Ray Kurzweil, Bill Gates, and Oren Etzioni, each a person
who can be viewed as an innovator, futurist, or someone with strategic
foresight. The future is an unknown, but the prediction of innovation is an underpinning
of many strategic plans. Social work is not different. Professional social work
organizations are strategizing about the future of social work. The American
Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare released the Grand Challenges for Social Work to support
innovative changes needed as social welfare is impacted by science and technology.
Providing a road map for the Grand Challenges, The Council of Social Work
Education recently released their task force report Envisioning the Future of Social Work about where the profession of social work may be headed in the years to come as
we address the issues presented in the Grand Challenges. The future is here, but what does this mean?
Five years ago, I developed a table comparing Social Work's Past, Present, and Future with technology. Some of those predictions have manifested while
others stagnated. The table exhibits how far we have come in social work, but underscores the necessity for social workers to accelerate their ability to create and assimilate changes technology brings to our profession. The social work profession is in the process of a
course correction. This post is the beginning of an innovation series to look at the changing shape
of social work education and practice for the future. These ideas are meant as a complement, continuation, and discussion about the forecasting occurring across the
profession of social work.
I am challenging each and every one of you to think past
today, next week or next year. Become active in evolving the social work
profession from one of reacting to crisis, to a profession of worth within the
fabric of our societal values. Social
workers need to become active and loud in their advocacy. We are the translators
of human evolution on this planet and we are not doing too well at it. The social work profession is kept at the lowest rung of
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The marginalization
of resources for vulnerable and marginalized populations coupled with a stigma of NIMBY or the cultural rejection of 'other' set the stage for surviving, not thriving. How can we set
self-esteem needs and self-actualization goals for our client populations if
our profession cannot move past scarcity issues in a reactionary framework? Perceptions of social work needs to
change as much as the stigma towards our client populations.
Societal crisis is underlying the need for innovation in
social work. Crisis is now being felt by populations across demographic boundaries. Climate changes, the rapid pace of technology innovation, and outdated
social justice system processes lacking evidence based success are some areas
which will take the center stage of needed action. Disparities with
marginalized populations will continue to reach crisis levels in our country
and the world. Our profession will be called upon to develop interdisciplinary
solutions through collaborative efforts on a scale not previously experienced.
Even within the profession, micro level social workers will be asked to expand
their knowledge of macro systems and advocacy. The application of systems theory will be stretched, further encompassing global interventions as a norm
instead of a separate focus.
Technology changes the way we connect personally and
professionally. Disruptive technologies alter the way we work, participate in
relationships, and play. Social workers will integrate the full meaning of
“change agent” like never before. Adjustment and resiliency will be adopted as
a necessity to address the coming shifts. The emphasis in new social work will
be on adaptation, cross discipline collaboration, and transformation. The
challenge of the next few decades will either support equitable solutions or
increase the divide within and between systems.
We need innovation drivers informed through a combination
of macro and micro practices. Collaboration between innovators and opinion
leaders is essential to reach critical mass for change in each future area of
projected demand. Using the Diffusion of Innovation theory, where do you fit in
when applying innovative approaches in the field of social work education or
practice?
Innovation includes transforming classifications of
prevention, revenue, power structures, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and outdated
systems of addressing crisis. Review the areas below. The test for our profession
will manifest through these areas of crisis:
·
Climate Change
·
Criminal Justice
·
Demographic Shifts
·
Ethical Dilemma Evolution
·
Immigration from Global Crisis
·
Impact of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences)
·
Inequity and Discrimination
·
Lifespan Extension
·
Technology Advancement Adjustment
Using information from sources across disciplines this
series will look to potential social work career challenges, expand existing or
future occupation paths, and explore cross-disciplinary support for each.This post serves as an outline for future posts. Starting
with social work education as the vehicle to get us on
the path to the future, I will then explore career paths. By breaking down each crisis arena, posts will elaborate on job titles, position descriptions, multi-disciplinary
collaboration potential, and where these positions could be housed. Finally,
the last section, pushes us out past ten to twenty years to where current technologies may be leading societal needs.
I hope you will join me on this trip to the potential future
of social work. I welcome your feedback, additions and insights into these
discussions.
