3 years ago · Leah Fogt · 0 comments

Social Work Month 2021: Social Workers are Essential

 

It’s that time of year again!  Happy Social Work Month to my colleagues and friends in the field!  This is always a great time to celebrate the profession and raise public awareness about what we do, and I’m really excited about this year’s theme.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) will help lead this year’s Social Work Month celebration in this month with the theme “Social Workers are Essential” to highlight the invaluable contributions social workers make in our society, especially as this nation addresses the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Social Work Month campaign will inform the public, policymakers, and legislators about the way the nation’s social workers each day meet people where they are and help them live to their fullest potential.

Social work is one of the fastest growing professions in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). There are currently about 700,000 professional social workers in our nation, but that number is expected to rise to more than 800,000 by 2029, BLS said.

Social work has been around for more than a century and has made significant contributions to our nation. For example, social workers such as social reformer Jane Addams, former Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, and civil rights leaders Dorothy Height, Whitney Young, and Ida B. Wells have helped Americans secure voting rights, equal rights, Social Security, unemployment insurance, and other programs.

You will also find social workers throughout society – protecting children from abuse and neglect, providing mental health and substance use disorder treatment, assisting active-duty military, veterans and their families, in schools, helping corporations better serve their communities, and in community organizations as well as in local, state and government.

I am frequently inspired by the dedication of my colleagues, as well as the students I mentor.  During the Coronavirus pandemic social workers have been on the frontlines along with doctors, nurses, grocery store staff and other essential employees.   In my fellow social workers observe a passion for service and the commitment to the dignity of others. In particular, over the last year, I have seen them rally to help our communities through crisis and discord.  Helping with new challenges in food insecurity, employment, healthcare, education, and trauma, social workers have really had to get creative to be both safe and effective in serving our communities.  I am inspired by the dedication of my colleagues on a daily basis.

However, the social work profession faces challenges. There is shortage of social workers in schools where they are needed to help young people cope with complicated issues such as trauma, poverty, the opioid addiction crises, and the need for more resources to help students learn during the pandemic.

And although social workers play a critical role in our nation’s health care and mental health system, they could be better compensated for the work they do, according to a 2019 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.  Safety concerns, title protection, research, and specialized training are areas of significant need in order to sustain the profession, increase our numbers, and hone our skills and knowledge.

So, during Social Work Month NASW will provide these a number of tools to help promote the profession and address some of the issues.  I will be sharing some information about my work and the work of my colleagues through social media, so if you’re not already, please consider following my practice page.

When I was a senior social work student at The Catholic University of America, our student organization recognized Social Work Month with some fun t-shirts that said “Celebrate service!  Hug a Social Worker!”  While I don’t advise hugging your friendly social worker in this time of social distancing, please consider a “Thank you!”  And to my colleagues, I send you all a very enthusiastic elbow bump!

Tags: essential workers, social work month, social workers Categories: Awareness and News