Social workers can—and should—be involved in politics as advocates, scholars, or candidates themselves. This charge is growing at the School of Social Work, as faculty members strive to inspire and engage students in the political process.
What is political social work? If you ask 10 social workers you may get 10 different answers. That’s because social work, by its very nature, is steeped in politics; after all, social programs are heavily influenced, if not funded entirely, by government entities. As a result, there are many ways social workers can be involved in the political scene.
First, case workers and direct service providers can participate as advocates for issues they care about, since they are on the front lines of various government and nonprofit programs and see firsthand the impact of government policies. “That advocacy can take many forms, including being active in professional associations that advance policy like the Council on Social Work Education or the National Association of Social Workers,” says Allison Zippay, professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Management. In fact, social workers’ position on the front lines coupled with the support of professional associations uniquely equips them to deliver feedback to decision makers and legislators at the city, state, and even federal level. “Social workers need to be at the table because they can see what works and what doesn't,” Zippay adds. “They need to bring that evidence systematically to decision makers so they can advance social policy that positively affects individual and community well-being.”
Additionally, social workers can serve as academic researchers, leveraging their expertise to evaluate government programs and report their findings. “It’s important that social workers have a seat at the table with policymakers so we can get our research out there and participate in the conversations around all forms of social policy as scholars,” says associate professor Lenna Nepomnyaschy. “Every client and every social challenge—everything that we as social workers care about and are focused on—is impacted by policies coming from legislators and politics. Being involved in this conversation and this space can hopefully lead to policies that both benefit things we care about and also uphold our mission and ethics.”
The good news is that Nepomnyaschy has seen some growth here, noting that the representation of social workers in the policy research world has grown significantly over the past 20 years. “When I started, there were maybe five or 10 social work scholars, at most, who were focused on policy research,” she says. Today, over 100 social workers— including many students from Rutgers School of Social Work—descend on the annual conference of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management to lend their expertise, present their findings, and network for positive change.
“We live in a really critical time where laws are being passed and policies are being debated that have tremendous impact on people, whether related to the environment, poverty, or the rights of persons of color, LGBTQ+ people, and women,” says Richard Edwards, the School of Social Work’s interim dean. “People’s daily lives are being directly affected by what’s happening in city halls, school boards, state legislatures, and the halls of the U.S. Capitol, and it’s incumbent on social workers to play important roles in the process of making and evaluating policies and holding legislators accountable for the positions they hold.” Edwards himself twice ran for public office and was elected to serve on a local school board.
Indeed, if you ask associate professor of professional practice Marla Blunt-Carter, the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics demands political action and participation. “This charge doesn’t apply to just political social workers or macro social workers; it is a mandate for all social workers,” she says. “I truly believe that ‘political social work’ is essential in fulfilling one of our core values—social justice. If we are committed to addressing injustice, we have to be where the power is, where decisions are made, and where policy creation is accomplished.”
In the Classroom
According to Blunt-Carter, baseline political knowledge is necessary for every social work student because, if they are to advocate for clients, work in the community, or lead a nonprofit, they must understand the political process to effectively represent those without a seat at the table.
That’s why Blunt-Carter’s 15-week course in political social work not only walks students through the history of political social work and its roots in the broader profession, but it also provides practical information about the ways in which social workers can participate in and create positive change throughout the political process. Course topics include engaging with communities, voting, influencing policy agendas, and seeking and holding office. “While it’s not a typical path for a social worker, I believe it’s important that we teach social work students how to be effective in legislative affairs, how to serve on staffs of elected officials, and how to run for office themselves,” Blunt-Carter says. “Unfortunately, many students feel as though they’re not qualified to do so, but a big part of my class is emphasizing that public office is exactly where social workers should be and the skills needed are what we do instinctually. When it comes to policy, if we understand the social problem, why are we not contributing our knowledge to the process of solving it?”
Unfortunately, social workers by and large do not currently see themselves in these roles (for example, just two members of the U.S. Senate and three members of the House of Representatives are social workers). While the School of Social Work presents all master’s students with the opportunity to choose a specialization in Management and Policy (MAP, which prepares students for leadership roles in government, nonprofits, healthcare agencies, and more), Nepomnyaschy says that less than 10 percent of incoming students choose this option, perpetuating an already underrepresented track.
In an effort to shift this thinking, all MSW students at the School of Social Work beginning fall 2023 are required to take a class in their first semester called Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities. “Most students who are coming into the School of Social Work associate the profession with therapy and counseling, and they don’t understand that there’s this huge piece of social work that’s about politics and policy work,” says Nepomnyaschy. “Now they’ll be exposed to that in the first semester, and we hope this will get students much more excited about and interested in this area right away.”
The course covers macro (organization and community) systems, justice, community organizing, policy work, management, engagement, evaluation, and more, and is designed to introduce students to the practice of social work as it pertains to communities, social politics, and society more broadly, rather than individuals.
