Assessing how social work programs use their websites to convey a commitment to social justice

Abstract

Social justice is a key tenet for the social work profession and education, calling for commitment to working with and for vulnerable and oppressed populations. In fact, undergraduate and master’s programs are accredited by CSWE, in part, based on fulfilling educational competencies related to supporting diversity and advancing social justice. Websites are one critical avenue through which social work programs communicate a commitment to social justice and other social work values. This study is an examination of how social work programs use their websites to convey a commitment to social justice to prospective students. Programs were identified using CSWE’s accreditation list (N = 590). A social justice messaging index was created by coding program websites for five indicators: social justice language on the homepage; mission/vision statement includes social justice; evidence of a diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative; social justice language on all degree overview pages; and a social justice course required for all degrees. The most common indicator was inclusion of social justice in the programs’ mission or vision statements (43%). The least common was evidence of a diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative (10%). No school met all five criteria. Implications for social work education are discussed.