Social Work Month 2024

Theme: Empowering Social Workers!

 

Social Work Month every March is a time to celebrate the great profession of social work and to learn more about the many positive contributions of the profession. All social workers are invited to use the information here and in the NASW toolkit to celebrate the social workers you know.

 

The 2024 official theme for Social Work Month in March is “Empowering Social Workers!”

 

Our nation needs social workers more than ever, and social workers deserve better compensation for the important work they do.

 

Homelessness is on the rise. The opioid addiction crisis has hit the United States hard, impacting all races, regions, and economic levels. Suicide, too has risen, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

 

Social workers are uniquely qualified to handle these societal troubles. Social workers enter the profession because they truly want to help others. They go through years of education, training, and supervision so they can do the delicate but important work of meeting people where they are and helping them achieve their goals.

 

Social workers also are trained to help individuals, families, communities, and even the larger society if regulations and laws must be changed to help people who need it. Social workers are everywhere—in schools, hospitals, private practices, corporations, and at the federal, state, and local levels in government, social service agencies, and veterans centers as well. The demand for social workers is reflected in the statistics. By 2030, there will be more than 782,00 social workers in the United States! This makes social work one of the fastest growing professions in the United States.

 

However, social workers need support to meet the high demand for their vital work. That is why the Social Work Month theme for 2024 is Empowering Social Workers!

 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for social workers in 2022 was $55,350. Considering that in order to do their work many social workers must earn a master’s degree and go through the expensive process of gaining licensure, this is not enough. In fact, Ipsos did a National Social Work Public Opinion Survey that found more than half of respondents think social workers should get higher pay. Thirty-four percent neither agreed nor disagreed that social workers should be paid more, and only 13 percent disagreed with higher pay.

 

It is important for the public to support legislation and initiatives that empower and support the social work profession and improve their bottom line. This includes the Improving Access to Mental Health Act, student loan debt relief, and social work safety legislation.

 

For more information, visit socialworkmonth.org.

 

NASWVA 2024 Social Work Month Activities

 

• March 21-23: NASW Virginia/NASW Metro DC Joint Annual Conference (In person), Norfolk Waterside Marriott, Norfolk, Va. Theme: “Connecting Minds, Empowering Lives: Advancing the Practice of Social Work.”

• March 21, 6-7:30 p.m. NASW Presents: Social Work Student Series— Missed Connections: Modern Networking for Social Work (Zoom)

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5 Ways to Get Involved in Social Work Month

 

1. Join NASW’s national, online conversation in March to discuss the reasons behind lower social work pay and how social workers can address this issue.
 

2. Follow NASWVA’s social media and read the newsletter to tap NASW’s advice from social work influencers on areas of social work that offer higher salaries and ways social workers can boost their salaries.
 

3. Help get NASWVA in the news. The chapter has social work experts who can be interviewed by news organizations, so please urge local newspapers and broadcast outlets to contact Executive Director Debra Riggs, driggs.naswva@socialworkers.org

for any related stories.
 

4. Use NASW’s free online Social Work Month toolkit with logos; suggested social media messaging; and a draft press release, news editorial, and letter to the editor for any social worker to download and use for your workplace or yourself. These materials can be used to pitch stories about social workers to the media or share Social Work Month messaging to news outlets.
 

5. Invest in Social Work Month merchandise: NASW’s vendor, Jim Coleman LTD, provides merchandise that promotes the Social Work Month theme, “Empowering Social Workers!”