In March, four board members from the Minnesota Society for Clinical Social Work (MSCSW) joined partners and clinical social workers from around the state to advocate for our important work with Minnesota legislators.
“It was an incredible honor and inspiration to be part of a day filled with passionate social workers showing up to advocate, connect, and celebrate each other,” said Tia Wilcek, MSCSW president-elect.
We joined hundreds of colleagues for Social Work Day at the Capitol to clarify our messages and urge policymakers to address key needs for social workers. We partnered with the National Association of Social Workers-Minnesota (NASW-MN) and their theme of “Uplift. Defend. Transform.”
This day of action and advocacy is a great way to meet colleagues, feel the support of our lawmakers, and contribute to shaping the big picture in our work. During the rally in the capitol rotunda, several passionate legislators spoke to the crowd about the importance of social work and the differences that clinical social workers are making every day in the lives of the communities they represent.
Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan spoke about how a caring adult helped her as a young girl begin to believe in herself and how social workers change lives. NASW-MN awarded Flanagan and Gov. Tim Walz Policy Makers of the Year for their work advancing issues in alignment with social work: mental health care access, free school meals, paid family and medical leave, and protection of reproductive rights.
NASW-MN also awarded:
- Paul & Sheila Wellstone Award for Social Justice: Katy Armendariz – Honored for her leadership at Roots Wellness Center and her commitment to culturally responsive care and advocacy for immigrant communities, especially in response to Operation Metro Surge.
- Social Worker of the Year: Kayla Schilling – Recognized for her impactful work as a school social worker, ensuring students and communities feel supported and seen.
- Tony Bibus Social Work Faculty of the Year: Alexander Fink – Recognized for innovative teaching at Augsburg University and for making research methods more accessible and community-focused for undergraduate students.
- Social Work Supervisor of the Year: Kia Lee – Honored for mentoring emerging social workers through NASW-MN’s Diverse Workforce Initiative and supporting BIPOC professionals pursuing licensure.
Social workers advocated with our representatives about key issues for social workers.
1. Social Work Title Protection. We advocated to secure the title “Social Worker” to ensure that anyone with that title has the education and training the title represents. This need arose because some counties have used the title “social worker” as a general term. We advocated for protection for this term and the bill—MN HF3454—passed the House Health, Finance and Policy committee and was placed on the General Register.
2. Uniform health insurance reimbursement for clinical trainees. We asked legislators to requiring health insurance companies to pay for clinical services by interns. Traditionally, all health insurance companies have paid for clinical services by social workers in training. Just as doctors or nurses have internships while training, clinical social workers see clients as part of their professional training and practicum. In recent years, Optum has shifted their policy and refused to pay interns for this work.
This decision negatively affects interns’ work and simultaneously decreases availability of clinicians for clients. We advocated for the legislators to require insurance companies to pay for this work.
