This Year's Theme

National Social Work Week, March 3-9, 2008

Social Workers Advocating for Human Rights in a Diverse Community

The slogan for National Social Work Week (NSWW) 2008 is, "Social workers advocating for human rights in an diverse community". This slogan builds on the theme of the Social Work National Conference 2008 "Human Rights in a Diverse Community". In doing so, NSWW provides an important opportunity leading up to the conference to showcase the important work social workers do on a daily basis to advance the human rights of children, women, families and communities; to advocate for equality and equity for marginalized and minority groups; and to support ongoing struggles for civil rights and basic freedoms, economic well-being, and access to services.

Human rights are intrinsic to all the work social workers do. Linked to human dignity and social justice, human rights is a primary principle underlying social work ethics.

Social workers are encouraged to use NSWW as a platform to celebrate the profession and increase awareness (among colleagues, employers and the public) of the important role played by the profession, explicitly highlighting work that is being effectively and often innovatively undertaken to address the barriers individuals, families and communities face as they attempt to access social assistance, health care, employment and more, as well as initiatives that have been developed to address these barriers.