The National Association of Social Workers is a professional organization for social workers across the country. The New York Chapter (NASW-NY) is responsible for advocating on behalf of the nearly 62,000 licensed social workers in the State as well as the clients they...

As the Governor and Legislature work to reach agreement on a budget for FY 2026-27, the National Association of Social Workers – New York Chapter, New York State Psychiatric Association, and Medical Society of the State of New York strongly urge funding to be included for...

The Department of Education is looking to limit the degrees that are considered professional for student loan limits, including social work. This means that “non-professional” degrees will have lower student loan limits. This new definition of a “professional degree”...

Food insecurity is defined as the lack of consistent access to enough food necessary to live a healthy life and the lack of resources to obtain such food. There are numerous causes of student food insecurity, including the increasing cost of attending college and university...

New York's social workers are facing a serious workforce crisis, and current law is making it worse. Under existing statute, limited permits for LMSWs and LCSWs are valid for only 12 months and cannot be renewed. For many social workers, that is simply not enough time to...

An act to amend the labor law, in relation to the convening of a human services employee wage board to inquire into, report on, and recommend adequate minimum wages for human services employees.  Human services workers are essential to the State and localities'...

The National Association of Social Workers is the professional organization for social workers across the country. The New York chapter (NASW-NY) is responsible for advocating for the nearly 62,000 licensed social workers in the state as well as their clients. NASW-NY...

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act (H.R.22/S.128) harms our democracy and threatens the freedom to vote for all Americans. While the SAVE Act has been characterized as a narrow bill mandating proof of citizenship for voter registration, its extreme...

NASW-NY is asking members and supporters to take action to oppose the SUPPORT Act. This proposal would amend New York State education law to allow Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs) to supervise the clinical work experience of Licensed Master Social Workers (LMSWs)...

Hi NASW-NY members and advocates,  Students across New York are facing rising mental health needs, yet school social workers remain dangerously understaffed and unevenly distributed across districts. To help fix this, NASW-NY is urging the Legislature to advance...

NASW-NY is asking members to take action in support of Daniel’s Law (S.3670/A.4697), legislation that would fundamentally shift New York’s response to mental health and substance use crises away from law enforcement and toward a public health-led model centered on care,...

NASW-NY is asking members and supporters to take action in support of the New York for All Act, S.2235 (Gounardes) / A.3506 (Reyes), to protect immigrant New Yorkers, strengthen community safety, and preserve state and local resources for local priorities. NASW-NY has...

Social workers and human services workers deserve a fair compensation. NASW NY is supporting the Human Services Just Pay Campaign with the following priorities: FY27 State Asks:Fund a 4% targeted inflationary increase (TII) to bolster rates and contracts for human...

According to the New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli report, “The upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic created a crisis for many students in New York, but not enough is being done to make sure they are getting the information and support they need”. The need for...

Every year, thousands of Master of Social Work (MSW) students in New York complete nine hundred hours or more of mandatory field education, unpaid labor that is required to graduate and become licensed. While MSW students provide essential services across the State, many...

New Yorkers are increasingly seeking mental health services, while commercial artificial intelligence (AI) products are advertising themselves as forms of “therapy,” “counseling,” or “emotional support.” Many of these tools operate entirely outside New York’s licensure,...