NASW Foundation Launches Center for Workforce Studies

Preliminary Findings in National Study Raise Concerns About Future Supply of Professional Social Workers

WASHINGTON — The National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF) recently completed the first major national study of the licensed social work labor force. The preliminary findings, released March 17, 2005 , suggest that the supply of professional social workers may not be sufficient to meet the demands of an aging, “baby-boom” population. The study was implemented through a partnership with the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University at Albany School of Public Health.

One finding suggests that the social work labor force is older than the civilian labor force, with almost 30% of social workers over the age of 55. A second finding suggests that the current workforce is likely to decrease in the next two years, with almost 13% of survey respondents indicating their plans to leave their current positions. An insufficient supply of social workers would have a devastating impact on the social services network available to older adults, children and their families.

The full report will be released later this year, along with analyses of four key social work practice areas: aging, children and families, health, and behavioral health.

According to Toby Weismiller, ACSW, director of the Center, “The data on the front line workforce just does not exist right now. No one has really tracked the roles or career paths of professional social workers in a wide range of practice settings on this scale.”

“The founding of the Center for Workforce Studies is a major step for the NASW Foundation,” said Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH, president of the Foundation and executive director of NASW. “The Center gives us the ability to gather important data about the social work workforce and to use that information to strengthen the profession and the quality of services available to clients.”

The social work labor force studies will help determine trends in employment, training needs, and barriers to quality service delivery, as well as advance the role of social workers in different systems of care. The Center will also collect information from other data sources about social work employment and serve as a clearinghouse for research on the profession.

In addition to research, the Center for Workforce Studies will provide professional development and workforce training. “The Center will design training programs to improve the knowledge and skills of social workers in areas of emerging practice, such as genetics, pain management and gerontology,” adds Weismiller.

The Center is made possible through generous support from the Atlantic Philanthropies and the John H. Hartford Foundations whose missions are to improve the quality of life for older adults. Other funding partners for the national study of licensed social workers include the Annie E. Casey Foundation, whose interest is in services to children and families, and the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, whose interest is in the health and behavioral health frontline workforce.

For more information about the Center, please visit www.socialworkers.org .

March is National Professional Social Work Month. Social Workers. Help Starts Here.

The National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF), in Washington , DC , focuses on enhancing the well-being of individuals, families, and communities through the advancement of social work practice.