Pushing the Envelope: Empowering Clients for Political Action

The social work profession has made significant strides in increasing its attention to influencing politics and policy. In addition to accelerating our own efforts to be politically active, however, we must reach out to a larger audience in pursuit of social justice. This article discusses the results of a survey of 1,274 randomly selected members of NASW that sought to ascertain the degree to which practicing social workers encourage their clients to engage in political action and policy change. The findings suggest that a small percentage do so, and that significant uncertainties surround social workers' perceptions of which behaviors in relation to their clients are and are not ethically defensible. The authors discuss implications and share recommendations for empowering clients through political action.