National Social Work Month

When things are at their most challenging it is typically a Social Worker who can step in and bring order to the chaos. It is their super power! You will find them all around the community just waiting and willing to help. Having such an amazing super power makes it easy to see why we need National Social Work Month!

History of National Social Work Month

In 1984, the White House officially recognized National Social Work Month. Since then each year has had its own theme and goal to bring more understanding to what social workers do. Some past themes have focused on issues within society like AIDS/HIV, hate crimes, violence prevention, children in poverty and homelessness just to name a few. In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, the themes for this month were geared more towards awareness on how social workers can help their communities.

The National Association of Social Workers sponsors this event each year with the goal of acknowledging those who are practicing and to help children understand the profession so that they might choose to make social work their profession. Statistics from the Department of Labor stated in 2008 that the need for social workers has been expected to more than double in size. This was expected in the areas of substance abuse, home health care, school social work and social service agencies.

How to Celebrate National Social Work Month

If you are still thinking about what you want to do in life, celebrate National Social Work Month by learning more about this essential profession. There are wonderful resources that will tell you all about the education needed, expected salaries, and more about what they do on the internet, at the Department of Labor and in most career counseling centers.

Do you have a social worker in your life? You are lucky if you do! Help them celebrate the month by letting them know how important they are to you. A hand-written note or a card will let them have something to look at and let them know they are doing great things when a hard day comes around! They often come into our lives when we are not at our best, and that must take a toll on them at times. It is nice to give them the positive feedback.

Some social workers spend most of their time in their car going from client to client. You can help them celebrate this month with gift certificates for their favorite coffee, or even where they might try to get a bite to eat during the day! Better yet, a gift certificate for something that would be a treat is a way to go as well. A favorite candy shop or a relaxing message could go a long way to making their day!

No matter how you choose to do it, just make sure to recognize the people around you who have picked social work as their life’s work. They use their super power every day to make a difference in other people’s lives. How cool is that?