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“We are creating the framework that will help educate and empower future generations of social work professionals,” said Dr. Halaevalu F. O. Vakalahi, president and CEO of CSWE. “What we’ve accomplished in our past has been remarkable yet it provides no guarantees for our futures. CSWE must continue to evolve and innovate to meet the unique challenges and opportunities facing the social work profession today and tomorrow. By prioritizing leadership development, student engagement, and the promise of new technologies, CSWE will continue to meet its mission to advance excellence and innovation in social work education for the next 75 years and beyond.”
The plan identifies three key goals and objectives:
Prioritizing social work students: Recently, CSWE expanded its membership program to include students from the more than 900 social work programs accredited by the organization. As such, CSWE is pledging to increase student representation on its commissions, councils, task forces, events, and other leadership opportunities.
CSWE will be more accessible and responsive to the needs of its student members by creating and supporting student initiatives, providing opportunities for socialization and mentorship, and increasing student-focused funding and resources.
Social work students are the future of the profession, and the workforce is ready to meet them. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that more than 60,000 social work jobs will be added each year through 2030. CSWE is committed to ensuring that students feel supported, empowered, and well-resourced as they leave academia and begin their careers in the field.
Provide leadership on emerging technologies: The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and other disruptive technologies will undoubtedly present opportunities and challenges for social work education and the social work profession. CSWE is positioning itself to be a leader and a critical resource in this area by identifying those opportunities and challenges and working with those impacted to navigate them. In the process, CSWE seeks to increase social work representation in interdisciplinary technology groups.
Develop and empower transformative, principled leaders: CSWE’s core values are rooted firmly in the principles of respect, justice, excellence, diversity, equity, and inclusion—as is the social work profession more broadly. It is critical then that we increase the number of leaders who uphold those values and stand with our accredited social work education programs to effect change on behalf of society at-large.
Doing so requires an emphasis on communicating the value of social work education and of the profession more broadly. It also requires CSWE to expand its membership and ensure that the organization is providing its members with meaningful benefits, including the tools and resources needed to advocate on behalf of the social work profession.
And especially in the context of the current political environment, CSWE reaffirms its commitment to those core values related to anti-racism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
To read the strategic plan in English, click here. [Para leer el plan estratégico en español haga clic aquí.]
Founded in 1952, CSWE is the national association representing social work education in the United States. Its members include more than 900 accredited baccalaureate and master’s degree social work programs and their affiliated social work educators, students, and staff, as well as practitioners and agencies dedicated to advancing quality social work education. Through its many educational initiatives, activities, and centers, CSWE supports quality social work education and provides opportunities for leadership and professional development so that social workers are empowered to play a central role in achieving the profession’s goals of social and economic justice. Likewise, CSWE’s Board of Accreditation is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the sole accrediting agency for social work education in the United States and its territories.
Published on : July 1, 2025
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) has released its new 5-year strategic plan that will carry the organization through its 75th anniversary and beyond. The plan identifies three key goals aimed at improving support for social work educators, students, and practitioners. It also updates the organization’s core purpose, mission, and values.“We are creating the framework that will help educate and empower future generations of social work professionals,” said Dr. Halaevalu F. O. Vakalahi, president and CEO of CSWE. “What we’ve accomplished in our past has been remarkable yet it provides no guarantees for our futures. CSWE must continue to evolve and innovate to meet the unique challenges and opportunities facing the social work profession today and tomorrow. By prioritizing leadership development, student engagement, and the promise of new technologies, CSWE will continue to meet its mission to advance excellence and innovation in social work education for the next 75 years and beyond.”
The plan identifies three key goals and objectives:
Prioritizing social work students: Recently, CSWE expanded its membership program to include students from the more than 900 social work programs accredited by the organization. As such, CSWE is pledging to increase student representation on its commissions, councils, task forces, events, and other leadership opportunities.
CSWE will be more accessible and responsive to the needs of its student members by creating and supporting student initiatives, providing opportunities for socialization and mentorship, and increasing student-focused funding and resources.
Social work students are the future of the profession, and the workforce is ready to meet them. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that more than 60,000 social work jobs will be added each year through 2030. CSWE is committed to ensuring that students feel supported, empowered, and well-resourced as they leave academia and begin their careers in the field.
Provide leadership on emerging technologies: The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and other disruptive technologies will undoubtedly present opportunities and challenges for social work education and the social work profession. CSWE is positioning itself to be a leader and a critical resource in this area by identifying those opportunities and challenges and working with those impacted to navigate them. In the process, CSWE seeks to increase social work representation in interdisciplinary technology groups.
Develop and empower transformative, principled leaders: CSWE’s core values are rooted firmly in the principles of respect, justice, excellence, diversity, equity, and inclusion—as is the social work profession more broadly. It is critical then that we increase the number of leaders who uphold those values and stand with our accredited social work education programs to effect change on behalf of society at-large.
Doing so requires an emphasis on communicating the value of social work education and of the profession more broadly. It also requires CSWE to expand its membership and ensure that the organization is providing its members with meaningful benefits, including the tools and resources needed to advocate on behalf of the social work profession.
And especially in the context of the current political environment, CSWE reaffirms its commitment to those core values related to anti-racism, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
To read the strategic plan in English, click here. [Para leer el plan estratégico en español haga clic aquí.]
Founded in 1952, CSWE is the national association representing social work education in the United States. Its members include more than 900 accredited baccalaureate and master’s degree social work programs and their affiliated social work educators, students, and staff, as well as practitioners and agencies dedicated to advancing quality social work education. Through its many educational initiatives, activities, and centers, CSWE supports quality social work education and provides opportunities for leadership and professional development so that social workers are empowered to play a central role in achieving the profession’s goals of social and economic justice. Likewise, CSWE’s Board of Accreditation is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the sole accrediting agency for social work education in the United States and its territories.