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Social Work and Social Workers
WHAT DOES THE LITERATURE SAY?
MacDougal, C., (2019). Childbirth Distress: A Call
for Professional Engagement.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109919873 Accessed
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0886109919873909
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In this article, I argue the topic of childbirth distress falls within
the reproductive rights framework and should be of importance to social
workers. The findings presented below are discussed in the context of
the International Federation of Social Workers’ ethical principles and
its policy statement on women to support this position.
2023
National Association of Perinatal Social Workers (2023).
Accessed https://napsw.org/
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Perinatal social workers work to support women and families as they navigate
medical challenges, process complex information about pregnancies and neonates
(birth to age 1), and access community supports. Perinatal social workers help
with planning and nurture hope as families move toward their future
University at Buffalo School of Social Work (2023). Why We
Need More Perinatal Social Workers. Accessed
https://socialwork.buffalo.edu/news-events/mosaics-magazine/2023spring/perinatal-care-social-work.html
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Historically, social work had always done a lot with maternal and child health,
but over the last 30 years, fewer and fewer social workers have been going into
perinatal social work,” says Robert Keefe, associate professor of social work
2022
Hansen, M, (2022). Reinvigorating Social Work's Focus on Perinatal Health.
International Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics. Accessed
https://jswve.org/volume-19/issue-1/item-11/
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Social workers offer skills, perspectives, and a mastery of social care that lay
a foundation for positively impacting the existing perinatal health crisis.
Likewise, social workers place prominent value on curtailing racism,
discrimination, and the inequities that emerge from socially unjust
institutional structures, further driving the importance of social work’s
contributions to dismantling perinatal health disparities. Given the important
role that social workers play in addressing health inequities during the
perinatal period, it is essential that the social work profession reinvigorate
its focus on perinatal health.
Hardy, M. (2022). What About Social Justice? Advocating for Maternal Health
Equity. Accessed
https://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/practice/advocating-for-maternal-health-equity/
Harris, Kamala (2022) The White House Blueprint for
Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis. Accessed
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Maternal-Health-Blueprint.pdf
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While physicians, nurse practitioners, physicians’
assistants, and nurses undoubtedly play an essential role in the maternal
health ecosystem, so, too, do social workers, nutritionists, and
non-clinical workers, such as community health workers and doulas. For
example, access to community-based doulas is associated with improved
maternal health outcomes, including lower odds of Cesarean sections and
preterm births.98 Yet, only about 6% of women who give birth receive doula
care
INTRODUCTION PAGE
Last updated June 2024
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