From April 2002 NASW NEWS
Copyright ©2002, National Association of Social Workers, Inc.

Candidates for President-Elect Q&A

As in the past, the NEWS asked the candidates for NASW president-elect to answer four questions we believe are of interest to members. The candidates' answers appear on this page. The questions are:

1. How can NASW and social workers best address societal problems and public policy issues linked to terrorism?

2. Inadequate social work salaries have been a major, ongoing concern for many members. In a slumping economy, how should NASW address this problem?

3. NASW has a dual advocacy mission, encompassing both professional issues (such as social workers' salaries) and public policy issues (such as health care or welfare reform). If you had to choose one area or the other as being the more urgent for members today, which would it be, and why?

4. The association has "mega-chapters," such as the one you belong to, that have wide-ranging programs, but it also has 28 chapters that rely on Chapter Development Fund monies just to maintain basic operations. How should NASW address this disparity?

Manuel F. Fimbres, MSW, ACSW

California Chapter

1. We must work for justice. It seems to me that wherever there is an injustice, sooner or later a violent response will follow. Therefore, we must work for a more just established order.

I would start by making sure that all social workers can define "justice." I would also suggest that all social work students study the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. All social workers should read this document. Then we should study our society from the perspective of this document in order to see if all of these human rights are both recognized and protected in the USA.

2. A slumping economy may actually be a golden opportunity. Why? The county is now relying on government for answers. Social welfare is very closely linked with government. In a booming economy, big government is seen as undesirable. Not so in a slumping economy.

NASW must be a player in designing emerging federal and state stimuli packages for the economy to make sure that the social work profession will benefit. NASW must also advocate for just payments to social workers in private practice participating in HMOs, in the mental health field and in other private settings.

I am also a firm believer in unions. Wherever possible, every major employer of social workers should be a unionized setting. The various expertise of social workers, including language and cultural competence, must be recognized and remunerated. There are a number of social workers scattered across the United States who are wonderful organizers, who can help the membership get unionized.

3. Public policy issues are broader and more encompassing. Therefore, public policy could be written to address the professional issues. Good public policy has many beneficiaries.

We must stop thinking in terms of "either-or" and start thinking in terms of "both-and." Therefore, I will try to find ways to enable NASW to fulfill its dual mission, even while seemingly focusing on one of the parts of the mission.

4. This is a very difficult question, and there are no easy answers. It must be remembered that this problem is a part of a greater problem—the way the association is organized and the way it is doing business. But since the association cannot afford to continue existing the way it is currently structured, the association must come up with a plan of action.

It would be easy to say that the principle of the greater good should prevail. This would ignore the fact that social workers who are NASW members are scattered throughout the country. They are not exclusively concentrated in large cities. They are to be found in mid-size cities, in small towns and in rural areas. This enables the profession to be the biggest provider of mental health services in the nation—especially to seniors. This is a strength of the profession.

How can the association meet the needs of these widely dispersed social workers? In the process of finding a solution, I would make sure that the Council of Chapter Presidents, the Council of Chapter Executives and the Board of Directors would be involved.

In justice, the association has a duty to its members. What is the best way to meet that duty? What are the possible ways the association can organize itself to meet this obligation it has to its members? The association is not obligated to continue with an organizational structure it cannot afford. Furthermore, a balance must be struck in order to have a strong national organization and functional chapters and units on the local level meeting the membership's needs.

Gary Bailey, MSW

Massachusetts Chapter

1. NASW can best address societal problems and public policy issues linked to terrorism on several levels.

In the public policy arena, it is imperative that NASW promote and advance our social work values and beliefs. Any response to terrorism should not be made at the expense of other vulnerable populations. NASW is uniquely situated to provide the thoughtful leadership needed in these uncertain times, as well as to facilitate discourse so that we, as a society, can move forward.

We also have a responsibility at the societal level to advocate on behalf of those who before recent events were politically, socially and economically marginalized. NASW's continued support of the work being done by committees such as the Peace and Social Justice Committee, the National Committee on Ethnic and Racial Diversity and the International Activities Committee only serves to enhance our organizational effectiveness.

Continued involvement and participation is also needed at the chapter level, as chapters work to increase the availability of social services and social work jobs and, in particular, to develop trauma and disaster relief expertise and capacity so that we will be even better prepared to respond to future incidents, should they occur. This additional training in these areas will be of benefit both to the profession and the world in which we live.

2. Just as NASW has worked tirelessly on behalf of our clients for economic justice, reality dictates that we also work on our own behalf. NASW must continue its efforts to enhance the image of professional social workers. We have to let the public know who we are, as well as the enormous contribution social workers make to our nation, society and the world.

As an association, we need to develop an even stronger presence in the political arena (both at the national and local levels), where decisions are made that affect the bottom line of our personal and professional lives.

3. Clearly, inadequate salaries and compensation are of great concern to many of our members, and appropriately so! In this time of economic flux, it is imperative that NASW have as one of its top priorities the development of public policies at the chapter and national levels that positively impact social work salaries and compensation.

Some key areas of focus continue to be mental health parity, insurance reimbursement rate increases for social workers, increased federal investment at the state level for social and human services (increasing the payment rates for state and local contracts). The current fiscal realities make it imperative that NASW work with both the public and private sectors to ensure that social workers are not allowed to fall off the economic "road map."

In these rapidly changing times, it is important both for the profession as well as for our constituents that we are able to attract individuals who share our values and vision of a more just society. To that end, social workers deserve to be compensated both fairly and equitably for the services they provide.

Of course, public policy issues such as health care reform must be addressed as well, as they impact so directly on social work professional issues.

4. The unique needs of Chapter Development Fund (CDF) chapters, as well as their contribution to social work, cannot be taken lightly. NASW members in CDF chapters deserve the same diversity of services that exist in larger chapters.

As both a former association treasurer and as the current chair of the Membership and Chapter Coordinating Committee, I understand how important it is for smaller chapters to identify new and innovative ways both to support their activities and respond to the myriad of issues that affect CDF chapters and the communities in which they exist.

Mega-chapters should be encouraged to partner with CDF chapters at the regional level to support the development of new revenue-generating programs. CDF chapters should also be supported as they identify ways that they can work with and learn from one another.

As an association, we should foster continued awareness and acknowledgement of the important contribution CDF chapters make to NASW.

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