In B.C. 1750 King Hammurabi issued his code of justice, which included a requirement that the people help one another during times of hardship. That proclamation established Social Work as the world's oldest profession.
3,764 years later the profession is even more imperative.
- 46.2 million Americans are currently living below the official poverty line.
- At the end of the 2011 school year, 1 million students in America were homeless.
- Every year there are 3.3 million reports of child abuse in the United States.
The demand for social services is increasing while resources are shrinking.
There are currently 650, 500 social workers in the U.S. If we maintain the same ratio of social workers to clients to the end of the decade, we will have to add approximately 58,200 social workers by 2020.
However, the number of social workers retiring or simply leaving the profession is increasing, while the number of young workers choosing social work is decreasing.
This is not only putting enormous pressure on a shrinking workforce, but is also creating a vacuum of leadership. As the experienced social workers retire, the young workers have not been stepping up at a sufficient rate to take their place in middle and top management positions.
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
PAY
- Average salaries for social worker job postings are 12% lower than average salaries for all job postings nationwide.
JOB SATISFACTION
- The stress level in social services is much higher than other professions that pay a comparable wage.
UPWARD MOBILITY
- Most established leaders are not willing to accept the new ideas young people bring to the profession. Studies also show that established leaders in social services are unwilling to relinquish power.
WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?
EDUCATION
- Our educational institutions must begin to:
- Prepare students to deal with the day-to-day realities of social work.
- Get students involved in professional organizations.
- Connect students with professional mentors.
- Give students tools needed to make the case for social work.
- Nurture leadership at all levels of social work education.
We are trending toward a looming crisis. The only effective way to deal with a problematic trend is to begin at the beginning. We can avert this dangerous trend only at the educational level.
