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DSS Recognizes March as Social Work Month

March 1, 2025 - COLUMBIA, SC – The South Carolina Department of Social Services recognizes and celebrates March as Social Work Month in South Carolina. The national theme for this year’s observance, selected by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), is Social Work: Compassion + Action. It emphasizes transforming compassion into action and producing positive, tangible results.

Social workers help people overcome personal crises like food insecurity, lack of affordable housing, or limited access to preventable and acute healthcare services. Throughout the month of March, the Department of Social Services will be highlighting social workers who work to positively impact the well-being of children, vulnerable adults, and families across South Carolina.

“Each day, social workers help South Carolinians navigate life’s challenges by providing support and guidance,” said Acting DSS State Director Tony Catone. “Together we can make sure social workers have the support, training, and resources they need to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.”

To see a video message on the agency’s recognition of Social Work Month, click here.

DSS case managers provide social work services and support to the community in a variety of ways including foster care services, child protective services, employment and training services, public adoption, and adult protective services. DSS also employs staff who provide professional development, training, and administrative support to professionals directly in the field serving one in six South Carolinians.

The agency is doing our part to help recruit, educate, train, and retain the next generation of social workers in South Carolina through the Child Welfare MSW and BSW Scholars Program, which assists college students looking to obtain their Bachelor’s in Social Work from one of three participating institutions of higher education. Since the launch of the BSW program in the Fall of 2022 and the MSW program launch in the Fall of 2023, 57 scholars have already participated with more than two dozen more expected in the Fall of 2025. In exchange for tuition assistance and successful completion of the program, the participating scholar will in turn commit to work for DSS for two years after graduation.

For existing agency professionals looking to obtain a Master’s in Social Work, the agency has created an MSW Scholars Program for child welfare employees looking to continue their education, training, and employment with DSS in exchange for tuition assistance. For more information on the Child Welfare BSW Scholars Program, please click here. To learn about the Child Welfare Employee MSW Scholars Program, please click here.

Throughout the month of March, DSS will post videos and stories about the impact of its work in service to South Carolina’s citizens on social media. Please visit us on Facebook, X, Instagram, and Threads.  

The Department of Social Services currently has job openings for case managers and a variety of other positions. For more information click here.