Is This Truly the Right Time for Social Work, and Who Decides?

by Allan Barsky, PhD, JD, MSW

     “The Time Is Right for Social Work” is an inspiring theme for NASW’s 2022 Social Work Month. As Anna Scheyett (2022) explains, this theme may be interpreted as a call to action in these challenging times. In the midst of a global pandemic, growing disparities in wealth and health, increased risks from the consequences of global climate change, threats of war and political instability, and harsh backlash against attempts to address systemic racism and oppression, some people may feel distressed, disheartened, and discouraged.

     Yet the profession of social work reframes these challenges into a call for action to promote social justice, address inequities, and take leadership roles in promoting individual, community, and societal change. Whether we are advocating for more equitable social policies, empowering groups and communities to participate in voting and other democratic processes, helping individuals deal with stress and trauma, or a myriad of other social work functions, each of us can do our share to foster greater social, economic, environmental, political, and technological justice—locally and across the globe.

     But is the time truly right for social work to address these challenges, and who decides? Although the NASW has initiated the call to action, it is up to individual social workers, small groups of social workers, social work agencies, and social workers partnering with others to determine whether the time is truly right. How many of us will respond to the call, and what will we do differently? Social workers have long stood for social change and social justice. So, how will this moment in our history be different? Perhaps each of us can start with some basic reflective questions:

  • What are my strengths as a social worker, and what do I have to offer?
  • What can I learn from the past—my own practice and the practices of my profession—including problems to correct and strengths to build upon?
  • How specifically can I contribute—this year and in the longer term?
  • How can I partner with others to make our joint vision and goals a reality?

     As Aristotle suggests, the good life—the flourishing life—is a moral life. As social workers, we seek not only to live the flourishing life as individuals. We also strive for a society that fosters equity, inclusion, respect, safety, health, social well being, and justice for all.

Reference

Scheyett, A. (2022). The time is right for social work. Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swac010

Allan Barsky, PhD, JD, MSW, is Professor of Social Work at Florida Atlantic University and author of  Social Work Values and Ethics (Oxford University Press).

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of any of the organizations to which the author is affiliated, or the views of  The New Social Worker magazine or White Hat Communications.