Happy March! It’s National Professional Social Work Month and we’d like to celebrate! According to the National Professional Social Workers, “Every day, the nation’s 680,000 social workers work to empower and elevate millions of people, including some of the most vulnerable in our society.” Social workers are amazing advocates for our Legacy Health Services residents and we’d like to recognize the remarkable impact they have on them. We thank you for your true dedication and hard work towards making Legacy Health Services a better place. We appreciate you!
Elevate Social Work
“Elevate Social Work” is the NASW’s theme for National Professional Social Workers Month. The NASW choose this as their theme to showcase the great contributions social workers give to society that should be elevated until their profession is treated with the respect it deserves. The first step that can be taken towards elevating their profession involves raising their compensation; social workers only receive $47,980 a year, below that of most nurses, officers, and elementary and high school teachers. Here are some reasons why social workers deserve more recognition and pay then they are currently receiving:
- There are an approximate of 682,000 social workers within the United States.
- Social work is estimated to grow with 110,000 workers in just seven years.
- 90 percent of social workers are satisfied with the valuable work they provide, despite their lack of compensation.
If you need more convincing or want to truly understand the depth of their profession, watch this video presented by the NASW.
How You Can Help
One of the most significant ways you can help is to simply raise awareness of this cause. The more attention these points obtain, the more support social workers will receive. NASW recommends using the hashtags, #ElevateSocialWork, #SocialWorkMonth, #SWMonth, and #NASW in any social platform you may be using. If you want to learn more, visit the NASW’s website here. By yours and many other’s contributions over this month, the NASW will achieve their goals for improving social work.
Have a Happy National Professional Social Workers Month!
Sources:
National Association of Social Workers. (2019). Social Work Month 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.socialworkers.org/news/social-work-month.
Very Well Mind. (2019). Social Worker Career Profile. Retrieved from: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-social-worker-2795656.