Stand up for your profession. Support the Social Work Reinvestment Act with NASW’s first virtual lobby day with social workers from across the country on April 28.
NASW state and national leaders will be in Washington, DC to lobby their Members of Congress on Thursday, April 28, 2011 in support of the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act (HR 1106/S. 584). They need your help to ensure that this lobby day is as effective as possible.
Please plan to take a few minutes between Monday, April 25, and Thursday, April 28 to contact your Members of Congress. It can be as easy as sending an email to your Representative and Senators or you can personalize your message and contact them by phone. Your voice is critical as Members of Congress must hear from their constituents in order to understand and support legislation. It is up to us to stand up for our profession and ensure that social work services are protected and promoted so we can continue to care for millions of clients each day.
The Social Work Reinvestment Act will support professional social workers by creating a Social Work Reinvestment Commission to analyze workforce challenges such as low salaries, high educational debt, and safety concerns, and provide a comprehensive analysis on how they may impact the future of social service delivery in the U.S. Additionally, the bill will fund demonstration programs to address “on-the-ground” realities in the areas of workplace improvements, education and training, research, and community based programs of excellence. Although the nation is understandably facing a moment when fiscal responsibility is essential, this legislation will save money in the long-run as a struggling social work profession will have far-reaching and long-term negative consequences for our country.
Since 2007, over 100,000 social workers have contacted their members of Congress in support of this bill and we want to double that number in the 112th Congress. For more information on the Social Work Reinvestment Act, please view the bills, a fact sheet, and important points or visit www.socialworkreinvestment.org. Don’t forget to sign up for the NASW Advocacy listserv to stay up to date on all of our legislative activity.
