> OVERVIEWIn April 2017 the NASW Social WorkPolicy Institute hosted a policy practicesummit, sponsored by the Coalition forPolicy Education and Practice in SocialWork (CPEP). The goals were tostrengthen attention to the role of socialworkers as policy practitioners, tohighlight opportunities for partnershipsbetween advocacy organizations andsocial work education programs, andto identify action steps for sustaininggreater attention to policy and policypractice into the future. The summit

highlighted initiatives implemented byCPEP and supported by the Fund forSocial Policy Education and Practice. It also explored resources andstrategies for advocacy in the wake of the results of the 2016 nationalelection, recognizing that there aregrowing concerns for populationsserved by social workers includingimmigrants, persons needing access to high quality health and behavioralhealth care, and persons experiencingeconomic insecurity.

Representatives from local, state andnational advocacy organizations andthink tanks, social work educationprograms and NASW chapters joined with leaders of social workorganizations to pursue the summitgoals through presentations and smallgroup discussions. Ellen Buchman ofthe Leadership Council for Civil andHuman Rights (LCCHR) kicked off thesummit with a call to action. She wasfollowed by staff from Families USA,the Center for Law and Social Policy(CLASP) and the Economic Policy

MAX IM IZ ING SOC IA L WORK ’ S

POL I CY IMPAC T IN A

CHANGING POLITICAL LANDSCAPE

September 2017

ACTION BRIEF

Institute (EPI) who highlighted initiativesput in place since the 2016 electionsas well as resources that could be usefulto social work educators. A secondpanel focused on field education,preparation for policy practice andmacro careers, included field directors,an NASW chapter executive directorand an MSW student. The panelhighlighted explicit and implicit waysthat macro practice careers, includingpolicy practice, are perceived to beundervalued by the profession, andprovided strategies for strengtheningpolicy practice expertise and expandeduniversity/community partnerships. Athird panel focused on how the NASWCode of Ethics can be applied to currentdilemmas facing the profession andhow the resources of Bolder Advocacycan be used to help non-profit entitiesassess and strengthen their advocacyand community organizing efforts.

> FINDINGSAlthough the social work profession is more than 100 years old, therecontinues to be bifurcation betweenmicro and macro practice.

Common concerns articulated include: > Students are discouraged from policy

placements because they are notperceived to fit with the generalistcurriculum, or because a clinicallicense is promoted as the “goldenticket” to a successful social workcareer.

> Students are told that they will havedifficulty getting policy jobs and will be paid less in such jobs, eventhough these might be more myththan reality.

> Schools may not offer policyplacements, nor do they actively do outreach to identify them.

However, social workers arewell-positioned to impact policy andmany social workers pursue policycareers. The need for social workers toimpact policy was reinforced byresponse to the 2016 election results.While the immediate reaction for manywas to feel despondent, in fact, it hasprovided an opportunity for socialworkers to refocus on impacting policy.

The values and ethics and systemsperspectives of social workers can makethem well-positioned to connect realworld stories with data and advocacy.Social workers also understand that

racism and inequities are systemic andthat only systemic approaches willaddress these issues. While people withpublic policy degrees are often hired inadvocacy organizations and think tanks,the value base that a social workerbrings, their understanding of systemsand their person-in-environmentperspective can be extremely beneficialto policy work.

> ACTION AGENDAThe participants worked together todevelop an action agenda targetingsocial work organizations, social workeducation, and advocacy organizationsand think tanks.

NASW, CSWE and other social workorganizations can:> Make the connections to policy

explicit in all of their communicationsand promote the prominence ofpolicy practice as an importantelement of social work practice.

> Offer policy-related CEUs andinclude policy content in professionaldevelopment offerings.

> Offer awards for social work policypractitioners and policy organizationexemplars.

> Highlight social workers efforts as“policy change agents.”

> Encourage connections betweensocial work education programs and policy entities and governmentagencies.

> Expand methods by which socialwork research reaches policy makers.

> Identify and disseminate thepolicy-related efforts of practitioners,educators and students.

> Advocate for strengthened attentionto policy in social work doctoraleducation programs.

> Continue to address the pros andcons of social work licensing formacro practitioners.

> Continue to educate practitionersabout the differences betweenlobbying and advocacy.

