A Letter from Austin’s Social Workers
June 23, 2020
Open Letter to Mayor Adler, City Council, City Manager Spencer Cronk
Dear City Leaders,
The undersigned social work professionals support and applaud your efforts to move many functions and associated tax dollars out of the police department and invest instead in alternative ways to address crisis calls.
Social workers are required to support social justice for individuals and communities as part of our practice and in accordance with our ethical standards. 1
Police have too often meted out harm instead of helping those in crisis. For many of our community members, it is dangerous and/or life-threatening to engage with police who are often the first responders for a mental health crisis. Social workers are able to de-escalate and address family crises, mental health crises, crises based in past trauma and much more, and we do so regularly and without an armed police officer standing in front of us. In fact, there are many circumstances in which the presence of an armed officer further escalates a crisis that could have been better handled by mental health professionals alone.
APD’s racist outcomes have been evidenced again and again — from APD’s own racial profiling data to the Tatum report, to sniping 16 year old Brad Ayala without provocation. This pattern of systemic racism is resistant to reform and directly counter to our social work values.2
There is widespread support among social workers, including NASW (National Association of Social Workers), for reallocating funds from police budgets to social service programs. A June 18th press release from the NASW stated “NASW applauds states and localities that – with or without federal mandates that incentivize policing reform – plan to reallocate and reinvest their public safety budgets to provide behavioral health, social services, crisis intervention (de-escalation) training and other programs.”
Our own position is even more clearly stated, in relevant part, in a national letter signed by more than a thousand social workers and submitted to the NASW yesterday:
“…we believe the best use of our collective power is to join with the voices of those who are calling for divestment from law enforcement and reallocation of those funds to support families and communities, which includes social services, but also grassroots efforts to fight poverty, hunger, lack of affordable housing, and police violence.
As such, we encourage our leadership to do the following:
- Publicly endorse the national Black Lives Matter Petition to defund the police and reinvest “in our communities and the resources to ensure Black people not only survive, but thrive.”
- Craft a position statement on the divestment and reinvestment of law enforcement budgets that excludes the expansion of law enforcement and instead supports community-driven alternatives to public safety.”
Yours Sincerely,
Will Francis, LMSW. Executive Director NASW Texas
Dana Reichman, LMSW
Callison Keating, LMSW
Nakia Winfield, MSW
Camille Smith, MSW
Nicole Meitzen, LMSW
Rachel Gandy, MSSW
Paige Reitz, LCSW
Rachel Manning, MSW
Alison Mohr Boleware, LMSW
Stephanie Holmes, LMSW
Cristina Coupal, LMSW
Jorge Antonio Renaud, MSSW
Jessica Oakley, LMSW
Heather Jones, LMSW
Asha Dane’el, MSSW, MPAff
Louise Hanks, LMSW
Sarah Chalmers, LCSW
Sarah R. Gonzalez, LCSW
Karen Mendoza LCSW-S
Paula Taylor, LCSW
Cristina Coupal, LMSW
Alexandra Cogan, MSSW
Jaynna Sims, MSSW
Mary M. Elizabeth, MSW
Audrey Sherman LMSW
Elexia A. Lowe, LMSW
Monique Vasquez MSSW
Claire Leonard, MSSW
Claire Hodgins, LMSW
Ashley Coulter, LMSW
Susan Kierney LMSW
Lisa Rogers LMSW
Amanda Pouncy-Ross, MSSW candidate, MPH candidate
Sara Rhone, LMSW
Patricia Greenmyer, LMSW
Jelena Todic, PhD, MSW
Jim Rowell, MSSW Candidate
Megan McDonald, LCSW
Kathryn Lewin, LMSW
Cassandra Najera, LBSW
Shawna Williams, LCSW
Colleen M. Maher, LMSW
