Social Work Leadership Roundtable Statement on Safety and Inclusiveness

February 1, 2023

Members of the Social Work Leadership Roundtable, representing their respective organizations — American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, Association of Social Work Boards, Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors, Council on Social Work Education, Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work, Grand Challenges for Social Work, National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work, National Association of Black Social Workers, National Association of Social Workers, Saint Louis Group, and Society for Social Work and Research — stand united in support of the professional culture that we want to cultivate at our events. Social work conferences and meetings are places where we gather to learn, share information, and begin and renew professional collaborations. As such, it is important to foster an atmosphere that promotes safety and inclusiveness. We are committed to fulfilling the expectation for an atmosphere that is physically and psychologically safe.

While none of our organizations have the power to monitor spaces such as online platforms and we recognize that some societal norms continue to fuel behaviors that can be problematic or unsafe, we will continually strive to urge and administer expectations for decorum, respectful communication, safety, and inclusiveness. As leaders in our profession representing diverse organizations, we are committed to communicating the importance of gracious conduct to our members. By encouraging the positive intentions of our members and ensuring a sound means for providing feedback and responding swiftly when those intentions are not met, we commit to building and maintaining a culture of dignity and respect at all our events and workplaces.