‘Despite providing the largest portion of mental health services and often working directly alongside first responders, Registered Social Workers (RSW) are currently excluded from the federal definition of PSP’
A July assault on a New Brunswick social worker that is prompting union calls for improved staffing, training and lone-worker protocols.
A social worker was assaulted during a home visit in Rexton, N.B., a rural community north of Moncton, on July 14, according to the CBC report. The worker sustained a concussion and other injuries, and left a hospital emergency room after a six-hour wait without being seen.
RCMP confirmed they responded to an assault complaint that morning and arrested a man scheduled to appear in court Sept. 4. Investigators declined to release further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
Shawna Morton, president of CUPE 1418, told CBC that violent incidents against social worker members are becoming more frequent. She cited a separate case in which a worker received sexually explicit messages and threats against her life, family and pet, and is now on leave as a result.
Staffing shortage
Union leadership says a persistent staffing shortage is compounding safety risks in the field. Morton told CBC that 80 social work positions were vacant across New Brunswick as of July, though it remains unclear whether filling those roles alone would meet current service demand.
The union is renewing its push for a formal provincial workforce survey to determine actual staffing needs.
Morton said staffing gaps make it difficult to pair workers for home visits, a practice she considers safer, and pointed to financial strain, deteriorating mental health and substance use among clients as factors behind more unpredictable behaviour in the field.
In December 2025, The Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW), the profession's national body representing roughly 20,500 social workers, sent a letter to Canada's Minister of Public Safety in late 2025 urging Ottawa to formally classify registered social workers as Public Safety Personnel (PSP), a designation currently applied mainly to police, correctional officers and firefighters.
“In this regard, despite providing the largest portion of mental health services and often working directly alongside first responders, Registered Social Workers (RSW) are currently excluded from the federal definition of PSP,” the group said. “The exclusion contradicts evidence demonstrating their critical role in public safety and their vulnerability to workplace-related trauma.”
Government of Canada announced “Supporting Canada’s Public Safety Personnel: An Action Plan on Post-Traumatic Stress Injuries” in April 2019. Under this Action Plan, Public Safety Canada funded the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) at the University of Regina to develop and pilot an Internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (ICBT) pilot for public safety officers, as well as establish a Knowledge Exchange Hub for research related to PTSI among public safety officers.
“Public safety officers play a critical role in keeping Canadians safe, which often exposes them to traumatic incidents that can lead to post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI),” the federal government noted previously. “These injuries include clinically diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, and substance abuse.”
