Establishes a master of social work paid field practicum pilot program

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Julia Salazar says this is needed

To earn a Master's degree in Social Work (MSW), students are required to complete a minimum of 900 hours of internship, which are typically unpaid. Unpaid internships create a significant financial barrier, resulting in a social worker shortage, a lack of diversity in the field, and increased student debt. Social workers are essential in addressing New York's most pressing challenges, such as the mental health crisis, the opioid epidemic, and homelessness. However, New York faces a critical shortage of social workers, limiting the state's ability to effectively address these crises and provide necessary services. For example, 48 of New York's 62 counties have moderate to severe mental health service shortages', and 95% of the New York's school districts do not meet the recommended ratio of one school social worker for every 250 students.2 These shortages do not affect everyone equally they have grave conse- quences, especially for the state's most vulnerable populations. Fund- ing social work interns would be an investment in the health of the state by creating a pipeline of new social workers to help build the workforce to meet the state's most urgent needs. For MSW students themselves, the stipend of $4,500 for the first 450 hours of their internship/practicum will provide much-needed financial relief, enabling them to focus on their studies and internships. MSW student debt has been steadily rising over the past decade. This debt is closely tied to race and gender, with students of color and women accu- mulating significantly higher levels of debt than white and/or male students.3 States across the country including Michigan, Massachusetts and others, are introducing or implementing programs to fund social work interns as a means of growing and diversifying their workforce. It is time for New York to follow suit. RACIAL JUSTICE AND GENDER JUSTICE IMPACT: Funding social work interns isn't just about increasing the number of social workers; it is also essential to recruit social workers that reflect the communities they serve. Unpaid internships disproportionate- ly impact students with the strongest demonstrated financial need, thereby contributing to a lack of representation in the field. The majority of new social workers are white,4 while most of the clients they serve are people of color. This demographic mismatch is detrimental to the communities that rely on the services social workers provide. Having social workers that accu- rately understand the struggles the community they are serving face because they themselves have faced the same struggle will only improve their ability to serve their clients well. Funding social work intern- ships reduces the barrier of entry for students of color and working- class students, helping to ensure that the field better represents the communities served. Furthermore, since over 80% of social work students identify as female,5 paying interns would represent a historic invest- ment in the fight for gender and pay equity. AMENDED BILL: The "A" print of this bill makes technical changes and updates when the program and bill would go into effect.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.