Political Social Work Programs & Initiatives
Other PSW Programs & Initiatives
- Arizona State School of Social Work
- Bachelor's Degree in Community Advocacy and Social Policy: gives students the opportunity to explore issues of privilege, oppression, and diversity; students will develop advocacy and intervention strategies to better engage in social change
- Boston University School of Social Work
- Beyond 2025: In response to the current political state and the current administration's "Project 2025", the Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health at Boston University launched the Beyond 2025 Action Hub, an initiative that invites individuals to engage with courage and action to uphold dignity, justice, and democracy.Through the initiave, there are user-friendly databases, action toolkits, and virtual convenings.
- Clark-Fox Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis
- Columbia School of Social Work
- Advocacy in Social Work Course: students will learn to (1) analyze policies and political systems; (2) develop interventions, advocate, and collaborate to achieve change and influence policies and political processes; and (3) extend their understanding of types of justice, human and civil rights, and the role of advocacy and social change action
- Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) Learning Academy
- Policy Practice Certificate: helps social work students and educators further understand critical social justice issues and elements of advocacy practice
- Michigan State School of Social Work
- Certificate in Law and Policy in Social Work
- Advocacy Scholars Program: scholarship program that provides students with a stipend, a policy practitioner seminar series, a two-day bootcamp on running for office, a policy practice field placement, individualized mentoring, and advanced coursework on activism and policy advocacy
- Ohio State College of Social Work
- College of Social Work-Advocacy: provides opportunities for students, practitioners, and community partners to engage in advocacy and policy practice
- Stony Brook School of Social Welfare
- Community, Policy, and Political Social Action Specialization (CPPSA): prepares social workers to community organize, advocate, run for office, work in government, conduct related research, and lead community organizations
- Advanced Electives (Social Work in the Political Process – Campaign School): explores partisan electoral politics as an area of social work practice; makes it clear why it is important for social workers to be in the political arena; specific techniques and requirements for running for office, or serving in a leadership role on a political campaign, are covered
- Tulane School of Social Work
- Putting Policy in its Place Fellowship: using funding from CSWE, the fellowship connects field to policy work and offers students the opportunity to understand how policy impacts practice
- Empowering Change Taskforce: works to examine and address issues of power, racism, oppression, and privilege within the school and its curriculum
- University of Connecticut School of Social Work: Nancy A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work
- Campaign School: teaches social workers how to run for office, work on campaigns
- Research Efforts
- Voting is Social Work: voter engagement training for schools of social work, nonpartisan voter engagement, sample assignments and resources; uses field placements in political settings, including electoral campaigns
- University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work
- Political Social Work-Focused Learning Opportunities: prepares students to engage in systems-level change in political arenas to advance multiple forms of justice; students build advanced knowledge and skills in interacting with political actors, navigating power, and influencing policy
- University of Michigan School of Social Work
- Policy and PSW Pathway & Elective: prepares students to create social change through politics; students learn principles and theories behind socially just policies, policy analysis, and the impact of politics on their clients; students advocate on behalf of marginalized groups, empower others to become political, and develop skills to run and hold public office
- Online Certificate in Political Social Work: participants will learn how politics impacts their clients on both a micro and macro level, practice policy advocacy skills, gain skills to empower clients to become political, and explore opportunities for office
- University of North Carolina Wilmington School of Social Work
- Political Social Work Initiative
- Political Social Work Elective (MSW): assists students in developing and applying a working knowledge of political social work; students will learn how to inject social work values into political processes as well as the skills needed to effectively navigate and directly influence political arenas
- University of Texas- Arlington School of Social Work
- Policy Leadership Graduate Certificate: provides training and advanced education in skills that assist direct-practice social workers in impacting social welfare policy decisions, including increased knowledge and skills in advocacy, administration, and program evaluation
- Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy (CRISP)
- CRISP’s mission is to use the power of social work on the Hill
- Council of Social Work Education (CSWE)
- CSWE aims to advance excellence and innovation in social work education and research by providing leadership, ensuring quality in teaching and learning, and strengthening the capacity of member institutions
- Grand Challenges for Social Work
- The Grand Challenges for Social Work is a groundbreaking initiative to champion social progress powered by science. It’s a call to action to work together to tackle our nation’s toughest social problems
- Influencing Social Policy (ISP)
- ISP’s goal is to prepare and motivate social workers to play an active role in shaping the social policies that impact clients and communities
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
- NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional standards, and to advance sound social policies
- NASW-NC
- The North Carolina Chapter is an administrative unit of the National Association of Social Workers. NASW-N is involved in professional advocacy through lobbying efforts in the NC General Assembly and representation on numerous statewide coalitions, committees and task forces, as well as with numerous departments with NC state government. The advocacy efforts include social justice issues that impact North Carolina's most vulnerable communities
- Social Welfare Action Alliance (SWAA)
- SWAA promotes radical social work & human services for social change. As an organization, they advocate for practice that addresses the structural causes of human suffering and work to dismantle those structures that affect society
- Social Work Blog
- The Social Work Blog keeps social workers updated on news, policies, continuing education and other topics related to the profession. The Social Work Blog is a project of NASW.
Contact the Political Social Work Initiative
David L. Conley, PhD, MSW | Assistant Professor