Social Work Month Theme 2026 Honors Social Work's Mission

By Paul R. Pace

Attendees visit their state capital during the NASW Arizona Chapter’s annual advocacy day in March 2025. About 300 social work students participated in the event.

The 2026 Social Work Month theme is “Social Work: Uplift. Defend. Transform.”

It honors the prime mission of the social work profession: to enhance human well-being, meet the basic human needs of all people, and put special attention on the needs of people who are vulnerable, oppressed and living in poverty.

NASW Communications Director Greg Wright said there are countless social workers who uplift others, such as NASW Social Worker of the Year Victor Armstrong, of North Carolina, a leading suicide prevention expert who helps connect people with the mental health support they need.

There are social workers who help defend, like Caitlin Ryan at the Family Acceptance Project in San Francisco. Ryan advocates for LGBTQ+ youth, helping them gain acceptance and support from their families, Wright said.

Last year, the winner of the short video reel contest for Social Work Month was “Compassion plus Action” from Byanca Beasley, a school social worker from Paulding County, Georgia. Her video is about how she helped a troubled teen who was thrown out of his home by his family.

There are social workers who transform, like NASW Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Georgia J. Anetzberger, of Ohio, who has worked for more than 50 years to ensure people who are growing older can live enriched, fulfilling lives with dignity.

The ability of social workers to uplift, defend and positively transform the millions of people they work with each day is needed now more than ever, Wright said, because our nation is experiencing a period of deep cultural, political and economic divide.

Social safety net programs such as Medicare and Medicaid face budget cuts. Voting rights are being rolled back in several states. Discrimination against certain populations, including transgender people and people of color, is on the rise. And our nation continues to face a mental health crisis, with suicide rates rising 36% between 2000 and 2022.

Social workers are on the front lines, helping individuals and communities so they can overcome personal and societal challenges and even thrive. Social workers also are adept at bringing people and communities together—no matter their political affiliation—so they can find common ground and work to improve the welfare of all people.

During Social Work Month this March, NASW will honor the profession and educate the public about its many contributions. Campaign highlights include:

• A Day in the Life of Social Workers series will feature videos from social workers from around the nation talking about what they experience each day and how they uplift, defend, and transform the people they work with.
• Media Tour/Op Ed Placements: NASW CEO Anthony Estreet will do a series of interviews with the media during Social Work Month.
• 101 Things to Do with a Social Work Degree: This video and podcast series with authors Melanie Sage and Laurel Hitchcock looks at the myriad places social workers work in our society and the positive contributions they make.
• Social Work Merchandise: NASW’s official vendor, Jim Coleman LTD, provides merchandise that can be used to promote the 2026 Social Work Month theme.
• What I Know Series: NASW Social Work Pioneers® will pair with newer professionals so both sides can share their experiences.
• Facebook/YouTube Live Event: “Social Workers: Uplift. Defend. Transform. Behind the Scenes.” Panels with social workers from multiple sectors will discuss what they are experiencing in the current political and social environment and what the profession must do to bring about positive change.

NASW also is providing resources for social workers and their supporters to spread the message of Social Work Month. A full list of activities and items can be found at SocialWorkMonth.org. These actions work, as proven by last year’s campaign. During that time, 429 million people engaged with the Social Work Month content shared by NASW, Wright said.

One suggestion to help share information during Social Work Month about the positive work social workers do is to use the hashtags #UpliftDefendTransform, #SWMonth2026, and #SocialWorkMonth.