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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
DECLARING MARCH 2019 “SOCIAL WORK MONTH”
WHEREAS, the Social Work Profession is dedicated to enhancing well-being and helping meet the basic needs of all people, especially those who are vulnerable, oppressed and living in poverty; and
WHEREAS, this year’s Social Work Month theme, “Elevate Social Work” embodies the need to recognize the extraordinary contributions of the profession to our society; and
WHEREAS, the Social Work profession is expected to grow faster than average over the next seven years, with more than 682,000 people expected to be employed as social workers by 2026; and
WHEREAS, Social Workers elevate and empower people, giving them the ability to solve problems, cope with personal roadblocks and get the resources they need to succeed; and
WHEREAS, the Social Work profession is deeply weaved into our society with social workers active in government, schools, universities, social service agencies, communities, corporations, the military and in health care and mental health care settings; and
WHEREAS, Social Workers are the largest group of providers of mental health services in the United States and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is one of the largest employers of social workers holding advanced degrees; and
WHEREAS, Social Workers travel across the nation and world to help people in crisis, helping them overcome issues such as death and grief, epidemics, environmental pollution and natural disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes and floods; and
WHEREAS, Social Workers for decades have been in the forefront on social justice, pushing for equal rights for women, African Americans, Latinos, people who are disabled, people who are LGBTQ and various ethnic, cultural and religious groups; and
WHEREAS, the Social Work Profession for more than a century has been on the cutting edge of helping create changes to make our society a better place to live, including voting rights, improved workplace safety, a minimum wage and social safety net programs that ameliorate poverty and hunger; and
WHEREAS, Social Workers stand ready to help our society overcome current pressing issues, including equal rights for all, the need for improved availability of health care and mental health services; immigration reform; voting rights and the environmental impact of global warming; and
WHEREAS, Cook County employs social workers in various agencies, including but not limited to, the Bureau of Administration’s Department of Adoption and Family Supportive Services, which provides professional home-based social investigations that courts rely on in making critical decisions affecting the safety and well-being of children involved in adoption, probate, dissolution of marriage and parentage proceedings; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the month of March 2019 be proclaimed as Social Work Month in recognition of the numerous contributions made by Cook County’s Social Workers, and that all residents be called upon to join Cook County and the National Association of Social Workers in celebration and support of the Social Work Profession. end