Published on : March 20, 2020
The three largest social work organizations in the United States are calling social work practitioners, students, faculty, employers, regulators, policy makers, and all interested parties to action.
The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) acknowledge that we are all living in a very tumultuous time. Clear thinking is essential but can be made more difficult because of overwhelming emotions - our own and those around us. ASWB, CSWE and NASW encourage everyone to take the time necessary for self-care and to prioritize the needs of your own health, the health of your families, and the safety of our communities.
The supply chain for the next generation of social workers entering the field has been disrupted and will remain so for the foreseeable future. Given the need for social distancing, students are facing challenges in completing course and field requirements. Creating even more difficulty, testing sites are closing, and when they reopen, it will likely take months to address the backlog.
We hold social workers up as a valuable resource during this public health crisis. We must all work together to develop solutions that are creative and flexible to manage the current disruption in the supply chain that will lead to a shortage of social workers. This virus and our understanding of it is evolving much more quickly than regulation or policy can. We need a competent social work workforce to be available now and to be prepared to enter the workforce in a timely manner to meet the growing need for health and human services. Whatever barriers that threaten the supply of social workers entering the field must be evaluated to determine their necessity in this time of crisis. We ask employers, regulators, social work educational programs, and policy makers to identify and eliminate unnecessary barriers and to develop creative solutions to help social workers meet competency requirements.
- Accredited programs could exercise flexibility in the delivery of field education.
- State licensing bodies could be more flexible with time frames for acquiring and maintaining a social work license.
- Employers could consider allowing a grace period for license-eligible individuals to start employment with the understanding that they need to earn their license within a specified period.
We call for these actions so that social workers are available to provide the services that are so needed during this global pandemic.
About ASWB
The Association of Social Work Boards is the nonprofit association of social work regulatory bodies in the United States and Canada. Members include 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., the U.S. territories of the Virgin Islands and Guam, the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and all 10 Canadian provinces. ASWB’s mission is to provide support and services to the social work regulatory community to advance safe, competent, and ethical practices to strengthen public protection.
About CSWE
Founded in 1952, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is the national association representing social work education in the United States. Its members include over 800 accredited baccalaureate and master’s degree social work programs, as well as individual social work educators, practitioners, and agencies dedicated to advancing quality social work education.
About NASW
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is a membership organization that works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional standards for all social workers, and to advance social justice. Founded in 1955, NASW advocates on behalf of the 700,000 social workers in the United States. Our goal is to enhance the quality and effectiveness of social work practice to support the well-being of individuals, families and communities.