Developing practice tools for social workers in end-of-life care

Area of Science:

• Social Work Practice
• Palliative Care
• End-of-Life Care

Background:

• Social workers require specialized knowledge and resources for effective palliative and end-of-life care.
• Existing resources may not adequately address the complexities of end-of-life care for social work professionals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the National Association of Social Workers' (NASW) initiatives in developing resources for palliative and end-of-life care.
• To describe the scope and development of new practice standards, continuing education, and policy statements for social workers.

Main Methods:

• Grant funding secured from the Soros Foundation's Project on Death in America.
• Development of evidence-based practice standards.
• Creation of a web-based continuing education course.
• Drafting of a new policy statement on end-of-life care.

Main Results:

• NASW successfully developed comprehensive practice standards for end-of-life care.
• A web-based continuing education course was created to enhance social worker knowledge.
• A new policy statement was drafted to guide social work practice in end-of-life care.

Conclusions:

• The developed resources provide essential information and guidance for social workers in palliative and end-of-life care.
• These initiatives aim to enhance the capacity of social workers to provide high-quality end-of-life care.
• The NASW's efforts support professional development and policy advancement in end-of-life social work.