Expanding Presence of Social Work Advocacy on the National Stage

ABSTRACT

Social work has a long history of engaging in advocacy efforts in support of vulnerable and marginalized populations, yet there are those that maintain the profession has lost its way in embracing the provision of direct service at the expense of its historical mission. While the literature abounds in articles on many types of social work advocacy efforts, particularly on the agency and local level, less known is the presence of social work advocacy on the contemporary national stage. A comprehensive search of national news and media sites revealed very few instances of a social work perspective being advocated on a national level. Reasons for the apparent absence of a social work voice in shaping the national narrative on pressing social issues are examined. Media advocacy is discussed as a useful framework that social work educators and practitioners can use to help increase the role of social work advocacy on a national stage.

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Donna Leigh Bliss

Donna Leigh Bliss is an associate professor and Hannah Ginn is a social work trainee at University of Wyoming.