NASW Applauds Passage of Social Work Month and World Social Work Day Resolution

U.S. Congress Recognizes Contributions of Professional Social Workers

Washington, DC - On March 17, the Social Work Month and World Social Work Day Resolution, H. RES. 240, passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 421 – 0.  The resolution was introduced by Rep. Carol Shea-Porter from New Hampshire.  Representative Shea-Porter is one of nine social workers in Congress.

The resolution recognizes with gratitude the contributions of the 600,000 social workers who have chosen to serve millions of people each day through their work, and encourages young people to seek out educational and professional opportunities to become social workers.

The focus of this year’s national Social Work Month observance is the future of social work and the need to recruit more students into the profession.  The Social Work Month 2009 theme—Social Work: Purpose and Possibility—highlights the infinite possibilities and connections that social workers make in the lives of individuals, families and communities. It also showcases the range of career opportunities available to those who choose the profession.

Socially conscious students, who may have limited knowledge of social work, are encouraged to review profiles of more than 50 dedicated professionals on a new interactive web site: http://50ways.helpstartshere.org. While on the site, they may also take a social work career quiz, link to schools of social work, and learn more about diverse social work career paths.

“Social workers’ service makes our communities stronger,” says Rep. Shea-Porter. “As the need for social workers is expected to grow at a rate much faster than average, we must attract new people to the profession and retain the dedicated professionals we already have.  Through this resolution we honor our nation’s social workers, and thank them for caring for us each day.”

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 150,000 members. It promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.