Holly Kirby, MSSW
Mark McKim, MSSW Candidate
Elizabeth Stockwell, LMSW
Katherine Early, BSW, MSSW candidate
Matthew Vitemb, LCSW
Caitlin Gorman, LMSW
Lizzy Rand, LMSW
Travis Singley, MSSW
Kyle Harmon, MSSW Candidate
Christina Alexander MSSW Candidate
Sofie Cardinal, MSSW
Korin Schruben, LCSW
Sara Reyes, LMSW
Emma Holder, MSSW
Sandra Olarte-Hayes, LCSW
Alisa Ardiel Hernández, MSSW candidate and MPAff candidate
Sarah K. Sloan, LCSW-S
Chelsea DeBernardis, MSSW Candidate
Leeann Terwilliger, LCSW
Suzanne Moyer, LMSW
Erica Foster, MSSW candidate
Avery Nelson, MSSW student
Zach Patton LCSW
Molly Cohen, MSSW Candidate
Terranisha R. Hiley, MSSW Candidate
Jennifer Campbell, MSSW
Melissa McRoy Shearer, LBSW
Rachel Tamer, LCSW-S
Brian Kunde, QMHP III Child & Family Therapist
Jasmin Estrada, LCSW Psychotherapist
Samantha Foss, LMSW Director of Development and Communications
Beth Castellow, Therapist
Tiffany Hart, BSSW Homeless Services Specialist
Miranda Nolen, Mitigation Specialist
Erika Gonzalez, Project Director
Hannah O’Brien, Program manager
Liana Petruzzi, Medical social worker and doctoral student
Mallory Hakes, Court Liaison
Mar Padilla, Training manager
Amanda Beatriz Williams, MSW Executive Director
Monica McCarthy, Program Specialist
Ramon R Gomez, MSSW Director, Student and Community Affairs
Macy Margolin, Grant Writing
Daniel Shea, LMSW
Stacy Nakell, Psychotherapist
Aditi Narayan Minkoff, MSSW Director of Navigation
Kelley Roberts, LCSW Behavioral Health Specialist
Matt Dietrichson, Therapist
Markel Archie, Social Service Worker
Ann Dills, MSW, Program Specialist
Kyra Henderson, BSW Data Coordinator
Alyssa Ramirez, Case Manager
David Jenkins, Psychotherapist
Courtney Szigetvari, LMSW Social Worker
Molly Mayberry, Clinical Social Worker
Lindsey Knowles, Program Manager
Lyndsi Blank, LCSW-S LPHA Team Lead
Eva Ackerman, BSW
Amanda Herrera, LCSW
Venenzia Johnson, MSSW Candidate
Gianni Luisi, BSW
Ky Haven, SmartKids Coordinator
Ashley Cheng, MSSW Student
Maura Kinney, LMSW Group Facilitator,
Caitlin Riojas LCSW,
Cossy Hough, LCSW Instructor
Jamie Gallegos, Development Coordinator
Michael Fraser, Case Manager
Alycia Castillo, Youth Justice Policy Analyst
Dwight Dugan, Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Jeremy Bennick, Counselor
Kristin Myrick, LMSW Therapist
Adam Benden, LMSW, Clinical Social Worker,
Social Workers United – ATX ATX-Based Organization of Radical Social Workers
Emily Bresnahan, LGSW, MPAff Forensic Social Worker
Danielle J. Kaplan, LCSW
Mia Roldan, Clinical Social Worker
Kathryn Lewin, School social worker
Jana Dunkley, Medical Social Worker
Dorothea Pitikas, Clinical Social Worker
Sharlene Eaton-Landis, Program Specialist
Kaitlyn Doerge, MSSW Researcher,
Jocelyn Chamra-Barrera, Program Manager
Sarah Beddingfield, MSW
Alissa Sughrue, LMSW Policy Coordinator
Maureen Havelka, Therapist/Clinical supervision
Beth Thomas, LCSW
Danielle Silva, LMSW
Apryl Rosas, Project Coordinator
Kerry Clark, BSW Case Manager
Adam MacDonald, Psychotherapist
Clarissa Pedraza, Medical Social Worker
Julio Gomez, United Nations Consultant, Board Member
Caitlin Gorman, LMSW
Julieth Reyes, Care Coordinator
Shechinah S. Lewis, MSW Medical Case Manager
Natalie Beck, Assistant Professor of Social Work
Marilyn Adams, LMSW
Meghan Graham, LMSW
Melissa Lebet, Clinical Case Manager
Michael Ann Angone, School Social Worker
Gia Marie Houck, Retired Social Worker
Valerie Leal, LMSW Clinical Case Manager
Mandy Colbert,Health Promotion Coordinator
Whitney Laas, LMSW Senior Manager
Catherine Lee, LCSW Therapist
Emily P Johnson, LMSW
Elizabeth Pierce, Therapist
Alexandra Elder, LCSW
Lauren Hargraves, LMSW
Nadia Velasquez, LCSW
Jordan Chaplik, Program Manager
Ashley Vidal, Case Manager
Kayla Hartman, LMSW Currently unemployed
Ruby Branson, MSSW Student
Hanna DelToro, LCSW
Nicole Powell Cantu, LCSW
Anna Jackson, MSSW Consultant
