It is hard to believe that the calendar has already turned to March. But it has, and I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and healthy 2025. I also extend my thoughts to everyone affected by last year’s hurricanes and the more recent devastating fires in California. At times like these we count on each other to bring relief to those who have lost family members, homes and livelihoods.
Our members and chapters across the country—including Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and California—have done an outstanding job supporting communities through these crises. Their efforts are a powerful reminder of the impact we can have when we come together as a collective and as a profession.
At the same time, we are facing new challenges. The values, ethics and principles of social justice that guide social work are endangered by policies that target vulnerable populations, including immigrants and transgender individuals; that jeopardize access to the vital services and supports millions of Americans count on every day; and that threaten to erode the building blocks of trust, dignity and inclusion on which equality and fairness rest.
Our profession has been through challenging times before, and, as we always have done, we will use our leadership and collective strength to advocate with and for those who might be impacted by such policies. Our theme for Social Work Month, “Social Work: Compassion + Action,” was chosen with this action and advocacy in mind, and we hope you will join us in celebrating the theme throughout the month of March, and beyond.
While the current political environment is daunting, there are opportunities for us to advance our profession. NASW’s public policy team already has met with members of Congress on legislation that would increase reimbursement for clinical social workers, enhance social work safety, protect student loan debt relief, establish low-interest loans and grants for women and minority-owned private practices, advance telehealth, and study the impact of artificial intelligence on the social work profession. We count on all of you to help us advance these important issues in the new Congress. Together, we can have a tremendous impact on federal regulations and policies that govern the social work profession
We also have new opportunities to elevate social work through our “Tips & Tools” resource and other updates to the field, as well as through our standards of practice. We have just finalized updates to the practice standards for school social workers.
NASW is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, and our national conference—which is only a few months away—will be held in a new city for the first time. Make sure to check the NASW conference page for updates on speakers, plenaries and events as we gather in Chicago in June for exciting days of learning, networking, innovation and inspiration. I’m looking forward to seeing you there, and working with you to tackle the challenges and seize the opportunities that lie ahead.
Barbara Bedney is Chief of Programs at NASW.
Resources