HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

265

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE 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, this shortage is of concern because necessary services may not be provided; may be provided by staff that are not as well qualified as a professional social worker; or may be assigned to qualified social workers who are already carrying full caseloads which will exacerbate the turnover of qualified social workers; and

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

WHEREAS, a major source of this shortage is the limited number of individuals pursuing degrees in social work in Hawaii, which is largely attributable to low pay scales for social workers, particularly for government social workers; and

WHEREAS, Act 253, Session Laws of Hawaii 2000, more commonly known as the Civil Service Reform Act facilitated the review of the existing social worker classification system; and

WHEREAS, as a result of the Civil Service Reform Act and Senate Concurrent Resolution 127, Regular Session of 2004, the Department of Human Resources Development (DHRD) 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, the Department of Human Services (DHS), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education (DOE), and Department of Public Safety (DPS), reported that the existing social worker classification system did not meet their needs; and

WHEREAS, on May 1, 2004, DHRD authorized the formation of a new Child Protective Services/Adult Protective Services Specialist Class, Human Services Professional Series, Clinical Social Worker Class, and Parole Officer Class to alleviate the recruitment pressure experienced by various state agencies; and

WHEREAS, DHRD intends to authorize the elimination or combining of the current Social Worker Series and replace or combine it with a new Human Services Professional Series; and

WHEREAS, declassification will likely dampen the demand for those with social worker degrees in public agencies; and

WHEREAS, the social worker classification should be retained for use by those with a degree in Social Work from institutions accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; and

WHEREAS, DHRD, the National Association of Social Workers, Hawaii Chapter (Hawaii NASW), the largest professional organization for social workers in the State, the Hawaii Government Employee's Association (HGEA), the University of Hawaii School of Social Work (UH), and Hawaii Pacific University School of Social Work (HPU) are currently discussing options to address the situation regarding the proposed elimination of the current social worker series; and

WHEREAS, DHRD has not gotten consensus from UH, HPU, and Brigham Young University at Hawaii School of Social Work (BYU), 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 House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, the Senate concurring, that DHRD is requested to delay, for a minimum of six months but not more than 12 months, the elimination of the Social Worker series until DHRD obtains the consensus of, and consults and coordinates with, the Hawaii NASW, UH, HPU, BYU, HGEA, and the Legislature; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DHRD is also requested to consider any input by employees of DOE, DOH, DHS, DPS, or any other affected department or agency; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the discussions should include a review of all factors of the potential effectiveness of the reclassification to determine whether the plan for reclassification will adequately address the social worker shortage while continuing to ensure that effective social services are provided; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the examination should also consider whether the reclassification plan is the most effective option for resolving the social worker shortage by:

(1) Analyzing the effects of changing minimum qualification requirements and title on the effectiveness of the social services provided to clients;

(2) Determining whether positions that do not require formal coursework in social work should be given a "social work" job title, and if not, identifying those positions;

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

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

(5) Evaluating appropriate compensation for social workers if they become licensed in the state system;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any reclassification plan include an educational component to inform social workers and human services professionals in the Executive Branch about any changes to their job classifications; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any changes in educational components of the social worker series should be a collaborative effort involving all social work stakeholders and should be designed as to minimize problems or misunderstandings; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UH, HPU, and BYU jointly produce a final report of outcomes of their collaborative efforts after three months, and after six months to the chairs of the House Committees on Health, Labor and Public Employment, and Finance and the Senate Committees on Human Services, Labor, and Ways and Means; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DHRD report its findings to the Legislature after six months; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Human Resources Development, Director of Health, Director of Human Services, Director of Public Safety, Chairperson of the Board of Education, Superintendent of Education, deans of the Schools of UH, BYU, and HPU, HGEA, and the Executive Director of the Hawaii NASW.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

DRHD; Social Workers Reclassification; Review Panel