NASW MA: On the Front Lines of Advocacy

Your membership with NASW includes a powerful, progressive effort to elevate the social work profession and change laws that can impact the profession and clients of social work.

To bring our social work voice into the State House, we:

Testify at the State House on a variety of legislation
Work with partners of various coalitions (full list below) to make a concerted effort for change
Identify and endorse political candidates who promote social work values and help get them elected
Build relationships with policymakers and state agency staff to postively impact policy and practice
Encourage and educate our members to meet with and lobby their legislators

There are many ways to get acquainted with our political work:

Action Center- Learn how a bill gets passed in Massachusetts and ways to take action
Our Legislative Agenda- The priority bills that we are putting our efforts behind to get passed
Committees & Shared Interest Groups (SIGs)- Open to all members; includes the Legislative Advocacy Committee and the PACE
Legislative Education & Advocacy Day (LEAD)- Our annual day of advocacy in the State House that takes place each March during Social Work Month

Don't want to miss an opportunity? Join our Legislative Alert Network to receive advocacy related e-updates.

Our Partners

It takes a village to get good legislation passed, and we are proud to partner with the following coalitions:

Alliance for Community Health Integration (ACHI)
Children's Mental Health Campaign
Coalition for Choice
Health Care for All (HCFMA)
-Affordable Care Today (ACT! Coalition)
Healthy Youth Coalition
Juvenile Justice Coalition
Kids Count Advisory Council
Lift the Cap on Kids Coalition
Mass Alliance
MA Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics: Children's Mental Health Taskforce
MA Department of Children & Families Advisory Council
Mental Health Coalition (Co-Chaired with Mass Psychological Assn)
MIRA/Safe Communities Coalition
Professional Advisory Committee on Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Raise Up Massachusetts
SNAP Gap Coalition
"What a Difference a DA Makes" Campaign headed by ACLU

Appointed:

Children's Behavioral Health Partnership (CBHI)
LGBTQ Commission established under Criminal Justice Reform Bill
Solitary Confinement Oversight Committee established under Criminal Justice Reform Bill
Prevent Promote Commission chaired by Secretary of EOHHS, Marylou Sudders
Commission to Review Evidence-Based Treatments under Opioid Bill
Commission to Review Efficacy of Involuntary Treatment of Individuals with SUD under Opioid Bill