NASW Iowa Chapter Releases New Assessment of Iowa Labor Force

The NASW Iowa Chapter (NASW-IA) worked with the NASW Foundation and the University of Iowa School of Social Work, in 2018-2019, to assess the Iowa social work labor force. The initiative was funded by a generous $50,000 grant from the Telligen Community Initiative.

“We wanted to gather information in a concise and organized way that would allow us to make the case that we need more professional social workers in the state of Iowa and how professional social workers can improve the lives of Iowans,” according to Denise Rathman, NASW-IA Executive Director.

Two key outcomes of the initiative, she said, are that NASW-IA now has “an excellent action plan that will serve as a roadmap as we work to collect the data we need to do our advocacy work for the profession.  We have a better understanding of why some organizations don’t always look to hire social workers.”

Additionally, Denise said, “We needed hard data to confirm our suspicions that we need additional culturally and linguistically diverse professional social workers to serve the diverse populations of Iowa, more professional social workers to serve older Iowans, and additional professional social workers in our more rural counties.”

To read the full report and an executive summary, please follow the links below.

• Full Report—Meeting the Needs of Iowans Through the Services of Professional Social Workers: An Assessment of the Iowa Social Work Labor Force
• Executive Summary—Meeting the Needs of Iowans Through the Services of Professional Social Workers: An Assessment of the Iowa 2018-2019 Social Work Labor Force

The project was funded by the Telligen Community Initiative to initiate and support, through research and programs, innovative and farsighted health-related projects aimed at improving the health, social well being and educational attainment of society, where such needs are expressed.

Please visit the NASW Iowa Chapter website for more information about social policy, professional issues, continuing education, and other priorities.  The NASW Foundation is running a special feature about NASW Iowa Chapter, Denise Rathman, in the “Spotlight On Chapters” section.