NASW-CA July Policy, Legislative & Advocacy Update
Help Shape NASW-CA’s Advocacy and Policy Priorities
NASW-California Chapter is actively engaged in legislative, policy, and advocacy efforts to strengthen California’s behavioral health system and ensure the voices of social workers are represented in critical statewide conversations.
As part of this work, we are seeking member input on several key issues shaping the future of the profession. Your experiences and perspectives help inform NASW-CA’s policy recommendations, legislative advocacy, and engagement on behalf of social workers and the communities they serve.
Learn more about each initiative below and take a few minutes to share your feedback.
Behavioral Health Workforce Survey: Kaiser Permanente Hearing & NUHW Partnership
NASW-CA is partnering with the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) to better understand how changes in behavioral health care delivery are affecting social workers and the communities they serve.
On Tuesday, July 21, Bindu Mukkamala, NASW-CA Policy Manager, and Dr. Jasmine Smith, DSW, LCSW, NASW-CA Associate Executive Director, will represent the chapter before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors during a hearing examining Kaiser Permanente’s proposed behavioral health care model. Topics include clinical autonomy, workforce conditions, artificial intelligence (AI), outsourcing of services, and patient access to quality behavioral health care.
To ensure social workers’ experiences are represented, we invite behavioral health professionals to complete a brief survey about workload, clinical decision-making, technology, and patient care. Bay Area members are also encouraged to attend the hearing and share their perspectives in person.
Take the Workforce Survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WJKQ5X7
Behavioral Health Financing & Payment Reform Survey
NASW-CA is helping shape statewide conversations on the future of California’s behavioral health system through a coalition led by the Steinberg Institute, in partnership with West Health and The Kennedy Forum. The coalition is developing policy recommendations for California’s next Governor, with Dr. Jasmine Smith, DSW, LCSW, representing the social work profession throughout the process.
As the coalition prepares its next convening on behavioral health financing and payment reform, NASW-CA is seeking member feedback. Your input will help inform recommendations on how financing systems affect access to care, care coordination, service delivery, and patient outcomes across California.
Take the Financing & Payment Reform Survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WJK05X7
AI in Education & Mental Health: Read the Report & Share Your Feedback
NASW-CA is proud to participate in the AI in Education & Mental Health Consortium, which recently released AI in Education & Mental Health: Practitioner Perspectives Across School-Based and Behavioral Health Settings. Informed by feedback from NASW-CA members and behavioral health professionals statewide, the report highlights the growing use of AI while identifying the need for training, ethical guidance, confidentiality protections, and clear policy standards.
As AI continues to shape behavioral health practice, NASW-CA is committed to ensuring social workers help guide future policy and legislative efforts. We encourage you to review the report and complete a brief survey to share your experiences and recommendations.
Read the Report:
https://tinyurl.com/3tvcpt5m
Share Your Feedback:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/297HSDF
