NASW Initiatives
Social Work Month is an opportune time each year to organize multiple outreach activities that enhance the public awareness of social work. It adds the value of timeliness to any information you distribute to the media and your community.
The National Association of Social Workers has year-round activities that promote awareness of social work every day. Work goes on all year long through National, NASW Chapters and individuals to promote and advance the profession.
Social Work Month is the time to combine these activities – highlighting ongoing activities of the Association with the timely local celebrations taking place in March.
Connection to the National Social Work Public Education Campaign
The National Social Work Public Education Campaign is a multi-year effort led by NASW to improve the public perceptions of social work. The goals of the campaign are to:
- increase the awareness of and respect for the social work profession
- educate the public on the breadth and depth of social work practice
- expand perceptions of who can benefit from social work services
- attract young people and career changers to the profession
The tools for the campaign are designed to complement annual Social Work Month efforts. Feel free to integrate information that is provided through the campaign with the tools provided here for Social Work Month 2008 to offer the public the most compelling view of social work.
New video from the National Social Work Public Education Campaign
On Any Given Day: Social Workers Help. The Public Education Campaign recently created a five-minute video to educate people about all the important work that social workers do. It highlights three social workers who work to effect change with individuals, families and communities. Use this video to educate people about the importance of the social work profession. Email media@naswdc.org for more information. Click here to obtain a copy.
Connection to the Social Work Reinvestment Initiative
2008 marks a major legislative initiative that the National Association of Social Workers will undertake to focus on the profession with the Social Work Reinvestment Initiative (SWRI). Social Work Month is a time when the profession receives increased attention from the media. As Social Work Month is our annual opportunity to educate people about the profession and issues important to social workers, there is a direct connection that can be made to the outreach surrounding SWRI. The goals of SWRI complement the goals of Social Work Month and the theme “Building on Strengths: Help Starts Here” provides a good frame from which to make the case for reinvesting in the profession.
The Social Work Reinvestment Initiative is a collaborative effort among social work organizations to secure federal and state investments to recruit, train and retain professional social workers – and to support research that improves social, human and health service outcomes.
NASW, with the ANSWER coalition acting in an advisory capacity, plans to introduce the Social Work Reinvestment Act, and to lobby for additional pieces of social work-specific legislation which will provide government support for the social work profession. This SWRI legislation will be introduced in early 2008.
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