Social Work Resources
Welcome to the Graduate College of Social Work Research Guide! Within this guide, you will find information and links to Social Work related resources that you may find useful for your classwork and research.
Web Resources
The websites below will connect you to resources and organizations relevant to social work.
Associations & Organizations
- Council of Social Work Education (CSWE)CSWE is a nonprofit national association representing more than 3,000 individual members, as well as graduate and undergraduate programs of professional social work education. This is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the sole accrediting agency for social work education in this country.
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW)NASW is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with 150,000 members. NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional standards, and to advance sound social policies.
- NASW Texas ChapterThe Texas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers is the major professional social work organization in the state. NASW/Texas advocates for social workers, advances the profession of social work, and promotes sound public policy that is designed to ensure that human needs are met.
- Association for Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA)ACOSA is a membership organization for community organizers, activists, nonprofit administrators, community builders, policy practitioners, students and educators. ACOSA will keep you informed of the latest innovations in community and administrative practice as well as provide you with a variety of opportunities for networking and professional advancement.
- Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW)CASW promotes the profession of social work in Canada and advances social justice.
- Child Welfare League of AmericaCWLA is a coalition of private and public agencies that advances policies, best practices and collaborative strategies that result in better outcomes for children, youth and families that are vulnerable.
- Clinical Social Work Association (CSWA)CSWA is a national individual membership organization dedicated to providing essential services, products, professional support, and national identity for Clinical Social Workers.
- International Association for Social Work with GroupsThe International Association for Social Work with Groups, Inc. (IASWG), is the premier international association for social workers and allied helping professionals engaged in group work. The purpose of this non-profit, member-driven organization is to promote excellence in group work practice, education, field instruction, research and publication.
- International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW)IASSW is an international association of institutions of social work education, organisations supporting social work education and social work educators.
- International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW)IFSW is a global organisation striving for social justice, human rights and social development through the development of social work, best practices and international cooperation between social workers and their professional organisations.
- Latino Social Workers Organization (LSWO)The LSWO has a mission focused on the Recruitment and Retention of Latinos in Higher Education, Advocating for Cultural Competency within human service agencies, and as a provider of high quality continuing education programs.
- National Association of Black Social WorkersThis website contains extensive information relating to black social workers. This site contains mega-information and resources one could use in their professional life as a black social worker.
- National Association of Puerto Rican/Hispanic Social WorkersThis website contains extensive information relating to Puerto Rican and Hispanic social workers. This site contains lots of information and resources one could use in their professional life as a social worker.
- National Organization of Forensic Social Work (NOFSW)NOFSW endeavors to advance social justice through the interprofessional collaboration of human service and legal systems.
- North American Association of Christians in Social Work (NACSW)NACSW is an interdenominational and international organization that equips its members to integrate Christian faith and professional social work practice.
- Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR)SSWR works collaboratively with a number of other organizations to advance, disseminate, and translate research that addresses issues of social work practice and policy and promotes a diverse, just, and equitable society.
- Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care (SSWLHC)SSWLHC is a premiere national and international professional organization dedicated to promoting the universal availability, accessibility, coordination, and effectiveness of healthcare, with a focus on the psychosocial components of health and illness.
More Resources for Social Work
- Child Welfare Information Gateway, U.S. Department of Health & Human ServicesInformation clearinghouse for publications, websites, databases, and online learning tools on all topics related to child welfare, including child abuse and neglect, foster care, and adoption.
- Evidence-Based Practices Resource CenterEvidence-based Practice collection for mental and substance use disorders from SAMHSA. Items include Treatment Improvement Protocols, toolkits, resource guides, clinical practice guidelines, and other science-based resources.
- Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)An international consortium of more than 750 academic institutions and research organizations, ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for the social science research community.
- Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC)"IHAC is an internationally recognized center for research and training in the varied facets of human-animal interaction across the lifespan and grounded in evidenced-based practice for implementing diverse and ethically responsible animal-supported educational and therapeutic interventions."
- Katherine A. Kendall Institute for International Social Work Education (KAKI)"The Katherine A. Kendall Institute for International Social Work Education (Kendall Institute) strives to prepare educators, researchers, students, and practitioners for an increasingly global community through its programs and initiatives."
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)NIMH is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders. NIMH is one of the 27 Institutes and Centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest biomedical research agency in the world. NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
- Social Work Policy Institute"The Social Work Policy Institute examines issues that relate to the work of social workers, including how to serve people who have multiple or complex needs and how public agencies and other structures deliver health and human services."
- Urban InstituteThe Urban Institute brings data-driven expertise and objective analysis to today’s critical social and economic policy debates.
A Word About Evaluating Websites
There is a lot of health information freely available on the Internet. Some websites offer up-to-date, authoritative information. Some websites offer out-dated, misunderstood, and incorrect information. To complicate matters, it can be very difficult to tell the two apart. The following will help you evaluate health information websites and allow you to judge each website on its information merit, not just its looks: A User's Guide to Finding and Evaluating Health Information on the Web (Medical Library Association).
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The New Social Worker Online
The New Social Worker Online is a freely-available magazine offers book reviews, job postings, and news for those who are going into the field of social work and by those already in the field.
Librarian
Rachel Helbing
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