Return to Main Menu

NASW honors professional social workers by Gale Horinbein, MSW, LMSW  Social worker and SCAN coordinator The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) celebrates the work of more than half a million professional social workers in the United States during March, National Professional Social Work Month. Officially established in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan to honor our nation's social workers, NASW uses this month as a time to kick-off a yearlong public service campaign to increase the public’s understanding of the social work profession and to promote critical social issues. Each campaign focuses on a current issue facing the American people and this year's theme, The Power of Social Work: Community Needs, Human Connections, focuses on an essential root of social work practice. From the beginning of professional social work, in what has been termed the Settlement Movement, the community and its diverse networks have been forefront in social work practice. In fact, social worker Jane Adams was one of the first women to receive a Nobel Peace Prize for her work in establishing the American Settlement Houses for immigrants at the turn of the century. Today, Americans enjoy many privileges because early social workers saw miseries and injustices and took action. Many of the benefits we take for granted came about because social workers, working with families and institutions spoke out against abuse and neglect. Workers enjoy unemployment insurance, disability pay, worker's compensation and social security. People with mental illness and development disabilities are now afforded humane treatment. Medicaid and Medicare give poor, disabled and elderly people access to health care. Society seeks to prevent child abuse and neglect. Treatment for mental illness and substance abuse is gradually losing its stigma. More than 15 million people are helped by social workers every year. Social workers are well educated and experienced professionals. Only those who have earned social work degrees and completed a minimum number of hours in a supervised fieldwork are social workers.  Social service employees, caseworkers and volunteer workers who have not obtained these credentials are not professional social workers.  Social workers can be found in schools, hospitals, community organizations, government agencies, research organizations, nursing homes and private practice to name a few. They address problems as varied as substance abuse, family conflicts, workplace tension, health problems, disabilities, mental illness, inadequate housing, poverty and violence. Social workers work directly with individuals and families as well as in public policy, administration, research, community organizing and advocacy.  MUSC and UMA employ professional social workers. They are a key part of the interdisciplinary health care team providing psychosocial assessments, follow up services, such as discharge planning, as well as administration and research.  Social workers are the nation's largest group of mental health service providers—more than psychiatrists, psychologists and psychiatric nurses combined. Federal law recognizes social work as one of the four core mental health professions by the National Institute of Mental Health and currently, 43 percent of all disaster mental health volunteers for the American Red Cross are social workers. Their contributions were instrumental in helping the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. Regardless of context or specialty, social workers focus on bridging the gap between resources and services and the people who need them. They help people from all walks of life use their own personal power to overcome life's adversities and shape the programs and policies that strengthen families and community life. In recognition of Social Work Month, Ambulatory Care Social Work Services is sponsoring a presentation, Community Updates: Access to Healthcare, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on March 21in room 125 Gazes. For information contact  Melicia Hunter at 876-0587. MUSC Social Work will host a workshop presented by the Charleston County Department of Social Services entitled, DSS: New initiatives in Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect from 9 a.m. to noon on March 22 at 2W Amphitheater. For information contact Denise Prentice at 792-9426.    Social work practice The NASW publication “What Social Workers Do” identifies 45 distinct areas of social work practice.  They include: mental health case management, disaster relief, military social programs, rural social work, adoption, child welfare practice, family preservation services, homeless family assistance, eating disorders, genetics, hospital social work, crisis intervention, school violence, aging case management, depression, institutional care facilities and housing, hospice care, outpatient treatment, criminal justice, housing, public welfare, consulting, political development, community mental health, employee assistance programs, private practice, veterans services, child abuse, domestic violence, foster care, parent education, family planning, HIV/AIDS, school alternative programs, difficulties in school, aging services, community-based services, in-home services, senile dementia and alzheimer's, addictions treatment, drug abuse prevention, development disabilities, international social work, advocacy, and program planning.