(September 1998)
The end of the 20th century presents great challenges for both our clients and ourselves. Many traditional indicators suggest that we are in a period of prosperity. The economy is booming. Employment opportunities abound. Crime rates are down. New construction is everywhere.
Such markers, however, do not tell everyone's story. We know about the single mother who, under the new Personal Responsibility Act, must take her two preschool aged children on two buses to an overcrowded day care center before reporting to her work-fare job in the Public Parks Department. We know about the older woman whose managed care company denied plastic surgery following a fall which disfigured her face. We know about the 5- year-old abused child who was found tied to his bed in an apartment abandoned by his heroin-addicted mother. In a time of prosperity, who questions the universality of individual well-being? In particular, who listens to these clients for whom the narrative of national success belies personal hardship? Who hears their stories and advocates for them? You and I and the thousands of other social workers in New York City may be among the few.
I believe that the responsibilities of our Chapter are twofold. First, and foremost, we must strive to promote the well-being of these clients. From the inception of our profession, service to vulnerable clients has been an essential part of our value base as professional social workers and must continue to be as we enter the second century of social work practice. Secondly, we must also pay attention to our own needs as professionals if we want to be in a better position to help our clients. NASW, our professional organization, works simultaneously on both these goals.
As President of the New York City NASW, I would like to focus on three areas: Participation, Programs, and Political Power. NYC NASW has already begun to increase participation. Last year as a result of massive tabling activity in the NYC schools of social work, 500 new student members joined NASW. While membership in New York City has increased to almost 10,000, there is still need for social workers to become more active in NASW. When I first began my professional career, I remember how isolated I felt in agency practice. I found that NASW helped me meet and connect with other social workers about professional issues. Often joining a committee organized around a field of practice such as the Children and Families, HIV/AIDS, or Health Care committees, or a special interest such as the Social Workers of African Descent, the Latino, or the Gay and Lesbian Committee is a way to meet others with similar interests. During my term as President, I would like to reach out to all social workers in different agencies, as well as private practice, throughout the city and encourage them to join and become active in NASW.
Social workers may ask what NASW can do for them. The continuing education program that provides low cost seminars on timely topics is one example of a useful program activity. In a recent membership survey, social workers indicated that licensing was the most important issue NASW could work for on their behalf. Licensing is especially crucial now in a highly competitive managed care environment which focuses on professional credentials. I am pleased to report that we came very close to making licensing a reality last spring and remain optimistic that we will have licensing for social workers by the end of the next legislative session.
Social workers in our Chapter have also cited employment issues as a major concern. NASW maintains a job bank for members that is frequently updated by contacts with employers. Also, employment topics have been included in several continuing education sessions on advancing your career, job interviewing and resume preparation.
Issues concerning salary, as well as the status and public image of social work, are inextricably connected to employment concerns. We would like to see more positive portrayal of social workers in the media. While we have all cringed upon reading news accounts of children who died because "social workers" left them with abusive parents, we were pleased to read recently that a medical social worker, after completing a thorough psycho-social assessment, discovered that her homeless client had once been the first African-American professional ballet dancer. Not all clients, however, are famous dancers. Social workers listen to, assess and intervene with all clients, each of whom is unique and has a story to tell.
We must appeal to you, our members, in our quest to improve the public image of our profession. Please let us know of your stories about exemplary social workers, as we are trying to feature these in upcoming news stories. We are also planning for a radio program to focus on social work around common problems such as alcoholism, eating disorders, and bereavement. Each of these initiatives is designed to help to broaden public awareness and understanding of our work and, in doing so, will no doubt impact favorably on the employment and salary issues which concern professional social workers.
Our members have identified relating to managed care/HMOs as a problem area. Early this year, NASW launched a large-scale Managed Care Critical Incident Report Project to collect accurate data about health and mental health care under Medicaid, Medicare and commercial managed care plans. The final results of the survey will be distributed to appointed and elected officials for use in advocacy and change to protect vulnerable clients and ourselves.
Political participation will be the third major focus of my presidency. Many political activities of the chapter are carried out through the Social Action Planning Council with linkages to the major Chapter committees and PACE, the political action committee for NASW. PACE interviews candidates for political office about their positions on professional issues and notifies NASW members about their endorsements. PACE also regularly sponsors "Rap with your Rep" events in which social workers can meet informally with different City and State legislators. This is an election year, and I am pleased that research shows that 98% of social workers vote, the highest of any professional group. We have also been proactive in promoting voter participation, as last year NASW student members registered 8,000 new voters in New York City.
Yet, there remain many yet-tapped opportunities. Perhaps this year each social worker could actively encourage another person to vote.
If more people voted, the laws and programs would be reflecting what the true majority wants. Promoting political participation by all is central to our professional values and ethics.
There are a number of ways for you to be up-to-date about NASW activities. I also would like to personally invite you to an open house on October 19th from 4 to 8 p.m. in the NYC Chapter's new home at 50 Broadway (10th floor). At that event and in the years to come, I hope you will share with me any suggestions about participation, programs, and political power for the NYC Chapter of NASW.