Social Work Speaks,12th Edition: National Association of Social Workers Policy Statements 2021-2023

Policy statement adoption has been an integral part of NASW s governance process since its inception in 1955. The Delegate Assembly, comprised of NASW members from diverse backgrounds, meets every three years to set broad organizational policy, approve program priorities, and develop a collective stance on public and professional issues. This process is foundational to the organization s advocacy on local and national policy efforts. This 12th edition of Social Work Speaks contains the unabridged policies adopted and revised by this key policy-making body in 2020 and represents the collective thinking of thousands of experienced social work practitioners.
Broken into 62 topic areas, this text contains both revised policies approved by the 2020 Delegate Assembly and those approved by previous assemblies. Thoroughly vetted during a process using subject matter expert panels, public comments, review panels, and voting, 14 policy statements were updated in key areas of particular interest during challenging times: Adolescent and Young Adult Health; Community Development; Confidentiality and Information Utilization; Crime Victim Assistance; Family Violence; Foster Care and Adoption; Hospice Care; Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; Mental Health; Parental Abduction (formerly, Parental Kidnapping); Rural Social Work; School Safety (formerly, School Violence); Sovereignty, Rights, and the Well-Being of Indigenous Peoples; and Voter Rights and Participation (formerly, Voter Participation).
The resulting 12th edition of Social Work Speaks is a reference tool that can inform organizational responses to policy and legal issues, policy analysis, and advocacy coalitions. This user-friendly resource also serves as a first-rate introductory social policy text, supplemental reading for macro courses in social work, and specific instruction for courses in specialty topics. Social workers in every field of practice can benefit from this informative and thought-provoking text.