A Conceptual Analysis of Social Justice Content in Social Work Program Mission Statements

ABSTRACT

Mission statements guide organizations and communicate their goals and objectives for both internal stakeholders and external audiences. Given that many nonprofits and governmental organizations are value driven, it is important to examine how those values are embedded in and communicated within mission statements. This examination is especially relevant considering the role that mission statements have on employee engagement, volunteerism, and fundraising support. In this study, we examine mission statements of accredited social work programs in the United States as a case study to examine the link between professional values and ethics and mission statements. Using a conceptual content analysis approach, 590 social work program websites were reviewed and 350 mission statements were found and coded. Our findings offer insights and implications for how schools and other organizations can best approach creating mission statements that align with professional ethics and educational competencies.

PRACTICE POINTS

• Since operationalizing goals is a primary function of mission statements, organizations, especially those that are value driven, should consider including how they work toward the values that guide their programs.

• Given the connection between social justice and social work, social work programs should take time to reflect on whether their goals and activities are informed by social justice priorities; if they are not, this should be addressed in order to align goals and activities to the mission of social work at large.

• For social work programs specifically, the release of the new EPAS in 2022 creates an opportunity for social work programs to update their mission statements and work

KEYWORDS:

• Mission statement
• social work education
• value driven organizations

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