Julie Lester, Missouri Alliance for Children and Families

March is Social Work Awareness month! It is a time to recognize the critical role social workers play in our society. Throughout this month, social workers are being celebrated for their contributions to the betterment of society, raising awareness of the challenges faced by marginalized and underprivileged communities.

Social workers support people of all ages who are facing a variety of challenges, including poverty, abuse, addiction, disability, illness, trauma, and mental health disorders. They provide counseling and therapy services, connect individuals and families to resources and support systems, and advocate for social and legislative policies that promote social justice, human rights, and equality. They do all of this while working with individuals, families, and communities to increase their resilience, coping skills, and overall sense of self-worth. March is a time to recognize the significant contributions social workers make to our society, and to highlight the significant impact they have on individuals, families, and communities.

Highlighting the struggles social workers themselves face, working in challenging careers, and requiring a high degree of emotional and intellectual complexity, is critical. Many have chosen to leave the field due to these difficulties, exacerbating this difficult work with high turnover, high caseloads, inadequate funding, and limited access to resources in many disciplines. Social workers are often working with clients who have experienced trauma or are facing difficult circumstances. As a result, social workers often experience high levels of stress, vicarious trauma and are at risk of burnout. March is an opportunity for social workers to come together and remind themselves of the critical impact their work has on the world, and to support one another through the challenges they face.

Furthermore, March can bring attention to social issues that social workers are working to address. Advocates for social justice and racial equality and working to promote diversity and inclusion are vital to individual families and communities. They provide support for families and communities by providing mental health and substance abuse services. Social Work Awareness Month can be a platform to highlight these critical issues and raise public awareness of the need for social workers to tackle these problems.

Social Work Awareness month is an essential event that plays a critical role in recognizing the contributions of social workers to society. By bringing attention to social issues, advocating for adequate resources, and supporting social workers themselves, we can promote a more just, equitable and compassionate society. Through awareness-raising efforts, we can promote the work that social workers do and celebrate their importance to our society. So, let us take the time during Social Work Awareness month to recognize and appreciate the role that social workers play in our communities.