SWU182 - A Social Services Perspective of Government

CRISP sees itself as a bridge between social workers and the federal government ensuring our research is known to federal policymakers. CRISP also works to expand opportunities for students to find field placements in federal government offices both on the Hill and in district offices near their schools. CRISP employs strategies to raise social workers’ awareness about the federal legislative process through seminars, conferences, and webinars.

Social workers in the Social Security Administration have varied roles. SSA, by far, employs the largest number of social workers (more than 26,000). Social workers serve as program analysts, eligibility workers, community-outreach workers,and program administrators.

The over 9,000 social workers employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs are assigned to the 57 VA facilities
located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and six territories. VA social workers work as case managers, clinicians,
and administrators in hospitals and community-based outreach programs throughout the United States.

Social workers in the Department of Defense include civilian social workers assigned to military components (Army,
Navy, Air Force, and Marines) as well as to other DOD facilities. In addition, there are over 500 active military personnel
who are practicing social workers

DOJ employs over 5,000 social workers as direct service workers in areas such as community-based offender reentry
programs and federal parole and probation agencies. They also serve as policy analysts for DOJ.

HHS is a vast department that has many services areas including community health, HIV/AIDS, mental health, and substance abuse. The work of HHS is conducted by the Office of the Secretary and 11 agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the Administration for Children and Families, the Administration on Aging, the Health Research Services Administration (HRSA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These agencies hire social workers as project officers, policy analysts, researchers, and administrators.

The International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG), Inc. is the premier international association for social workers and allied helping professionals engaged in group work. The purpose of this non-profit, member-driven organization is to promote excellence in group work practice, education, field instruction, research and publication.