Elevate Social Work: Urge Your Congressional Representative to Cosponsor the Social Work Reinvestment Act!

Are there enough social workers to address evolving and pressing societal challenges such as substance use disorders, poverty and discrimination? If not, where are the gaps? What are the barriers to recruiting and retaining this essential workforce, which is the nation’s largest provider of mental health services?

The Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act (H.R. 1532) is much-needed legislation aimed at answering these and other questions. Introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA13), the bill will establish a Social Work Reinvestment Commission to conduct a comprehensive analysis of current trends within the academic and professional social work communities.

H.R. 1532 also would provide millions of dollars in grants to:

• Improve workplace conditions (such as reducing caseloads and implementing safety measures)
• Promote doctoral social work research
• Promote recruitment and education of social work students and development of faculty
• Implement community-level efforts to test and replicate effective social work interventions

For more details about the Social Work Reinvestment Act, please click HERE.