Social Workers Lobby for Children’s Mental Health

NASW Partners with other advocacy groups to support Children’s Mental Health Day

Washington – More than 20 percent of youth aged 12-17 received treatment or counseling for emotional or behavioral problems in 2003. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), representing more than 150,000 social workers across the country, is working with the National Mental Health Association and the Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health to advocate for the advancement of children’s mental health services.

NASW is co-sponsoring a briefing at 11:30 a.m. on May 8 in 325 Russell Senate Office Building that will highlight the importance of parity for mental health services, particularly for children. The National Children’s Mental Health Day Briefing includes speaker Charles Wilson, MSSW, executive director of the Chadwick Center for Children and Families, where he oversees a large multi-service child and family maltreatment organization providing prevention, intervention, medical assessment and trauma treatment services along with professional education and research. Mr. Wilson will be speaking about the importance of addressing the mental health needs of children and their families, and the role of social work in addressing those needs.

NASW champions several legislative initiatives related to mental health. In particular, NASW supports the Keeping Families Together Act of 2005 (S. 380/H.R. 823) which establishes a state family support grant program designed to end the tragedy of parents having to relinquish custody of their children with serious emotional disturbances to state agencies for the sole purpose of obtaining mental health services for them. Additionally, NASW supports federal mental health parity legislation (HR.1402), but it opposes the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization & Affordability Act (S. 1955), which preempts state mental health parity laws that guarantee coverage for mental health services and access to clinical social work services.

Wilson will cite a recent study by NASW’s Center for Workforce Studies to emphasize that better outcomes for children can only happen when there is a well-trained, robust workforce. This study revealed that there may not be a sufficient supply of social workers to meet the needs of children and families. While the profession remains committed as a frontline service provider to children and their families, organizations serving children and families are experiencing stressors that hinder their ability to retain licensed social work professionals.

For more information about NASW’s advocacy on behalf of children and their families, please visit http://www.socialworkers.org/advocacy/default.asp. For more information about the Center for Workforce Studies national study of licensed social workers, please visit http://workforce.socialworkers.org.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 145,000 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 advocacy.