Faculty members are also making an effort to infuse political social work into their everyday discussions. For example, Nepomnyaschy dedicates at least one session of every course to representation and the importance of social workers in the political space. She requires that each student identify the elected officials representing them on the national, state, county and, notably, on the township/city level. “These are the most important people in terms of what happens in your daily life and they’re the people who are more likely to listen to your concerns and feedback, but they’re also the people that most students are unable to identify before this exercise,” she says. “We talk about the ways we can contact all of these individuals, what kinds of bills they’re sponsoring, and what issues they’re interested in.” In her poverty and policy class, specifically, Nepomnyaschy also assigns her students to write either an op-ed article or advocacy letter they could send to a local policymaker to champion specific social issues and recommend policies.
Nepomnyaschy also emphasizes the importance of social workers running for elected office, especially locally. As of the most recent count, there are more than 500,000 elected positions across the country, from governors and Congress members to seats on city councils, school boards, library boards, and more. “Every local area has hundreds of elected people, and social work skills and ethics can benefit every one of these local positions,” Nepomnyaschy says. “Social work students don’t need to consider a run for Congress—though that would be incredible. Running for local school board or housing authority is also important, because these spaces are where the issues we care about most are being decided.”
Outside the Classroom
In addition to course offerings and classroom discussions, the School of Social Work also offers opportunities for students to immerse themselves in the spaces where laws are made.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a course was offered to MSW students that included a three-day trip to Washington, D.C., over spring break. Students participated in five in-person classes and two online sessions focused on an area of advocacy before hitting the road for the nation’s capital.
“We wanted social work students at Rutgers to get a real grounding in the policy and politics that will affect their clients and their practice so profoundly,” said Maury Lieberman SSW'66 and Leslie Scallet, who provided significant support for the D.C. trip. “Dean Potter and a number of faculty members proposed the class and D.C. trip as a first step, and we jumped at the idea. Having dinner and discussion with the first group of students on their trip convinced us that this was the right track, and it has been gratifying to see the idea take root and grow.”
The first iteration of the trip was centered on the welfare system. Students learned about welfare reform and the program’s shortcomings before landing in D.C. for lectures and meetings with community organizers. The next year, Nepomnyaschy focused the course on economic justice and brought in speakers from the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
“The benefit of bringing students to D.C. is that they can physically visit these spaces,” says Nepomnyaschy. But it also means they can actually see and meet with the people who are advising and working for legislators—mostly young, motivated individuals with a passion for the issues. This enables social work students to envision themselves in these positions, which serve to educate legislators and influence legislation. Future iterations of this course could also include visits to the N.J. State Legislature.
Students enrolled in the MAP specialization also had an opportunity last year to participate in the Policy Fellowship, which matched 20 students with policy-intensive field placements. In addition to working in organizations like Princeton Community Housing, N.J. Legislative District II, the Latino Action Network Foundation, Advocates for Children of New Jersey, the Global Fund for Girls, and more, students created a project that would benefit their host organization and then presented it to the school and community.
“I hope that we can offer more of these kinds of opportunities in the future,” says Nepomnyaschy. “It’s so important to connect students with places of power so they can envision themselves in similar positions after graduation.”
A Major Asset
Students aspiring for a career in politics may initially think that political science, public affairs, or public policy may be the best major for them. But Blunt-Carter would beg to differ (and you can take her word for it—she herself pursued an undergraduate degree in political science before earning her MSW). “Social work is the only profession where the mission is focused on under-resourced communities and marginalized populations,” she says. “In order for an individual to address these issues effectively, they need to change systems and create policies that are specific to those areas of injustice.” Blunt-Carter shared that she relied on her MSW degree throughout her career to successfully fulfill her responsibilities as a staffer and contribute to the world of policymaking and electoral politics.
Ultimately, a degree in social work helps students understand how to help communities in a way that’s sustainable and practical, and it brings a new perspective to programs that may not have worked optimally in the past. “What we do as social workers is identify a social problem, assess that problem and the factors that led to its existence, create a plan of action, implement that plan, and evaluate it,” Blunt-Carter says. “That’s the same thing you do in politics.”
KEEP IN TOUCH
Interested in political social work? The School of Social Work has a number of resources and networks to keep you in the know. Interested in political social work?
Social Policy Network: a weekly newsletter and Twitter platform (@RUSocialPolicy) dedicated to social policy news of interest to social work students and practitioners—from election info and pending bills to job opportunities.
Center for Leadership and Management: offers a quarterly symposium for MAP alumni holding management and policy leadership positions to discuss their experiences and advance change.
MAP Connect: a program connecting MAP students with MAP alumni who hold leadership positions in the management and policy arena, for several months of career guidance and coaching.
