Date: 2007-03-26
Speaker: DAVID DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Tennessee

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of House Resolution 266. This resolution would recognize the important work of our Nations social workers and support the goals and ideals of Professional Social Worker Month and World Social Worker Day. Social work is a profession for those with a strong desire to help improve peoples lives and play a valuable role in the Nations health care system. Social workers help people function the best way they can in their environment. deal with their relationships. and solve personal and family problems. Social workers often see clients who face lifethreatening disease or social problems such as inadequate housing. unemployment. a serious illness. a disability. or substance " abuse. Social workers also assist families that have serious domestic conflicts. sometimes involving a child or spousal abuse. For example. child. family and school social workers provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize the family wellbeing and academic functioning of children. They assist single parents. arrange adoption. or help find foster homes for neglected. abandoned or abused children. In schools. they address problems such as teenage misbehavior and truancy and advise teachers on how they can cope with problem students. Social workers also specialize in services for senior citizens. running support groups for family caregivers or for thae adult children of aging parents. advising elderly people or family members about choices in areas such as housing. transportation. and longterm care and coordination and monitoring of these services. Through employee assistance pro-. grams. they may help workers cope with jobrelated pressures or with personal problems that affect the quality of their work.. Medical and public health social workers provide persons. families. and vulnerable populations with psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic. acute and terminal illnesses such as Alzheimers disease and cancer. They also assess and treat individuals with mental illness or substance abuse. including abuse of alcohol. tobacco and other drugs. They also may help plan for supportive services to ease patients return into the community. In my State of Tennessee. we have a long tradition of recognizing the vital role of social workers. In 2005. the Tennessee legislature. of which I was honored to serve as a member for many years. passed important legislation which required social workers to have received a B.S. or masters degree in social work from an accredited school. received a doctorate or Ph.D. in social work. or have a specialized certificate or license from the State. As a society. we have come to trust that the people using a certain title have completed specific training to prepare them for their work in assisting the public. Thanks to this legislation. Tennessee now ensures that positions requiring the skills and training of professional social workers are filled with fully qualified professionals. In addition. the East Tennessee State University Department of Social Work has a long and proud history of preparing the majority of social workers in the region that I represent. In addition to providing highquality education to future social workers. the Department hostsa Social Work Career Day where students. community agencies and practitioners come together and share educational experience and information on a career in social work. Students and faculty are also involved in a numbefof community based interdisciplinary learning and service activities. According to the United States Department of Labor. the need for additional social workers is expected to increase faster than the average of all other occupations through the year 2014 due to the rapidly growing elderly population which is expected to create greater demand for health and social careers. The growth insocial work is expected to occur most rapidly in home health care services. assisted living and senior living communities and the school getting. In addition. there is expected to be a significant need for those social workers specializing in substance abuse. Nearly 50 percent of the United States population. age 15 to 54. report having at least one psychiatric disorder. Both severe and persistent mental disorders. including addictions. have profound consequences for individuals. their families and society. affecting their ability to learn. to grow into healthy adults and to nurture children. to. work and secure housing and to engage in other routines of living. Recognizing the prevalence of mental disorders and the cost they exact on our society. social workers provide more than 40 percent of all mental health services available to Americans. making them an integral part of our Nations health care delivery system. So we stand here to recognize the importance of our Nations social workers and support the Professional Social Work Month and World Social Work Day. We also stand to encourage more young adults to seek out educational and professional opportunities as social workers where they can play a positive impact on changing peoples lives. Mr. Speaker. I urge my colleagues to join me in highlighting the contribitions of social workers and to support House Resolution 266. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.