WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21) and Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09) introduced the Social Workers Safety Act, bipartisan legislation to improve the on-the-job safety of social workers and related professionals.
"Social workers perform valuable work in our communities, often helping women and children in need and who have been victims of violence," said Congresswoman Stefanik. "This bipartisan legislation would fund state efforts to bolster safety for social workers and provide support for those who look after some of our most vulnerable. I thank Congresswoman Sinema for her work on this issue and urge my colleagues to support this bill."
“Social workers work every day to solve problems and assist the underserved in our communities," said Congresswoman Sinema. "Our bipartisan legislation makes it safer for Arizona social workers to continue their good work helping Arizona families.”
"The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is thrilled to see the introduction of the Social Worker Safety Act by fellow social worker, Kyrsten Sinema," said Angelo McClain, PhD, LCSW, Chief Officer of NASW. "We look forward to working with Reps. Sinema and Elise Stefanik to ensure passage of this important bipartisan legislation. Social workers often work on the front lines in communities, mental health centers, hospitals, child welfare agencies and other places, providing services to some of the most at-risk people in our society. This often places them at risk. Too many social workers have been seriously injured or even died while in the line of duty. This bill is a great step to help protect social workers as they serve a critical purpose in our society."
This bill establishes a grant program to states, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to improve the workplace safety of social workers and related professionals. Grants maybe used to purchase safety equipment such communications devices, locks, or alarms, provide safety training, or establish support networks for victims of violence in the work place. The bill also urges states to develop incident tracking to monitor and prevent future incidents of violence against social workers.
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