Hello Washington School Social Workers, As this short legislative session closes, know your WASSW legislative team engaged with monitoring and taking a stand on bill that impact our profession and the families we work with. We were bolstered by some new faces on our legislative team and we also thank those of you who responded to our communication and alert about the bills that moved forward. We were part of the voice against students being charged with felonies, for increased funding to districts for special education, for the inclusion of those impacted on policy making teams, for epi pens and opioid reversal medication available at schools, for increased limits on restraint/isolation of students, for more support of multi-lingual education, for continuation of drop out prevention/engagement programs, and for inclusive revisions to the OSPI Children and Youth Behavioral Health workgroup, among others. Not all passed, but many did. We are change makers. Whether advocating for specific children, standing with our families, working at the district level to shift systems, or working at the legislative level, our profession demands that we take action:
NASW Social Work Code of Ethics: Social Workers' Ethical Responsibilities to the Broader Society Section 6.01-6.04 6.01: “Social workers should promote the general welfare of society, from local to global levels, and the development of people, their communities, and their environments. Social workers should advocate for living conditions conducive to the fulfillment of basic human needs and should promote social, economic, political, and cultural values and institutions that are compatible with the realization of social justice.”
We, as a volunteer led organization of working school social workers, work together to inspire each other, to learn, and to renew our efforts to support our organization. Please contact us to learn how you can be a part of WASSW!