1. Top Ten Social Work
Issues
Santa Cruz Unit
Slideshare Janlee Wong, MSW
Nov 2014
2. Learning Objectives
● Learn the top issues in professional social
work
● Learn what NASW and others are doing with
the top issues
● Learn how to get involved with the top issues
3. Compare Your Top Issues
● What are your top issues?
● For those that match mine, you’ll get a
prize
4. NASW’s Top Ten
1. Title protection
2. Affordable Care Act Implementation
3. Licensure
4. Social Action/Social Justice
5. Advocacy
6. Compensation
7. Jobs
8. Social Work Image
9. Ethics
10.Work Force Development
5. Title protection
● Our biggest challenge
● Why?
● Options going forward
o Local Strategy
o Multi-tier licensure
6. Affordable Care Act Implementation
● Why is it important to social workers?
● What is the role of social workers?
o Inclusion of mental health and substance use
services
● How do the mid term elections affect the
ACA?
7. Licensure
● Progress towards national licensure
o National Exam
o National CE Approval
● Issues
o Urge to merge
o Legislating practice
o Mandatory CE
o Processing delays
8. Social Action/Social Justice
● Universal health care for undocumented
● Protection of clients
o Confidentiality/privilege - for probationers/parolees
o Solitary confinement
● Income inequality
o Minimum wage
● Homeless
o Affordable housing
9. State Advocacy
o Professor Lillian Hyatt’s AB 2171 (Wieckowski), which creates
statutory Resident Bill of Rights.
o SB 1165 (Mitchell) Pupil Instruction: Sexual Abuse and Sex Trafficking
Prevention Education
o SB 1053 (Mitchell) Health Care Coverage: Contraceptives
o SB 1159 (Lara) Professions and Vocations: License Applicants:
Individual Tax Identification Number
o SB 1135 (Jackson) Inmates: Sterilization
o SB 1046 (Beall) Insurance: Mental Illness: Developmental Disabilities:
Coverage: Penalties
o AB 2379 (Weber) Abuse of Elders and Dependent Adults:
Multidisciplinary Teams
o AB 1517 (Skinner) DNA Evidence
o AB 1455 (Campos) Bullying: Counseling: Lobby Days Bill
10. Compensation
● Federal effort to increase Medicare rates for
LCSWs and gain further recognition of social
workers as health care workers
● Advocacy with health plans on rates
11. Jobs
● Free jobs listing via Linkedin
● Free listing services via NASW Jobslink
● NASW members get exclusive services
o Exclusive exposure for your résumé
o Get automatic email alerts when a new job matches
your criteria
o Experience convenient career guidance services
o Fine tune your search using multiple criteria
12. Social Work Image
● Social Work Month Activities
● OP-EDs, letters to the editor, blogs
● NASW Social Work Awards
● Social Work Hall of Distinction
● Social work consulting with the media and
entertainment industry
