There is No Social Work Without Advocacy
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Social workers should engage in social and political action to ensure that all people have access to the resources, employment, services, and opportunities they require to meet their basic human needs and to develop fully.
- NASW Code of Ethics
Why Advocacy?
The commitment to advocacy that is built into the social work Code of Ethics differentiates social work from other helping professions, and advocacy is an important component of the KSCSW mission. The KSCSW Advocacy Committee reviews legislative, executive, and judicial proceedings bearing on the practice of clinical social work. The committee educates the KSCSW board and its membership on these issues, making recommendations on individual and organizational actions to inform and influence key decision-makers.
​For example, the Advocacy Committee tracks pertinent legislation as is passes through the Kentucky House of Representatives and Senate, then sends informational emails to members, encouraging them to give direct feedback to legislators. The Advocacy Committee encourages all of KSCSW members to get involved, as decisions made at our state’s Capitol affect our clients, ourselves, and our profession.
​Advocacy Committee Success Stories
With the assistance of the National Association of Social Workers, KCCSW has successfully lobbied on behalf of clinical social workers in the following areas relevant to the practice of clinical social work.
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Creation of the Kentucky Social Work Board
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Trauma-Informed Schools
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Billing Parity for Clinical Social Workers
Get Involved
The only way a government of the people, by the people, and for the people can work is if the people actually get involved!! Here is how you can do that:
Get to Know Your Legislators
Did you know that if a legislator hears from a constituent at least three times, she/he knows who that person is and why they’re calling? When they’re not in session, legislators are in their hometowns, where they are prime targets for getting to know their constituents and their concerns. Find out who they are. Check their websites regularly to find out what they are doing. Meet them in their office. Invite them to your organization to meet clients who are willing to talk to them. Put a face on the decisions they make! (This blurb is borrowed from the GSCSW)
Voice Your Concerns and Priorities
Did you know that the best time to contact your legislators is when they’re NOT in session? Legislators don’t just don’t work during the 40 days they’re in session. Not only are they there to work for you year-round, they are actually more available to you when they’re not in session, when they are extremely busy and have many people competing for their attention all at once. They are more likely to take time to meet with you and give your concerns their full attention when they are back home among their constituents. Make a point of getting to know your legislators in the off-season so that they are more likely to seek out your opinion or take your calls when they’re in session. Don’t forget that you can advocate not only for yourself and your issues, but you can also advocate for your clients as well!
Stay up-to-date with KY Board of Social Work: https://bsw.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx