National Association of Social Workers

From the President

Ensuring the Child Welfare Lifeline

By Elvira Craig de Silva, DSW, ACSW

It seems that at least once a year, several high-profile child welfare cases temporarily refocus the public's attention on the unmet needs of America's abused and neglected children. Usually, people's reaction is one of shock and disbelief.

Because as social workers we are deeply involved in working with families and children at risk, we know all too well how pervasive and insidious this problem is. As social workers, we know what happens when people live too long in stressful situations, when they do not know where to turn for help, when there are no resources available to them and when they eventually lose hope.

In a March op-ed, New York Times columnist Bob Herbert asked, "How many times are we going to be shocked before serious steps are taken to alleviate the terrible suffering and prevent the horrible deaths of as many of these children as we can?"

Among numerous other important observances this month, April marks National Child Abuse Prevention Month — a fitting time to talk about NASW's continuing commitment to this field of practice.

As social workers and activists, we continually have pushed public and private institutions and communities to make the promise of safe and nurturing environments for all children a reality. Thousands of us choose to work every day with children and families facing the greatest obstacles, but it's clear the nation needs many more professional social workers engaged in this work.

Through research at the NASW Center for Workforce Studies, we know that social workers face serious challenges that hinder their retention in the area of child welfare.

Safety issues are a constant concern, turnover is significant, paperwork consumes the work day, caseloads are still too high, severity of client problems is increasing and service budgets always seem to be at risk.

William Bell, president and CEO of Casey Family Programs and a social worker, spoke eloquently at the workforce center's March 8 news conference in Washington. He reminded the audience that "social workers represent a lifeline to people who need to survive" and that it is our profession's responsibility "to ensure that the indispensable American safety net is never compromised."

In our newly revised public policy statements "Public Child Welfare" and "Child Abuse and Neglect," NASW reasserts its position that supervisors and managers in the child welfare system should be required to hold social work degrees; that continuing education and professional supports must be provided to retain the best and brightest in the field; and that social workers must work to promote public understanding and financial support for systems that serve vulnerable children and their families.

In addition to disseminating these policy statements to key stakeholders, NASW:

• Revised its professional standards for child welfare practice to help employers understand their responsibilities for ensuring quality services.
• Employs a full-time lobbyist dedicated to advocating legislation that helps retain social workers in the field.
• Offers social workers a professional credential that distinguishes their service knowledge with children, youth and families.
• Provides easy-to-understand information and resources about services for children and families on the HelpStartsHere.org Web site and through media outreach.
• Maintains relationships at the national, state and local levels with all major child welfare organizations and has members in leadership roles within these groups.
• Offers membership in two Specialty Practice Sections that provide resources for social workers who work with children and young people; nearly 1,500 professionals belong.

Social workers are sometimes associated with the disarray and tragedy that usually accompany media coverage of child welfare systems and the children they serve. All too often, social workers themselves are blamed for failing to act to protect children from the tragic circumstances they encounter. While we continue our work to correct misperceptions of the profession in this critical practice area, NASW has a new opportunity to take a leadership role in recruitment, retention and service quality.

We can rally to support additional loan-forgiveness legislation. We can thank governors, mayors and other elected officials who take bold steps to hire professional social workers at the top of their human service organizations. We can push leaders to provide additional training for individuals hired to serve children and offer better incentives to keep the most talented staff on the job. We can help implement workplace policies that improve worker safety. We can also strengthen recruitment efforts to ensure more diversity among new social workers who provide services to increasingly diverse children and families.

Several years ago, NASW co-authored a letter with the Child Welfare League of America to all the nation's governors about their responsibility to vulnerable children and families in their states. Several states have implemented notable changes since then, but perhaps it's time to remind our country's leaders once again that protecting and nurturing children should be a priority every day, not just when the cameras are rolling.

To comment to Elvira Craig de Silva: president@naswdc.org

From April 2006 NASW News. © 2006 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.