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The National Association of State Consultants in School Social Work held its annual meeting in 1966 where concern was expressed about the lack of leadership for school social work with the U.S. Office of Education and the National Association of Social Workers. As one means of increasing the impact of School Social Work, it was suggested that regional groups of state consultants meet regularly to exchange ideas and information and to plan ways to better serve the practitioners in their region. The state consultants from Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin met several times during the following six months and decided to invite members of the State Education Agencies in nearby states to attend the 1967 Illinois School Social Work Conference. The response was positive and an annual Midwest School Social Work Conference was proposed.
An invitational meeting, sponsored by the Illinois State Department of Public Instruction and supported by Title VI ESEA funds was held in December 1967. Twenty eight staff members who were responsible for the development of Pupil Services in eight states (Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin) met in Grafton, Illinois. Part of this group felt a national school social work conference was needed as a means of clarifying the role and function of school social workers. A number of the other participants recognized the need but believed priority should be given to a meeting focusing on the full array of services to children. As a result of the Grafton meeting, a School Social Work Conference Planning Committee agreed to meet in December 1967 to formulate the first plans for a conference.
In January, 1968, the seven State Education Agencies which had participated in the
Grafton meeting were invited to join Illinois in co-
Conferences have been held annually since that time. State school social work associations take turns organizing and hosting the conference each fall. The annual conference provides a significant continuing opportunity for school social workers to learn from their peers as well as from other professionals in related fields.
Midwest School Social Work Council membership expanded when Kansas joined the Council as the ninth member state in 1978, Ohio was added as the tenth member state in 1993 and Nebraska was added as the eleventh member in 2004. The Midwest Council began to take a nationwide focus early in the nineties.
Following the 1991 Midwest Conference in St. Paul, the School Social Work 2000 Planning Committee was formed in an attempt to prioritize primary issues and concerns facing school social workers.
This committee shared its recommendations with the Midwest Council at its 1992 Conference in Schaumburg, Illinois. Additional national meetings took place in Seattle (January 1993) and in Edwardsville, Illinois (July 1994) where the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA) was conceived.
From 1995 to 1997 the Midwest Council reexamined its goals, and as an organization decided to develop new goals which were more responsive to the needs of its member state associations. These goals can be delineated as follows.
1) The Midwest Council will actively support member state organizations.
2) The Midwest Council will create a system of communication between member states and national school social work organizations.
3) The Midwest Council will support the professional development of school social workers.
Today the Midwest Council is one of the largest school social work organizations in the United States and has served as a model for other school social work organizations. The Council has actively supported the development of the school social work organizations in Ohio and Nebraska, as well as the Southern School Social Work Council, the School Social Work Association of America and the NASW School Social Work Section.
As stated in the Constitution, "The purpose of the Midwest School Social Work Council is to promote professional excellence among school social workers in order to enhance social and human services in educational systems." The Council provides an opportunity for state organizations to collectively address new trends and developments in the field, to develop and share successful methods of promoting school social work services, to explore new sources of funding, and to develop responses to critical issues affecting school social work.
Meetings of the Midwest Council are held at the annual fall conference and in March. Each state is entitled to send three representatives, the state consultant for school social work (or a sub for this position if the state has no consultant), the president of the state school social work association and a practitioner.) Standing committees include Audit and Finance, Publicity and Promotions, Policy Review, Archives, Networking and Recognition.
The Midwest School Social Work Council networks with both national organizations representing school social workers. Representative of the NASW School Social Work Section and SSWAA attend Council meetings and Council members serve on the School Social Work Section and the SSWAA Board.
At present, the Midwest Council is a consortium of eleven Midwestern state school social work associations. They are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin. In existence for thirty seven years, it is the oldest regional school social work organization in the United States. Because of its proactive role, it is widely regarded as a major force in the development of the profession.
