R 154

2017 -- S 0683 Enacted 03/29/2017

S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

PROCLAIMING MARCH 29, 2017, TO BE "ANNUAL SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION LEGISLATIVE DAY" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

Introduced By: Senators Picard, Quezada, Algiere, Metts, and Archambault

Date Introduced: March 29, 2017

WHEREAS, The mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being

and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and

empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. Social work is a

profession for those who have a passion to empower individuals, families, groups, and the

communities they serve in order to create progressive change in clinical and macro settings; and

WHEREAS, The following Professional Social Workers were instrumental in creating

key social programs that are so critical to our society. Wilbur Cohen was the chief architect of the

1935 Social Security Act and also was a key member of the committee that designed Medicare

and Medicaid in 1965. Jeanette Rankin was the first woman elected to Congress. Frances Perkins,

Secretary of Labor for FDR, who was recently honored on the front page of the Providence

Journal (March 16, 2017), was responsible for the 40 hour work week and the federal minimum

wage. Jane Addams established Hull House in Chicago in 1884. The John Hope Settlement

House in Providence was molded after Hull House. Dorothea Dix pushed legislation through

Congress in 1854 that would have established asylums for the mentally ill across the nation,

however the law was vetoed by President Pierce. The effort did pay big dividends as it led to

mental health facilities including what later became known as Butler Hospital in Rhode Island;

and

WHEREAS, Social workers have helped people in this nation overcome racial strife and

economic and health care uncertainty by successfully advocating for initiatives such as Medicaid,

unemployment insurance, workplace safety, Social Security benefits, the Civil Rights Act, the

Voting Rights Act, and the Affordable Care Act; and

WHEREAS, Social workers work in all areas of our society to improve happiness, health

and prosperity, including in government, schools, universities, social service agencies,

communities, the military and mental health and health care facilities; and

WHEREAS, Social workers are the largest group of mental health care providers in the

United States and work daily to help people overcome depression, anxiety, substance abuse and

other disorders so they can lead more fulfilling lives. In Rhode Island, social workers represent

the largest professional group with mental health licenses, with 2,297 individuals; and

WHEREAS, Social work education prepares students for work as qualified professionals.

Social work education offers these future professionals a foundation of core values including:

service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships,

integrity and competence. Social work students are taught aspects of cultural competence,

diversity, ethics and policy in order to confront and eliminate social injustices; and

WHEREAS, According the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of social

workers is expected to increase by 12 percent during the 2014-2024 decade, which is much faster

than the average for all other occupations. Concern about crime, juvenile delinquency, and

services for individuals with physical, psychological, and cognitive disabilities, and individuals

and groups in crisis are impelling the necessity for more social workers; and

WHEREAS, The Rhode Island College School of Social Work, Providence College

Department of Social Work, Salve Regina University Department of Social Work, and the

Community College of Rhode Island Social Work Education Program are helping to respond to

the pressing call for future social workers through comprehensive education and training

programs; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby proclaims March 29, 2017, to be "Annual Social Work Education Legislative Day" in the

State of Rhode Island. We encourage educators, students, and citizens of this state to participate

in this day, acknowledging the wonderful education offered by the Rhode Island College School

of Social Work, Providence College Department of Social Work, Salve Regina University

Department of Social Work, and the Community College of Rhode Island Social Work Education

Program; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby recognizes and honors the great benefits and

invaluable service professionally-trained social workers provide to the citizens of this state; and

be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Rhode Island Chapter of the National

Association of Social Workers, Rhode Island College School of Social Work, Providence College

Department of Social Work, Salve Regina University Department of Social Work, and the

Community College of Rhode Island Social Work Education Program.

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LC002286

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