The Future of Social Work: Supporting SB1604

Starting and completing a college education is not an easy feat, and this is especially true for social work students here in Illinois. As a social work student myself, I have seen the stress that trying to finish an undergraduate degree can cause. As a requirement to complete a social work degree, the student will normally finish around 400-420 hours of work in a field placement. A field placement means that the student will be working in an agency under the supervision of a fully qualified professional. This adds up to around 30 hours a week of work. However, it is important to note that all of this work is unpaid. On top of the 400 hours of unpaid work, the student will also have to pay the tuition for the actual fieldwork class. In many of my classes, I have classmates who are non-traditional students going back for a degree who already work full-time jobs and have families to support. Unfortunately, for them to be able to finish their education, they will have to put their paid work on the back burner for their field placement. Whether this means completely quitting a job or simply cutting the hours spent at work, a great amount of income will be lost while the student completes their field placement. For families who completely depend on their income, they will be struggling financially for months until they can return to work. 

There is a solution to this ongoing issue of getting more students to finish their social work degree. The solution is Senate Bill 1604. This bill states that schools can apply for grants to give their students stipends to cover tuition and the cost of their work. This would greatly help in the field of social work, as it would allow more students to comfortably finish their education without having to sacrifice financial resources. Not only would this bill allow more students to finish their education, but it would also make the field of social work more appealing to the masses. As of now, there is a severe shortage of social workers across almost every specialty. There is a great need for school social workers, as our state is seeing a deficit of jobs that we cannot seem to fill. Our schools are struggling, and having more school social workers will help our children and their futures. This will also provide more workers in the much-needed and vast growing fields of mental healthcare and senior healthcare. Many students will turn away from the field of social work when looking for an occupation simply because of the sheer commitment it takes to complete the degree. Having to finish 400 hours as an unpaid internship is a great barrier that is in the way of allowing the field of social work to flourish. By supporting Senate Bill 1604, you will be supporting the quality of life of future generations.