Social Work Advocacy Day

The Social Work Advocacy Day held on March 3, 2011 promoted the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), while also focusing on relevant bills in the 2011 legislative agenda. Hundreds of social workers convened at the capitol to advocate for the interests of social workers. We proudly adorned ourselves with teals scarves and accessories to create a unified presence. After a brief orientation session in the morning, all volunteers split in to teams to meet with over 90% of representatives and senators.

I was assigned to meet with Rob Eissler and  Rodney Ellis to speak about the importance of social workers in the public sphere. Neither Eissler nor Ellis were available to speak with us directly, but we communicated at length with their respective legislative assistants about the importance of specific bills on the legislative agenda.

Our team primarily emphasized the need for a Social Work Center for Workforce Studies (HB 2068). If approved, this facility will conduct research on workforce trends and practice needs for social service. The enormous cuts impending on social service agencies will force the profession to be very efficient with services with an increased understanding of how to be effective to help those in need. The Workforce Center requires no funding, and instead will be paid for by social workers based on an additional $10 fee for NASW licensure. The Workforce Center is well aligned with healthcare issues, which will be the forefront of research for the center. The bill is currently under review by the Health and Human Services Committee.

Social workers also pushed to increase their scope of practice in healthcare based on a bill proposed by Jessica Farrar. The bill (HB 823) adds social workers under the definition of a "volunteer healthcare provider" in the Civil Practice and Remedies Code. This bill would give liability protection for social workers volunteering with charitable organizations during a disaster. This encourages volunteerism in the health care field, with the ability to compensate for many of the healthcare services that will be cut in the near future. This bill is currently under consideration by the committee on House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence.

All in all, Social Work Advocacy Day was a great success. We believe that representatives and senators are more aware of the contingent of social workers in Texas. We hope that they take our efforts in mind when voting on bills that may significantly impact our ability to conduct quality work for vulnerable populations.

Click to here learn about NASW's legislative agenda, and what you can do to get involved.