From the Director
It's Time to Tell Profession's Story
By Elizabeth J. Clark, Ph.D., ACSW, MPH
 Each
March during Social Work Month, I get to attend numerous chapter
conferences and participate in social work celebrations around
the country. One of the privileges of my job is getting to meet
NASW members, and I am always impressed by their professional
competency, commitment and dedication.
I also frequently attend a variety of other meetings, policy
related and substantive. In the past several months, some of these
meetings have raised alarms for social work. Chapter executives
have told me that social work licensure is being challenged in
their states. Some states report attempts to circumvent mandated
use of licensed social workers by creating new licensing categories,
such as "licensed human services professional."
We are also beginning to see the development or suggestion of
other semi-professional roles, such as "certified peer counselor"
and "patient navigator." While many of us recognize
the value of peer support, what differentiates these new positions
is that they seem to be structured to take the place of positions
traditionally held by professional social workers. There appears
to be a lack of awareness that social workers are already performing,
or are well prepared to perform, these roles.
Even more troubling is the public perception of our profession.
NASW has been conducting research to form the basis for a national
public education campaign. I recently observed two public focus
groups that discussed social work. Some of the comments made by
fairly sophisticated participants were startling. They questioned
whether or not social work was really a profession and whether
or not an individual needed any formal training to be a social
worker. Their understanding was influenced by negative news stories
about the child welfare system.
These examples serve to highlight how important it is for the
field of social work to come together and launch a national public
education campaign with a unified mission and a strong message.
This is the opportunity to tell the story of our profession.
This critical work cannot be completed without the support of
NASW's members. A public education campaign is a tremendous undertaking,
requiring resources ranging from consulting fees to the cost of
developing an intensive, strategic multimedia plan. I urge you
to log on to the NASW Web site to learn more about this campaign
and how you can become involved.
As social workers, all too often, we remain in the background,
helping and encouraging others to make choices, to take new chances,
and sometimes, to reinvent themselves. It may be time for social
workers to reinvent the profession, or at least to re-educate
the public about the necessity and importance of the social work
role. It is imperative that the next generation of social workers
receive a legacy as strong as the one we inherited. Working together,
we can make that happen.
To comment to Elizabeth J. Clark: newscolumn@naswdc.org
For NASW Social Work Public Education Campaign information:
www.naswfoundation.org/imageCampaign/
From May 2004 NASW News. © 2004 National
Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved. NASW News
articles may be copied for personal use, but proper notice of
copyright and credit to the NASW News must appear on all copies
made. This permission does not apply to reproduction for advertising,
promotion, resale, or other commercial purposes.
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