Advocacy organizations and thinktanks can:> Work with social work organizations

as intermediaries to disseminateinformation and resources to socialwork education programs.

> Encourage social work academicsand researchers to engage withother disciplines to address pressingsocial issues and disseminatefindings to advocacy organizationsand policy-makers.

> Promote the value of hiring socialworkers.

> Encourage social workers employedin them to stay engaged with socialwork education programs asadvisors and field instructors.

Social work education leaders can:> Connect and engage with alumni

who are policy practitioners.> Reach out to policy organizations

and identify ways to partner. > Help faculty and students implement

ethical imperatives for effectiveadvocacy.

> Increase expectations that policyactivity be part of all fieldplacements.

> Leverage resources to strengthenpolicy/practice and advocacyconnections.

> Support engagement of faculty withcommunity-based organizations.

> Communicate to students that allsocial workers have the obligation to advance justice through policypractice.

Social work education field directors can:> Learn from colleagues that are

effective in developing andsustaining policy-related fieldplacements.

> Innovate to develop placements insettings that may not have MSWfield instructors.

> Strengthen attention to policypractice within the CSWE Councilon Field Education.

> Develop a listing of policy-relatedinitiatives that can be carried out inany placement.

> Reach out to alumni who are policypractitioners to develop potentialfield placements.

Social work faculty can:> Increase policy content in classes and

highlight policy examples to meetcompetencies across the curricula.

> Use both micro and macro examplesin foundation courses so that studentsearly on learn the connections.

> Incorporate information andresources from national think tanksand advocacy organizations into the curricula.

> Engage with local agencies andserve on boards.

> Engage with interdisciplinaryresearch, coursework and projects.

> Enhance policy impact bycombining personal narratives with data and research whendisseminating information to policystakeholders.

> Develop assignments to havestudents follow legislation, reach out to advocacy organizations andlearn about the multiple roles inshaping policy.

Social work students can:> Effectively advocate for the importance

of macro practice and policy practicecontent as part of the curricula.

> Understand the complementary use ofmicro, mezzo and macro strategies inbecoming an effective change agent.

> Pursue mentorship opportunities withmacro practitioners and encouragenetworking with alumni with policypractice interests.

> Promote the value of understandingthe policies that impact field practica.

> Participate in Get Out the Vote(GOTV) efforts and other civicengagement activities.

> Find out how their field agenciesengage in policy advocacy andpolicy change efforts.

The outcomes of these actions will resultin more strategic involvement of socialworkers in policy advocacy; increasedunderstanding that policy and practiceare intertwined and both clinical practiceand policy practice are essential andimportant social work roles; increasedfield placement opportunities andactivities related to policy and policyadvocacy; new and expandedpartnerships and collaborations betweennon-profits and social work educationprograms and between social workorganizations and think tanks andadvocacy organizations; and expandedsocial work engagement in promotingpolicies that address social justiceincluding poverty and inequality.

> MAXIMIZING SOCIAL WORK’S POLICY IMPACT IN A CHANGING POLITICAL LANDSCAPE

NASW and the NASW Foundation thank thesummit sponsor, The Coalition for Policy Educationand Practice, a project of the Fund for SocialPolicy Education and Practice (Supported by theLois and Samuel Silberman Grant Fund of theNew York Community Trust), and the followingco-sponsors - Council on Social Work Education;Network for Social Work Management; BrynMawr College; University of Houston; Universityof Washington.

To access the full summit report and a copyof the graphic recording and videorecording, visit www.socialworkpolicy.org.

For more information about CPEP, visitwww.cswe.org/Centers-Initiatives/Initiatives/The-Coalition-for-Policy-Education-and-Practice-in.

ABOUT THE SOCIAL WORK POLICY INSTITUTE

The Social Work Policy Institute was established in 2009 and is a division of the NASW Foundation. Its mission is:> To strengthen social work’s voice in public policy deliberations.> To inform policy-makers through the collection and dissemination

of information on social work effectiveness.> To create a forum to examine current and future issues in

health care and social service delivery.

Social Work Policy Institute > NASW Foundation750 First Street NE, Suite 800 > Washington, DC 20002-4241SocialWorkPolicy.org