Promoting Wellbeing and Equity
Across the Life Course
Goal: Develop knowledge that intricately links context with
individual development
Objective: Promote holistic assessment and interventions for people and the issues they face
- Conduct research and evaluate interventions that demonstrate the interactions among the
development, growth, and adaptation of individuals and contextual environmental forces
throughout the life course
- Assist children’s services (e.g., education, children’s mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice) in designing and evaluating interventions
- Provide evidence of the disproportionate representation of marginalized groups in social work settings in order to inform equitable practice and policy that prevents or ameliorates problems and promotes positive outcomes
Context
- Complex interactions among genetic, biological and environmental factors affect people throughout the life course, according to neuroscience research
- Focusing on social determinants of health means considering both daily living
circumstances and structural influences on health, such as education and employment
- Cumulative research underscores the importance of early childhood years and the
influence of experiences across the life span on future development
- Social work has a vital role to play in understanding and responding to the needs of Canada’s growing and aging population, and of those who provide care and support
- The unique needs of individuals at all ages and stages must be understood and
addressed within the context of their own life experiences
