigration pathways for social workers.
• Identify existing courses and continuing education offerings focused on Canadian social work practice, including Indigenous content and anti-oppressive/anti-racist frameworks.
• Map existing CASW content and external resources that can be re‑used or linked. Gap analysis with recommendations on where CASW should create new content vs. link to external sources.
• Define the content framework and structure such as sections, topics, journey stages, regional breakdown, key messages, reading level and accessibility
• Begin drafting key foundational content such as overview of social work in Canada, history, and CASW’s role. The three pillars (Education, Regulation, Association). Levels of government, social work legislation, and regional practice landscapes.
• Identify all stakeholders for consultation. This may include social work regulatory bodies, social work professional associations (including those outside the national federation), schools of social work, IRCC, immigration service providers, and provincial immigration departments for their unique perspectives on the IESW experience. Ensuring diverse, representative voices are included in engagement activities.
• Develop and conduct survey for IESWs who have used the CASW Assessment regarding their journey to practice social work in Canada so far. Including their experience with the assessment, regulation, employment, and what information they wish they had before they began the process.

Phase 2 : Consultations/Content Development (Months 3 – 9)

• Conduct consultations with all stakeholders to explore key themes such as challenges, and system navigation barriers; validate Phase 1 findings; confirm content priorities and address missing perspectives; gather insights on best practices and information needs; and identify recommendations for ongoing collaboration and future projects.
• Interview plan and tools (recruitment criteria, consent forms, interview guides) for development of IESW profiles/content, informed by IESW survey results.
• Engage IESWs, educators, regulators, partner organizations, and appropriate third parties to provide content.
• Content plan for videos/webinars (topics, sequence, learning outcomes).
• Develop all content such as structuring curated resources, producing videos/webinars, and IESW profiles.
• Identify and document further‑education options (courses and CE), especially those on Indigenous cultures, colonization, and anti‑oppressive practice, and prepare guidance notes for IESWs on how and when to use them.

Phase 3: Training/Handover/Recommendations (Months 9 – 12)

• The final content will include comprehensive resources addressing the full experience, journey, and challenges faced by IESWs pursuing a career in Canada. It will outline the process from pre-arrival preparation through to full professional integration, highlighting key barriers and identifying existing supports and resources available at each stage. New content and learning materials, including webinars on agreed-upon topics, will be developed and added. Complete IESW profiles will be incorporated to inform and illustrate each topic, providing real-life context and supporting the overall user experience.
• Recommended content architecture for the Hub (section structure, page types, suggested navigation). Templates for key content types, Style sheet for the Hub’s content (language, headings, inclusive terminology, capitalization, citation/attribution of external resources).
• Content maintenance guide/staff training (i.e. where each resource list lives, how often to review, roles and workflows for updates, and how to keep the Hub current).
• Delivery of all source files (docs, webinars, spreadsheets, slides, scripts, raw transcripts) in agreed formats, with clear file structure.
• Provide final report and recommendations (for example ongoing collaborations and future projects).

Time Frame and Budget

This is a one-year project beginning June 1, 2026. All deliverables must be presented to CASW by June 1, 2027.

The maximum budget for the project is $90,000 (CAD) inclusive of all professional fees, travel, and applicable taxes. Please itemize HST separately. Consultation, presenter, translation, and webinar platform fees are not included in the $90,000 budget, but any such costs must be pre‑approved by CASW.

Qualifications

• Applicants must be grounded in the social work profession including knowledge of or experience with the Canadian social work landscape, regulated professions, and/or internationally educated professionals.
• The ability to provide substantive consultations with a wide range of stakeholders is essential. Ability to engage with community members in both French and English
• Experience in web‑based content strategy and development, ideally in the non‑profit, professional association, or settlement/immigration sectors.
• Capacity to create accessible, plain‑language content for diverse audiences, including newcomers. Experience designing or producing educational videos/webinars.
• Experience integrating equity, anti-oppressive and trauma-informed perspectives. Experience in collaborating with First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples.

Proposal Requirements and Bidding Process

How to Submit

Submissions should not exceed 10 pages. Submit as a single PDF (and any additional files in a ZIP if necessary), including:

• Organization profile and legal information.
• Relevant experience
• Proposed approach
• Project workplan and timeline with milestones and resource allocation
• Detailed pricing/budget
• Proposed contract terms, warranties and exclusions.
• Project team, CVs/resumes, and roles
• References for similar projects completed

CASW reserves the right not to accept the lowest or any bid proposal submitted through this process. CASW reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals, to waive irregularities, and to cancel or reissue the RFP. CASW is not responsible for any costs incurred by organization in preparing proposals. There will be no payments made to the organization for the preparation and submission of proposals in response to this request. Should CASW be required to conduct interviews as part of the selection process, an honorarium of $75/hour will be paid as compensation. Late submissions will not be accepted. All products and intellectual property developed under this project will be the property of CASW.

Evaluation Criteria

Please note that commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, belonging, and accessibility will be considered within all evaluation criteria.

• Understanding of Project Scope and Objectives (25%)
• Proposed Methodology and Workplan (25%)
• Organizational Capacity and Relevant Experience (20%)
• Team Qualifications and Expertise (15%)
• Budget, Cost Effectiveness, and Value (10%)
• Innovation and Sustainability (5%)

Submissions

Please submit all questions by April 15, 2026, and proposals by April 30, 2026, to:

Heather Hallett

Program Manager - Assessment of International Credentials

heather.hallett@casw-act.ca

CASW is committed to employment equity and encourages applications from equity-deserving groups; Black, First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples; people from culturally diverse backgrounds; people of all gender identities and sexual orientations; and persons with disabilities.

If you require accommodation for the RFP process, do not hesitate to contact casw@caswacts.ca.