Elizabeth D. Gonzalez, LMSW
Corinne Hurlbert, MSSW candidate
Ana Vidina Hernández, MSSW
Clarissa Pedraza, LBSW, MSW student
Katie May, MSSW
Clara Peretz, MSSW Candidate
Chloe Goodman, MSSW Candidate
Tatum Troutt, LBSW, MPAFF Candidate
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6.04 Social and Political Action
(a) Social workers should engage in social and political action that seeks to ensure that all people have equal access to the resources, employment, services, and opportunities they require to meet their basic human needs and to develop fully. Social workers should be aware of the impact of the political arena on practice and should advocate for changes in policy and legislation to improve social conditions in order to meet basic human needs and promote social justice.
(b) Social workers should act to expand choice and opportunity for all people, with special regard for vulnerable, disadvantaged, oppressed, and exploited people and groups.
(c) Social workers should promote conditions that encourage respect for cultural and social diversity within the United States and globally. Social workers should promote policies and practices that demonstrate respect for difference, support the expansion of cultural knowledge and resources, advocate for programs and institutions that demonstrate cultural competence, and promote policies that safeguard the rights of and confirm equity and social justice for all people.
(d) Social workers should act to prevent and eliminate domination of, exploitation of, and discrimination against any person, group, or class on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical ability.
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Value: Service
Ethical Principle: Social workers’ primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems.
Social workers elevate service to others above self-interest. Social workers draw on their knowledge, values, and skills to help people in need and to address social problems. Social workers are encouraged to volunteer some portion of their professional skills with no expectation of significant financial return (pro bono service).
Value: Social Justice
Ethical Principle: Social workers challenge social injustice.
Social workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people. Social workers’ social change efforts are focused primarily on issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination, and other forms of social injustice. These activities seek to promote sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers strive to ensure access to needed information, services, and resources; equality of opportunity; and meaningful participation in decision making for all people.
Ethical Principle: Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person.
Social workers treat each person in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers promote clients’ socially responsible self-determination. Social workers seek to enhance clients’ capacity and opportunity to change and to address their own needs. Social workers are cognizant of their dual responsibility to clients and to the broader society. They seek to resolve conflicts between clients’ interests and the broader society’s interests in a socially responsible manner consistent with the values, ethical principles, and ethical standards of the profession.
Value: Importance of Human Relationships
Ethical Principle: Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships.
Social workers understand that relationships between and among people are an important vehicle for change. Social workers engage people as partners in the helping process. Social workers seek to strengthen relationships among people in a purposeful effort to promote, restore, maintain, and enhance the well-being of individuals, families, social groups, organizations, and communities.