March 1, 2018
By Chris Woodley, cwoodley@mailbox.sc.edu
Today kicks off National Professional Social Work Month. The National Association of Social Workers is leading this year’s celebration with the campaign theme, “Social Workers: Leaders. Advocates. Champions.”
The campaign will inform the public and legislators about the crucial role social workers for generations have played in improving the well-being of people and improving our society for everyone. For example, social workers such as social reformer Jane Addams, former Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, and civil rights leaders Dorothy Height and Whitney Young have helped Americans secure voting rights, Social Security, unemployment insurance and other programs.
Social work is a fast-growing profession with more than 680,000 social work professionals in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Clinical social workers are the largest group of mental health providers in the United States and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is one of the biggest employers of social workers with a master’s degree.
Social workers are trained to look at situations in a holistic way, helping bring together people and communities to find ways to address pressing individual, group and societal issues such as hunger, affordable housing, equal rights for all and making organizations and government accountable.
Social workers also follow the NASW Code of Ethics, calling on members of the profession to enhance the basic needs of all people, especially on the needs and empowerment of those who are vulnerable, oppressed or living in poverty.
The following is a list of some of the resources and activities provided by NASW during March to highlight the contributions of the social work profession:
The toolkit offers social workers and their allies tools they can use to educate others about the positive impact of social workers. It includes an official proclamation that social workers can have their lawmakers distribute, downloadable logos, and a sample press release and letter to the editor.
NASW will launch a “Social Work Talks” podcast series in March with the purpose of informing, educating and inspiring the social work community. The podcast will feature news about NASW policies, services and products, and highlight influential social workers from around the nation.
NASW has released two 30-second TV public service announcements that show how social workers help people overcome life’s challenges and highlight the achievements of the social work profession. Social workers and their allies can share the video on their social media channels or ask their local TV stations to air them.
Social Work Month merchandise will be used to promote the “Social Workers: Leaders. Advocates. Champions” theme. Jim Coleman LTD is the official vendor.
NASW will honor news and magazine articles, TV shows, films and other media that show how social workers are effective advocates, champions and leaders.
Please visit the College of Social Work social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for student, faculty and alumni features during National Professional Social Work Month.