Political Advocacy in Social Work

By: Rachel L. MSW, LMSW

Update: Transcript from chat here.

The always insightful Melinda Lewis, LMSW will return to Social Work Chats on Monday May 20^th to discuss political advocacy in social work.

In addition to teaching policy at the University of Kansas, Melinda works as a consultant and lobbyist.  She runs a wonderful blog, Classroom to Capitol, which serves as an excellent source for information about community practice social work.

Back in January Melinda was our guest for a discussion about comprehensive immigration reform, a topic she is an expert on.  You can read more about the chat here.

Social Work Chats will take place on Twitter Monday at 8 PM Eastern Standard Time.  Use hashtag #swunited to participate in the discussion.  In preparation for the chat I have compiled a list of articles and websites related to political advocacy in social work.  You can find the links below.

Articles

Lobbying-NOT a Dirty Word by Melinda Lewis, LMSW

Clinical vs. Macro Practice by Melinda Lewis, LMSW

A Diary of a Social Worker in the Political Arena  by Becky Fast

Social Work Must Be Political  by Rachel L. West, MSW, LMSW

Social Workers in Politics: An Interview with Tanya Roberts  by Deona Hooper, MSW

Where are the Social Workers, and why are they Missing from the National Conversation?  by Deona Hooper

Websites

Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy (CRISP)
A think tank founded by retired Congressman Ed Towns to advocate on behalf macro social workers and issues important to the social work profession.  Towns is a social worker and established the Congressional Social Work Caucus during his time in office.

Congressional Social Work Caucus
An authorized congressional member organization.  Members of the Caucus supports the social work profession and societies safety net.  Rep. Barbara Lee, a social worker, is currently serving as chairman.

The Association for Community Organizing and Social Administration (ACOSA)
ACOSA is an organization that supports community practice social workers.  They publish the Journal of Community practice, which is an fabulous resource for those in macro social work and community organizing.

photo credit: peterjr1961 via photopin