NASW Supports Legislation Providing College Loan Forgiveness for Social Workers in Child Welfare

Washington — The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) commends Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) and Senators Mike DeWine (R-OH) and John D. “Jay” Rockefeller IV (D-WV) for introducing legislation designed to bring more highly trained professional social workers into child welfare and help reduce high turnover among social workers in the field.

According to NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH, “This legislation is long overdue, and NASW—representing 150,000 social workers—thanks the Members for recognizing the need to attract and keep more highly trained professional social workers within the field of child welfare.”

The public has high expectations for child welfare workers, yet severe labor shortages and high turnover rates make it difficult for states to hire and maintain a workforce that can adequately care for the most vulnerable children.

“Vulnerable children and families ultimately suffer the consequences of limited resources. By providing loan forgiveness, this legislation takes a significant step toward building a more effective child welfare system—one that can deliver on the promise of improving child safety, permanence, and well being,” Clark adds.

A survey conducted by NASW in 1994 on students' career choices found that students who were not attracted to the child welfare field generally cited low salaries, large caseloads, insufficient opportunities for professional growth, and the system's lack of resources and effectiveness. In terms of promising incentives, the most frequent responses, particularly among students who were not planning child welfare careers, focused on the forgiveness of student loans and better salaries.

Recently, NASW, along with the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), urged states to commit to hiring an adequate number of social workers to ensure that children and families involved in the child welfare system receive the attention and services they deserve. They were also asked to commit to creating reasonable caseloads and workloads with adequate compensation. Currently, the average child welfare worker caseload is twice that recommended by recognized national standards of practice. NASW also urged states to compensate workers for formal education and reward them for valuable experience or participating in continuing education or certification programs designed to improve job performance.

Clark is hopeful that this legislation will encourage social workers who otherwise may have gone into other fields to consider child welfare. “Our children are the most vulnerable citizens and it’s our responsibility to take care of them to the best of our ability,” she adds.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 153,000 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 work and through its advocacy.