‘Add-a-social-worker-and-stir approach’ does not end need for fundamental police reform

I want to offer my sincere condolences to the family, friends, and community members impacted by the killing of Breonna Taylor. I can only imagine what it’s like to grieve and process in such a public way. Also, I want to express gratitude and admiration for how, even in their deep personal grief, Breonna’s family honors her memory by continuing to seek the greater good.

Recently, the City of Louisville reached a civil settlement with the family of Breonna. As part of that settlement, Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) agreed to a number of police reforms. Among them, LMPD committed to retaining social workers to work alongside officers.

Interestingly, embedding social workers in police departments is the focus of much debate in the contemporary social work practice landscape. Some social workers believe that the concept of policing, as currently instituted, is antithetical to social work values. Others view the involvement of social workers—in every context, including police—as necessary to strengthening communities.

Differing perspectives notwithstanding, the concept of practicing social work in law enforcement contexts is not new. Houston, TX, Eugene, OR and Alexandria, KY are but a few cities across the United States that have adopted law enforcement responses integrating social service professionals. In many instances, these approaches have yielded overwhelmingly positive results.

Already, in Louisville, social workers work alongside law enforcement officers. In fact, I spent several years practicing social work in a police station. In that role, I worked alongside LMPD detectives to assess familial needs associated with the most egregious forms of child maltreatment.

I learned a lot from that experience and from a range of other experiences, including my current role of preparing social workers for our important profession. Here are a few foundational points necessary in making the collaboration of social workers and police successful.

First, social work is a profession rooted in social justice and human rights. Social workers adhere to a distinct set of professional ethics and practice guidelines. It is imperative that all stakeholders, including law enforcement personnel, understand and respect these facts. Social work values should not be compromised, for the sake of law enforcement or anyone else.

Second, the term “social worker” is often inappropriately used. Social work is a degreed and regulated (i.e., licensed) profession (See KRS Chapter 335). It is imperative that individuals employed in that role—including alongside law enforcement—are, indeed, social workers.

Third, because social work is a unique profession, social workers have a unique skill-set. Entities employing social workers should be mindful of explicit and implicit power dynamics, diverse perspectives, role ambiguity, and “othering” that may devalue that skillset. These devaluing dynamics are common in multidisciplinary practice settings. For social workers to impact the substantive change they are trained for, regardless of context, social workers must do social work.

This last point is vitally important: Assessing for an appropriate response is critical to adeptly addressing problems or concerns. We must change the paradigm and quit criminalizing social problems, such as homelessness, substance misuse, and other individual, familial, and community challenges. Thus, the allocation of resources and normative protocols should ensure a differential response that assesses, intervenes, and evaluates effectively. Said another way, deploy, expand, and fund the social work role to address such concerns and use the police in their appropriately defined role.

To be clear, simply adding social workers to a police station is not the solution. Whilst I know the power of social workers, and the work we do, all of us must acknowledge that social work services occur in a broader context of systemic racism, sexism, and other insidious bigotry. Oppressive structures and colonized perspectives must be addressed in every societal system. Thus, investment in social work services does not negate the need for reforms fundamental to fair, equitable, and just police practices. These points are not debatable.

In announcing these changes, Mayor Greg Fischer said Louisville has the opportunity to set a standard for other communities to follow. Indeed, we do. Social workers stand ready to meet the challenge.

We cannot address such complicated issues with a simplistic add-a-social-worker-and-stir approach. Substantive and sustainable change requires expansive frameworks. Ultimately, we must see this step as less of a “defunding” or a “reform”; rather, it must be one aspect of an expansion of vitally needed social work services. And that, is certainly a good thing.

Why?

Because, Social Work WORKS.

Dr. Jay Miller is the Dean, Dorothy A. Miller Research Professor in Social Work Education, and Director of the Self-Care Lab in the College of Social Work at the University of Kentucky.