Happy Social Work Month - Your Work Makes a Difference

by Angelo McClain, PhD, LICSW

     Happy Social Work Month! On behalf of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), I would like to thank you for the powerful, life-affirming work you do as a social worker.

     This year’s Social Work Month theme is “Social Work: Generations Strong.” The folks here at the NASW crafted that theme because as we enter a new decade, we wanted to highlight the work our great profession has done over generations to make our nation a better place for all.

     You may not know this, but social workers have been leaders in positive change for generations. I’m thinking of social workers such as former Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, who pushed for programs such as minimum wage and Social Security to help bring our nation out of the crushing despair of the Great Depression.

     And social workers such as past NASW President Whitney M. Young, Jr., and Dorothy I. Height, who were leaders in the Civil Rights movement.

     Today, social workers of all generations continue to do great things. There are social workers such as Errin Merryn, who is pushing states across the nation to pass laws to educate children on ways to avoid sexual abuse. And Rodney Smith, Jr., a young social worker who is running a nationwide campaign to get kids to volunteer and help their neighbors, through activities such as cutting grass.

     The Generations Strong theme is also very relevant because NASW has been around for generations and is celebrating its 65^th anniversary this year. We will have more information for you soon on anniversary activities.

     In the meantime, NASW is giving you tools to celebrate Social Work Month and promote the social work profession. If you go to www.socialworkmonth.org, you will find a sample press release, letter to the editor, and proclamation. Use these tools to get out the word about the great work we do in the media and through your elected officials.

     We have found that many people still do not realize the social work profession is so diverse and that social workers make a positive impact in all parts of our society – in schools, in child welfare agencies, in universities, in veterans centers, mental health and health care facilities - and in local, state, and federal government.

     So, this year we are offering infographics and an animated short that can be used to inform the public about the work social workers do. You can use these resources if you visit a school to talk about our profession, in your workplace, or if you are visiting elected officials.

     This year, I would also urge you to join NASW, the nation’s largest professional social work association. As NASW continues to advocate for the profession into another generation, we need your help to do the hard work we do. There is strength in association and power in numbers.

     In recent months, NASW’s Illinois and North Carolina chapters have successfully pushed to get those states to hire more school social workers. Our North Carolina and Kansas chapters have persuaded lawmakers to pass important social work licensing laws. And our Connecticut chapter helped get a bill enacted into law that protects the social work title.

     These are just a few of the hundreds of positive things the association is doing to protect and promote social workers and advance the profession.

     Over the next year, NASW is helping push federal legislation to improve social work safety and improve the compensation that clinical social workers receive from Medicare. We also continue to work on student loan forgiveness, an important issue for many social workers.

     At the same time, NASW is advocating for the millions of people social workers serve each day. Our social justice priorities include access to health care for all, voting rights, immigration reform, environmental justice, economic justice, and criminal and juvenile justice reform.

     We need your support to do all of this important work.

     I urge you to visit our website, socialworkers.org, to learn more about the work NASW and our more than 50 chapters are doing on behalf of you and the clients you serve.

     Again, thanks so much for being a social worker and a vital part of our great profession; your wonderful work makes a difference. Enjoy Social Work Month.

Angelo McClain, PhD, LICSW, is CEO of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).