rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/letter/supporting-paid-social-work-field-placements?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-letter-area-supporting-paid-social-work-field-placements' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> P4P National https://actionnetwork.org/groups/p4p-national https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/265/342/normal/Untitled_(1500_%C3%97_600_px).png All social work students must complete a field placement, which is like a practicum or internship, as a condition of graduation - at least 400 hours for BSW students, and at least 900 hours for MSW students. Unfortunately, the vast majority of social work students do not receive funding, from their field placement site or elsewhere, to defray the cost of reducing one’s paid work hours in order to attend 16-24 weekly hours of field education. At a time when counties across the U.S. are experiencing critical shortages of mental health workers, we should invest in our mental health workforce by giving students a stabler financial pathway to the field. Join us in asking members of Congress to support US House Appropriations Committee’s recommendation, found on page 274 of their report for the Departments of Labor, HHS, and Education for FY 2024, that the Department of education create “a pilot to use Federal Work Study and other financial aid funding to support social work students involved in internships and field experiences”. https://actionnetwork.org/letters/supporting-paid-social-work-field-placements