The advocacy fight to keep anti-discrimination language in the Social Work Code of Conduct continues and we need YOUR help!

Social work voices across the state and nation helped the Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC) retain anti-discrimination language regarding disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in the Social Work Code of Conduct in October 2020. Now, the fight continues after the Texas Attorney General issued a nonbinding legal opinion on June 14, 2021 that states the Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners (TSBSWE) may not adopt a Code of Conduct more expansive than the non-discrimination clause currently in our statute.  This strips protections for disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression and destroys the statutory authority of TSBSWE to set the ethical standards for the profession. READ OUR TALKING POINTS.

What Can I Do?

We need as many voices as we can get to ask TSBSWE to adhere to the NASW Code of Ethics and maintain anti-discrimination language in the Code of Conduct.  Read our 6/25/21 Advocacy Alert.

It is vital that we show TSBSWE that social workers will not stand for changes to the Code of Conduct by the Governor of Texas!

To receive the latest updates on the subject, follow us on Facebook and Twitter (NASW/TX and NASW/TX Advocacy.)

MEDIA COVERAGE

• Texas Disability Advocates Call on Social Work Board to Protect Rights Code of Conduct Review, Attorney General Opinion at Issue (June 28, 2021) NEW!

• Today On the Texas Standard - Will Francis, NASW/TX Executive Director talks about OAG Ken Paxton's Opinion (June 16, 2021) NEW!

• LGBTQ Protection - Will Francis, NASW/TX Executive Director Interview with Ms. Texas (TheMsTexasShow October 24, 2020)
  

• Snopes Fact Check: Did Texas Remove Discrimination Protections for LGBTQ and Disabled Clients of Social Workers? Yes that's right, Snopes reached out to our Executive Director, Will Francis, to confirm that this news story was in fact true. (October 22, 2020)

• Texas Competes Letter to BHEC & TSBSWE (October 21, 2020)

• NASW Rio Grande Statement (October 21, 2020)

• Student Association of Social Work - Code of Conduct Rule Statement 2020 (October 21, 2020)

• Autism Society Texas - Regarding the Removal of Protections from Discrimination from the Social Work Code of Conduct (October 21, 2020)

• ADAPT of Texas Calls for Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners to Resign (October 21, 2020)

• Social Worker Code of Conduct Change is Discriminatory Against Texans with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (The Arc Texas, October 20, 2020)

• New Texas rule that allows social workers to turn away 'vulnerable' LGBTQ or disabled clients sparks outrage, calls for reversal (USA Today, October 20, 2020)

• Texas regulatory board votes to allow social workers to decline clients who are LGBTQ+ or have a disability (CBS17, October 20, 2020)

• Opinion: Social workers should care for LGBTQ Texans — not turn them away (Armando Sanchez, LCSW, October 20, 2020)
• Why did Texas strip protections for LGBTQ and disabled from social worker code? (Dallas Morning News, October 20, 2020)
  
• Texas social workers can now turn away LGBTQ, disabled clients (NBC News, October 20, 2020)
• New Texas rule lets social workers turn away clients who are LGBTQ or have a disability (October 19, 2020)
• Rule Change Allows Social Workers to Deny LGBTQ, Disabled Clients,(Spectrum News 1, October 17, 2020)
• Advocacy, Professional Groups Denounce State Agencies for Stripping Out Explicit Nondiscrimination Protections for LGBTQ Texans (Equality Texas, October 16, 2020)
• (Rule Change Allows Social Workers to Deny LGBTQ, Disabled ClientsCriticism after rule change state agency (KRLD, October 15, 2020)
• Texas draws fire for striking protections for clients who are LGBTQ or have a disability struck from state social work Code of Conduct (Dallas Morning News, October 15, 2020)
  
• Texas regulatory board votes to allow social workers to decline clients who are LGBTQ+ or have a disability (KXAN-TV, October 15, 2020)
• ‘Our rights are at risk’: Texas rule allowing social workers to turn away LGBTQ+ clients, people with disabilities draws criticism (KSAT, October 15, 2020)
• New Texas rule lets social workers turn away clients who are LGBTQ or have a disability (Texas Tribune, October 14, 2020)
  

