Advocacy

Alison Mohr Boleware, LMSW Government Relations Director National Association of Social Workers Texas Chapter SB 8, the “Heartbeat Bill”, goes into effect in Texas on Sept. 1, 2021. The new law allows any private citizen to sue someone for “aiding and abetting” an abortion. Aiding and abetting is laid out in chapter 7 of the Texas Penal Code, but is ... Read More »

By Mel Wilson, MBA, LCSW NASW Senior Policy Advisor Haiti on Aug. 14 was hit with a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that has killed more than 2,000 people and injured more than 12,000.  The true scope of the disaster is unknown and the death toll will likely rise in coming days. Haiti was in crisis before this latest disaster. Haitians have ... Read More »

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is an official partner in the August 28, 2021, March on For Voting Rights. Marches will take place virtually and in-person in five flagship cities—Atlanta, Miami, Houston, Phoenix and Washington, D.C.—as well as in other cities across America. We are calling on the nation’s 700,000+ social workers to save the date for the March on ... Read More »

NASW Virtual Congressional Advocacy Day By Lee Westgate, MSW, MBA, LCSW-C NASW Manager of Policy and Advocacy Social work is sometimes divided into two seemingly disparate worlds: policy and practice. In truth, these are not separate domains. Sound social policy is informed by the voices, the front-line stories, and  insights from practitioners. Advocacy is the means by which we tell ... Read More »

By Mel Wilson, MBA, LCSW NASW Senior Policy Advisor The U.S. District Court in Houston on July 16 issued a decision that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program is unlawful, thereby partially halting it. The decision declaring DACA unlawful is based on flawed legal interpretation but more than that it punishes millions of DACA recipients and their families. In essence, the ruling ... Read More »

  The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) on July 7 co-hosted an exclusive executive briefing with the White House which brought together key Biden-Harris Administration officials and social work leaders. Administration officials provided a real-time update on their key priorities and successes to date including COVID-19 recovery, vaccine uptake, expanding health and mental health care coverage, plans for climate ... Read More »

By Sam Hickman, MSW Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers West Virginia Chapter The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) West Virginia Chapter, and the other state advocacy groups, are cognizant of our state’s unique position in current national politics, and our role in passing several major pieces of federal legislation. In particular, we are working through multiple ... Read More »

    By Mel Wilson, MBA, LCSW NASW Senior Policy Advisor Just  days after the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2021(MORE Act) was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Amazon, the nation’s second largest private employer, announced it will  no longer test most of its 1.3 million employees for marijuana. At the same time, Amazon publicly stated ... Read More »

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the rest of the Civil Rights and Social Justice community should be elated that the nation now has a seasoned and committed head of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights division. On June 25th, the  Senate confirmed  Kristen Clarke as the first Black woman to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights division. ... Read More »

April 30, 2021 About Social Work Responds The Association of Social Work Boards, the Council on Social Work Education, and the National Association of Social Workers are committed to collaborating on the range of issues affecting the social work profession and the people and communities we serve. Follow Up The CSWE Commission on Educational Policy and Commission on Accreditation released ... Read More »