NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS

The 'National Association of Social Workers' (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with 150,000 members. The NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional standards, and to advance sound social polices. The National Association of Social Workers was established in 1955 through the consolidation of the following seven organizations:
# American Association of Social Workers
# American Association of Medical Social Workers
# American Association of Psychiatric Social Workers
# National Association of School Social Workers
# American Association of Group Workers
# Association for the Study of Community Organization
# Social Work Research Group
NASW members are employed in schools, hospitals, shelters, senior centers, universities, social service agencies, clinics, corporations and the military. They can be found in all levels of leadership in the non-profit, for-profit and government sectors, including state and federal elected office.
Social workers focus on improving individual well-being in the context of family and other social structures, such as work and community. According to government sources, clinical social workers are the largest group of professionally trained mental health providers in the United States, rendering the majority of counseling and psychotherapy services.
Other social workers promote social change to improve the conditions in which large groups of people live. Since the profession was formed more than 100 years ago, social workers have been instrumental in pushing institutions to value and support labor rights, civil rights and children’s rights, while making health and mental health care services more accessible for all.
NASW’s primary functions include promoting the professional development of its members, establishing and maintaining professional standards of practice, advancing sound social policies, and providing services that protect its members and enhance their professional status. The Association developed and adopted the NASW Code of Ethics and other generalized and specialized practice standards. Certification and quality assurance are promoted through the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW), the NASW Register of Clinical Social Workers, and the Diplomate in Clinical Social Work (DCSW). Among NASW’s political action programs are Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE) and Educational Legislative Action Network (ELAN). The Association also sponsors, through its 56 chapters in the U.S. and abroad, professional conferences and continuing education programs, and produces journals—such as the flagship Social Work—books, and major reference works for the profession.
There are chapters for all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico, New York City, Washington, D.C., the Virgin Islands, and Guam, as well as an international chapter.

Contents

NASW Code of Ethics

NASW Foundation

References

External links

NASW Code of Ethics

The NASW Code of Ethics is intended to serve as a guide to the everyday professional conduct of social workers. This Code includes four sections. The first Section, "Preamble," summarizes the social work profession's mission and core values. The second section, "Purpose of the NASW Code of Ethics," provides an overview of the Code's main functions and a brief guide for dealing with ethical issues or dilemmas in social work practice. The third section, "Ethical Principles," presents broad ethical principles, based on social work's core values, that inform social work practice. The final section, "Ethical Standards," includes specific ethical standards to guide social workers' conduct and to provide a basis for adjudication.
The Code of Ethics originated with the NASW Organization, however, in recent years every single state across the US has come to adopt the Code as their standard for ethical manners of Social Workers. This makes the Code a nationwide guideline for professional Social Workers. It has become the foreground of the Social Worker's way of practice and it has provided clients everywhere with high standards of treatment depite their race, gender, sexual preference, ethnicity or social standing.

NASW Foundation

The National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF) is a charitable organization created to enhance the well-being of individuals, families, and communities through the advancement of social work practice.
Founded in 2001, the Foundation's goals are to:
#identify, develop and respond to social work policy and practice issues.
#assist with rapid response to social crises.
#support practice-based research, so that practice and research are directly linked.
#raise the visibility of social work and enhance public esteem for the profession.
#support the development of cutting edge continuing education that addresses critical issues.
#promote the appropriate application of new technology to the practice of social work.
The NASW Foundation is managed by a nine-member Board of Directors that comprises the current NASW President, three NASW members, and three individuals involved in professions other than social work. Nonvoting members of the board include the NASW Executive Director who serves as President of the Foundation and the NASW President-Elect.
The Foundation administers a wide variety of educational and research programs in an effort to fulfill its core mission of enhancing the well-being of individuals, families, and communities through the advancement of social work policy and practice. Foundation assets total more than $3.1 million, including the NASW Foundation Endowment, which is funded by voluntary contributions from NASW members and other supporters.

References

External links

★ NASW

★ HelpStartsHere.org