by Chris Hilburn-Trenkle
One year after a call to convene was issued to officials from various universities across the state to discuss the challenges facing the social work education system, meetings resumed in February to talk through issues, goals and proactive measures.
Representatives from public and private universities met in February and March to discuss the role of online education, workforce development and the importance of Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work programs in addressing the staffing shortages facing the health care system.
An emerging draft charter, the Social Work Coalition on NC Workforce Development, was established during these meetings with the mission to diversify and expand the mental and behavioral health and child welfare workforce to not only tackle staffing shortages, but also develop more social work education programs and take part in legislative advocacy to bolster the social work system.
“The formation of the Social Work Coalition on NC Workforce Development was a natural extension of how social workers are trained to solve problems,” said University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work Dean Ramona Denby-Brinson. “Our value perspective and educational background help us appreciate that big problems are not easily solved by one person, one entity, and they certainly are not going to be remedied through siloed and competitive efforts.”
Denby-Brinson highlighted the depth of social work leaders across the state and mentioned her appreciation for the number of individuals and institutions that responded to the initial call to convene. Representatives from almost all 25 social work programs across the state were present for the initial meeting and signaled their support for moving forward to address workforce challenges.
“By forming the Coalition, social work educators in our state said yes to convening and in one voice, working to develop strategies to garner more support for our students, profession, and the communities that we serve,” Denby-Brinson said. “Given the needs of our growing state, our profession must assist in meeting the workforce development challenges we are facing as a state.”
With the initial plans underway, faculty members at the UNC School of Social Work met with social work educators from multiple universities and NASW-NC Executive Director Valerie Arendt in late May to discuss the next steps for the emerging coalition to reach its goals.
Following remarks from Denby-Brinson, participants joined breakout groups to discuss the potential short- and long-term goals of the Coalition’s five work groups — legislative advocacy for social work workforce expansion; data analytics; public education, marketing and communications; technology-based education; and workforce diversity and special populations. As the meeting adjourned, there was a sense of positivity among the group. Chairs and co-chairs were established for work groups, and there were plans for an in-person meeting in the fall to discuss further objectives and any revisions to the charter program.
And with more than 3,200 students enrolled in BSW and MSW programs and more than 16,000 social work professionals who had graduated from a program across the state in the last decade, the Coalition seeks to utilize both students and early-career social workers to address the needs of North Carolinians, particularly in the areas of child and family well-being, mental and behavioral health, caregiving, I/DD, and service to justice-involved individuals.
