THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

127

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

requesting the department of human resources development to delay the implementation of the elimination of the Social Worker series.

 

WHEREAS, Hawaii is currently experiencing a shortage of qualified social workers to provide services within the State; and

WHEREAS, the shortage is of concern because necessary services may not be provided, may be provided but by staff with lesser qualifications, or may be assigned to qualified staff who are already carrying full caseloads, which will in turn exacerbate turnover; and

WHEREAS, the demand for social workers will continue to escalate across the program areas of child welfare, disabilities, mental health, and school social work, as the population grows, diversifies, and ages; and

WHEREAS, a major source of this shortage is the limited number of individuals pursuing degrees in social work in Hawaii, despite the increasing demand for social services; and

WHEREAS, the limited number of social work graduates in Hawaii is largely attributable to low pay scales for social workers, particularly for government social workers; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature passed Act 253, Session Laws of Hawaii 2000, relating to civil service reform that facilitated the review of the existing classification system; and

WHEREAS, in 2003 the Department of Human Resources Development conducted a Social Worker Occupational Study to address the increasing demand for human services, the finite number of social workers, and a lack of alternative occupational options within the state system to meet the demand; and

WHEREAS, the Social Worker Occupational Study found that there are a total of 912 social work positions in the State of Hawaii, 171.5 of which were vacant as of December 2003; and

WHEREAS, state departments that currently have social work positions, specifically, Department of Human Services, Department of Health, Department of Education, and Department of Public Safety, reported that the existing classification system did not meet their needs; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Human Resources Development is intending to authorize the elimination of the current Social Worker series and replace it with a new Human Services Professional series effective May 1, 2004; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Human Resources Development is also intending to authorize a new Child Protective Services/Adult Protective Services Specialist class, Clinical Social Worker class, and Probation Officer class effective May 1, 2004; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Human Resources Development did not seek input from the National Association of Social Workers, Hawaii Chapter, the largest professional organization for social workers in the State; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Human Resources Development did not seek input from the University of Hawaii School of Social Work, the Hawaii Pacific University School of Social Work, and the Brigham Young University School of Social Work, the three educational institutions responsible for the education and training of social work professionals in the State; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that the need exists to comprehensively and effectively address the long-standing problem of the shortage of social workers in Hawaii; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Human Resources Development is requested to delay the implementation of the elimination of the Social Worker series until examination, consultation, and coordination is sought by the Hawaii Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, the University of Hawaii School of Social Work, the Hawaii Pacific University School of Social Work, and the Brigham Young University School of Social Work; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Human Resources Development is also requested to accept and consider any input provided by the Departments of Education, Health, Human Services, and Public Safety, or any other affected department or agency; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the examination should include review of the potential effectiveness of the reclassification to determine whether the plan for reclassification will adequately address the shortage problem while continuing to ensure the provision of effective social services; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the examination should also reflect consideration of whether the plan is the most effective option for resolving the social worker shortage problem by analyzing:

(1) The effects of lowering of minimum qualification requirements on the effectiveness of the social services provided to the clients;

(2) Whether and which positions that do not require formal coursework in social work should not have a "social work" job title;

(3) Whether the recruitment and retention of social workers could be better enhanced by improving working conditions, including smaller caseloads, flexible work schedules, and increased support staff; and

(4) The current compensation and benefits for social worker positions to ensure that they are commensurate with the demands of the job;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Human Resources Development report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2005; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Human Resources Development, the Director of Health, the Director of Human Services, the Director of Public Safety, the Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Education, the Deans of the Schools of Social Work of the University of Hawaii, Brigham Young University at Hawaii, and Hawaii Pacific University, and the Executive Director of the Hawaii Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

Report Title:

DRHD; Social Workers Reclassification; Review Panel