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Landmark Study Warns of Impending Labor Force Shortages
For Social Work Profession
Services to Millions Threatened
[Washington, DC] [March 8, 2006] – At a news conference today,
the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) released the results
of a national study of licensed social workers. The findings
warn of an impending shortage of social workers that threaten future
services for all Americans, especially the most vulnerable among
us, children and older adults.
“From adoption to geriatrics, hundreds of thousands of social
workers in the United States play a critical role in the lives of
millions of Americans,” says Tracy Whitaker, director of the
NASW Center for Workforce Studies. “The findings of this
study emphasize the need to assure a qualified social work labor
force for the future. Predicted changes in the country’s demographics
over the next years are expected to increase the demand for social
work services.”
NASW conducted the study, “Assuring the Sufficiency of a Frontline
Workforce: A National Study of Licensed Social Workers” in
response to a sense of urgency to plan for future needs for the social
work profession. The study was conducted with the Center for Health
Workforce Studies, University at Albany. Funding for this research
was made possible by the generosity of The Atlantic Philanthropies,
the John A. Hartford Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and
the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Study Findings
The number of new social workers providing services to older
adults is decreasing, despite projected increases in the number
of older adults who will need social work services. Social
workers provide valuable services to older adults and their families.
They help clients to negotiate the healthcare and social welfare
systems, to provide resources essential to living and to address
the challenges that come with aging. With the aging
of the baby boom generation and breakthroughs in medicine contributing
to longer life spans, the number and percentage of Americans 60 years
of age and older will surge. The need and demand for social
work services for the aging will increase dramatically. Linda
Harootyan, deputy director of The Gerontological Society of America,
spoke about the challenges social workers face in aging-related practice.
“For older adults with complex care needs, social workers
are often the linchpins helping individuals and their families coordinate
and navigate a care plan involving multiple providers and support
systems,” says Brian Hofland, director of the Aging Program
at The Atlantic Philanthropies. “With the aging of the
huge baby boom cohort, it is critical that we have adequate numbers
of trained and active geriatric social workers to meet the tremendous
needs; the results of the NASW study underscore how far we have to
go in meeting that goal.”
The supply of licensed social workers is insufficient to
meet the needs of organizations serving children and families. Social
workers fill a vital role in serving children and their families
through an array of services, such as counseling, case management,
information and referral, and crisis intervention, in diverse settings. The
NASW study points out that the social work profession has maintained
its historical commitment to providing services to children and families,
yet social workers face serious challenges that hinder their retention
in the field. William Bell, president and CEO of Casey Family
Programs, spoke about issues social workers face related to foster
care.
Workload expansion plus fewer resources impedes social worker
retention.
Social workers in a variety of settings described increased workloads
and diminished supports. In health care settings, social workers
see clients with a broad range of diagnoses, especially chronic medical
conditions, psychosocial stressors, acute medical conditions, co-occurring
disorders and physical disabilities. Social workers are also
the largest providers of mental health services in the country. However,
steady increases in client caseloads, the severity of client problems,
in addition to diminishing resources make meeting the needs of clients
more difficult. Ellen Stovall, president and CEO of the National
Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, spoke about the critical role
of social workers with oncology patients.
Agencies struggle to fill social work vacancies. In
all areas of social work practice, unfilled vacancies were an issue. Agencies
have resorted to outsourcing and hiring non-professional staff to
fill empty slots, an indicator of current labor market supply deficits.
Because more than half of health care social workers work in hospitals
in metropolitan areas, an additional challenge is to provide comprehensive
services to people living in rural areas.
“Social workers are one of the largest and most diverse health
professions in the United States,” says Dr. Elizabeth Clark,
executive director of NASW. “They have the education
and training to look at how all factors in a person’s life – family,
work, health and mental health – work together. This study
highlights the need to find new and innovative ways for the social
work profession to retain the current workforce and recruit new social
workers to accommodate the impending demand.”
This compelling study calls into question the sufficiency of the
critical frontline workforce, particularly to serve the increasing
needs of aging baby boomers. The findings of this research
are driving future activities in the social work profession. For
complete information about NASW’s Center for Workforce Studies
and the national survey of licensed social workers in the United
States, please visit http://workforce.socialworkers.org.
About NASW
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington,
D.C., is the largest membership organization of professional social
workers in the world. NASW seeks to enhance the well-being
of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SCHEDULE INTERVIEWS – CONTACT
ALLISON NADELHAFT AT 202-336-8228 OR DAN RENE AT 202-347-1952.
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