Social Work Month 2019 - "Thank You" and Join Us for Six Core Values of Social Work, Leadership Messages

Social Work Month 2019 Message From Linda Grobman, Publisher/Editor of The New Social Worker

by Linda May Grobman, MSW, ACSW, LSW

     It is THAT time of year again! March is Social Work Month, and The New Social Worker invites you to spend it with us. First and foremost, I want to THANK you for all you do.

     Social workers don't often get appreciation and recognition for the important work they do. Social work is HARD work, and social workers don't usually ask for praise. Social Work Month is  a time to raise awareness about what social workers do EVERY day, throughout the year. It is a special time to thank our colleagues for work well done. And it allows us to make a concentrated effort to educate the public about social work as a profession, a crucial task that must also continue throughout the year.

     Each year, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) chooses a theme for Social Work Month. This year, the theme is "ELEVATE Social Work." According to NASW, "During Social Work Month 2019, NASW will launch the 'Elevate Social Work' Campaign [to] educate the public about the contributions social workers have made to our society and why the profession is so vital to our nation. NASW also wants to use the campaign to begin a conversation to help social workers get better compensation for the work they do."

     For The New Social Worker's Social Work Month Project 2019, we will publish items throughout the month in two main areas:

  • Leaders in the social work profession have written Social Work Month greetings, focusing on the theme and inspirational topics for all social workers.
  • Social workers and social work students submitted essays on the six core values of social work, outlined in the Preamble to the NASW Code of Ethics.

     Why did The New Social Worker choose to focus on the six core values of social work this year? First of all, what are the six core values of social work? They are (from the NASW Code of Ethics, 2018):

  • service
  • social justice
  • dignity and worth of the person
  • the importance of human relationships
  • integrity
  • competence.

     I believe that these six core values ARE the cornerstones upon which the entire social work profession is built. Without them, we would have no social work profession. Social workers live them every day. Also, from these six core values come the six ethical principles of social work, also found in the NASW Code of Ethics.

     In addition, I believe that these six core values and principles are important for ALL people to live by, not only social workers. As social workers, on a macro level, we model these core values and principles for others.

     So, to fully celebrate the social work profession, it has been my vision to explore and delve into what these values mean to social workers. During this Social Work Month, we will begin this process, which I hope will be an ongoing one.

     Please watch for these, as well as posts from some of our columnists and other items on The New Social Worker's website throughout the month of March. Follow us on Facebook (click "Like" and then "Following" and "See first") and Twitter, or subscribe to our publications, to make sure you don't miss anything! We'll also be celebrating on Instagram and LinkedIn.

     So, let's get ready! HAPPY SOCIAL WORK MONTH from me to you. Please join me.

              Linda

Linda May Grobman, MSW, ACSW, LSW, is the publisher, editor, and founder of The New Social Worker® magazine.