NASW/TX ADVOCACY ALERTS

• Advocacy Alert: TSBSWE Meeting Tomorrow! (July 8, 2021) NEW!
• Advocacy Alert: We Need YOUR Help to Keep Anti-Discrimination Language in the Social Work Code of Conduct! (June 25, 2021)
  
• Stand with Texas Social Workers (October 16, 2020)
  
• Changes to the Code of Conduct (October 14, 2020)

EVENTS 

• NASW/TX Press Conference on TSBSWE Code of Conduct Ruling - FB LIVE, (October 23, 2020 12-1pm CDT)
• Call to Action Virtual Meeting - Hosted by State Senator Jose Menendez, NASW/TX , the Autism Society & the Human Rights Campaign to end discrimination, (October 22, 2020 12-2pm CDT)

STATEMENTS & JOINT LETTERS

• RE: The Attorney General’s Nonbinding Opinion, KP-0372 - Representative Penny Morales Shaw (July 7, 2021) NEW!
• Statement for National Social Workers Association, re: Code of Conduct - Senator Zaffirini (July 7, 2021) NEW!
• TSBSWE Satement - Representative Donna Howard (July 8, 2021) NEW!
• NASW/TX Advocacy: Social Work Code of Conduct External Talking Points  (June 25, 2021) NEW!
• Letter to Attorney General Ken Paxton on the authority of the Behavioral Health Executive Council to adopt a rule prohibiting certain discriminatory conduct by licensed social workers (January 15, 2021) 
• NASW/TX Submits Response to Request for Opinion from TX Attorney General (January 14, 2021)
  
• NASW/TX BHEC Statement (October 27, 2020)
  
• Letter to BHEC re Elimination of Nondiscrimination Protections (October 26, 2020)
• TFEC Letter to Governor Abbott (October 26, 2020)
• NADD Statement (October 26, 2020)
• Texas House LGBTQ Caucus BHEC Letter (October 26, 2020)
• Hinojosa Letter to BHEC and TSBSWE re Social Worker Code of Conduct (October 26, 2020)
• BHEC Advocacy Alert! (October 26, 2020)
• Joint Statement from NASW & CSWE
• ASWB Position on Nondiscrimination

• Letter to Governor Abbott: Repeal Texas Governor's Removal of Protections for LGBTQIA+ People & People Living with Disabilities in Social Work Code of Conduct (October 26, 2020)

• Texas Association of Social Work Deans and Directors Code of Conduct Statement (October 24, 2020)

• Sen Rodriguez Letter BHEC SW Code of Conduct rule change (October 24, 2020)

• SWHPN Statement on Changes to Social Work Code of Conduct in Texas (October 23, 2020)

• AAUW Texas Statement in Support of NASW/TX (October 20, 2020)

• Our Lady of the Lake University and The Worden School of Social Service - Statement on TX SW Code of Conduct (October 20, 2020)

• Rep. Sylvia Garcia leads letter to Gov. Abbott and Texas Social Work Board asking for reversal of new discriminatory rule (October 20, 2020)
  
• Statement from State Senator José Menéndez (October 15, 2020)
• BHEC Nondiscrimination Protections Letter (October 15, 2020)
• Senator Powell Letter of Concern to BHEC (October 15, 2020)
• Statement from the Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Scholars (October 17, 2020)
• Joint Statement from NASW/TX & the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities (October 19, 2020)
• Statement from the NASW/TX Board of Directors (October 19, 2020)
• Chair Thompson Letter to BHEC and TSBSWE on Social Work Code of Conduct, (October 19, 2020)
• Social Worker Code of Conduct Change is Discriminatory Against Texans with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 

SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS

We have created some graphics and hashtags for you to show your support and #StandWithTexasSocialWorkers ! #DontMessWithTexasSocialWorkers 

Don't forget to tag us in your post @naswtx and @naswtx_advocacy !