Advocacy Toolkit
Contact the MSSWA Legislative Committee at msswa2015@gmail.com
Purpose of the Advocacy Toolkit:
1. MSSWA hopes to empower school social workers to find your advocacy comfort level and to reach beyond it.
2. This toolkit will provide resources to increase your knowledge about how to be an effective advocate at the micro, mezzo and macro levels for the children and families you serve, as well as how to promote the role, expertise and value school social workers bring to the educational team.
The Necessity of Engaging in Macro Advocacy:
Advocacy is woven throughout our practice and is a continuum from which we engage in our work. Within our NASW Code of Ethics sections 6.01-6.04 NASW, we are reminded of our responsibilities to the broader society compelling each of us to "advocate for the living conditions conducive to the fulfillment of basic human needs and should promote social, economic, political and cultural values and institutions that are compatible with the realization of social justice." In addition engagement in "social and political action that seeks to ensure equal access to the resources, employment, services, and opportunities they require to meet their basic human needs and to develop fully" is fundamental to our practice. Thus, macro advocacy is a critical component to our practice not only to promote our profession but to be a voice for the students, families and communities we serve. Our unique understanding of systems such as family, education, and mental health provides us with the knowledge to educate others about how these systems intersect and impact each other positively and negatively.
What is in the Advocacy Toolkit?
Commonly asked questions about School Social Workers
Advocacy letter to Administrators
Advocacy letter & call script to Representatives
Confidentiality Posters (poster 1; poster 2; poster 3)
2026 Legislative Priorities
Social Work Value Based Positions
Ensure access to social work services in schools by preserving funding for school support personnel.
Expand title protection to include county social workers to ensure only those with a social work degree can be called a social worker when employed by the county.
Social Work Value Based Positions
We support:
Policies that protect and uphold the human dignity of immigrants, especially those undocumented, and guarantee their right to due process.
State policy that protects vulnerable populations from immigration enforcement intrusion, and safeguard the safety and privacy of students, families, and community members.
Upholding existing policies that outlaw the discredited and unethical practice of anti-LBGTQ+ conversion therapy by social workers or any other individual.
Full inclusion of trans people in sports at all levels, recognizing and honoring everyone’s right to self-determination and gender expression.
Ensuring families have access to the supports they need to maintain safety.
A multipronged approach to the public health crisis of gun violence. Social workers respond to the devastating impact firsthand, and at times risk their personal safety. Meaningful action requires stronger gun control, expanded access to mental health care, and addressing other contributing societal factors.
Other Coalition of Licensed Social Workers Priorities
Promote fair and equitable compensation for social work professionals.
Support Minnesota’s efforts to secure federal approval or alternative funding for increased mental health reimbursement rates approved by the Legislature in 2025.
Ensure mental health billing parity for clinical trainees across all health insurance companies, including Optum.
For questions or to inquire about MSSWA, please email us at msswafandm@gmail.com
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