West Toronto Community Legal Services

Year 1 or Year 2 Practicum, April- August 2026

Name of Practicum Site, Unit or Program:

Location:

1032 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M6H 1M2

Description of the practicum site and student activities:

West Toronto Community Legal Services (WTCLS) is a community-based legal aid clinic funded by Legal Aid Ontario and housing help service provider funded by the City of Toronto serving low-income people in Toronto’s West End. Areas of law currently practiced include tenant rights and housing, income assistance and disability, immigration, and employment law. WTCLS offers housing help services to help community members find new housing and provides access to the Rent Bank program. A Registered Social Worker is provided to offer case management services to both legal and housing help clients with a focus on housing stabilization and eviction prevention.

The Student Case Manager will work closely with the Registered Social Worker to provide case management services. Duties may include:

Maintaining a small caseload after completing training with the practicum supervisor.
Completing intake assessments and reports, collaborative service plans, service agreements, support documents, discharge plans, and case notes.
Assisting in applying and conducting housing searches for market-rent and subsidized housing, inclusive of Special Priority Program applications for survivors of abuse and human trafficking.
Sourcing and developing relationships with community resources and completing relevant referrals for clients to these resources.
Advocating to external service and housing providers in collaboration with the client and offering service navigation.
Supporting clients in attending Landlord and Tenant Board Hearings and providing witness testimony and/or support documents for evidence if requested.
Working with the social work team to offer training on a variety of topics to external organizations.
Engaging in training relevant to the social work field and case management practices at the clinic.
Participating in clinic and inter-clinic committees relevant to social work; attending monthly interdisciplinary staff meetings.

Practicum Requirements:

☒ Travel by public transportation between home visits, or satellite offices, or community meetings, etc.

☒ Comfort working with the population being served

☒ Comprehensive report writing and documentation

Other requirements:

Paid work or volunteer experience in the social service field is an asset but not required
Lived experience, current experience as part of the community being served, or are a community member of the West-End is as asset, but not required.
Students will be provided with TTC tickets if they do not have a TTC transit pass.

For Year 2 Practicums only, select Fields(s) of Study:

☒ Social Justice and Diversity

Does your practicum require any previous experience?

Paid work or volunteer experience in the social service field is an asset but not required.
Lived experience reflective of the communities we serve is an asset but not required.

Is this practicum in-person, remote or hybrid?

In-Person

Will this practicum involve direct work or a mix of direct and indirect?

Students will engage in primarily direct work but will have opportunities to engage in indirect work (e.g., assisting in the preparation and presentation of community presentations, participating in inter-community legal clinic working groups, participating clinic community events and outreach, and attending relevant trainings, etc.).

Number of practicums offered: 1

Field Instructor name and credentials:

Kiera Royle, BSW MSW RSW

Application deadline:

Feb 12, 2026.

Do you require a resume? Or resume and cover letter?

Resume and Cover Letter

Accessibility Considerations:

Will the student have access to a private space for notes or computer use? Yes

Are there breaks between clients/patients/meetings? Sometimes

Is the practicum considered fast-paced? Fast

Is there a high noise level in the practicum? Medium

Is the site wheelchair accessible? Yes

What are the physical demands of the practicum? None

Are there any other accessibility considerations that potential applicants with disabilities should be aware of?
- For the interview process, all applicants are provided with the interview questions prior to the interview. Interviews can be done via videoconference or in-person.
- For the orientation process, all students are offered a pre-placement tour and are provided with the orientation handbook prior to placement beginning.
- The office is completely ramped for mobility devices.
- All bathrooms in the office are gender-neutral; one bathroom is an accessibility bathroom.
- Students are provided with TTC tickets for placement and client related obligations.
- Students are provided with a work cellphone, a work email, and all computer software needed for placement.
- Students are provided with 2 hours of formal supervision per week and an open-door policy for informal supervision throughout the week with their direct field instructor. Students are provided with 1.5 hours of group supervision per month with other social work students and their direct field instructor. Students also have an open-door policy with other staff onsite.

If you are interested in this practicum, please send a cover letter and resume to miri.ben.dat@utoronto.ca by 4PM February 12, 2026. Applications will be sent to the site.