Last week, the Western New York Division of the National Association of Social Workers received approval from the Executive Director of the New York State Chapter to publish a statement, written collaboratively, on behalf of the division protesting Catholic Charities' decision and reasoning to end their foster care and adoption programs. One day following approval and publication, the NYS Chapter Board of the NASW made the decision to remove the posting from all sites and is now in the process of issuing a different statement of clarification...whether that statement will ever be produced remains unknown.

According to NASW WNY Leadership (many now resigned), the NYS NASW Board made the decision to remove the statement based on three main reasons:

1. They felt the Executive Director should have sought their permission/ approval first;
2. They had concerns about whether some of the statement was factual; and
3. They believe that the Code of Ethics does not cover organizations. 

We categorically reject all three of these points. First, the release of this statement falls well within the role of the Executive Director. Second, the statement (below) is entirely factual. Third, the notion that the NASW Code of Ethics does not cover organizations is absurd.

We, the undersigned:

1. Demand the reinstatement of the original statement, as written and approved by the WNY Division.
2. By signing, agree with the statement, and call on Catholic Charities and the NASW NYS Chapter both to return to higher values of service, and justice to all.

The original statement read:

NASW­NYS Western Division Statement on Catholic Charities of Buffalo’s Decision to End Foster Care and Adoption Programs September 13, 2018 NASW NYS, Western Division

Catholic Charities of Buffalo recently announced it is ending both fos­ ter care and adoption services, specifically referencing its inability to uphold the requirement allowing same­sex couples to adopt or foster children while upholding the teachings of the Catholic Church. As a profession defined by our ethics, the Western Division of the National Association of Social Workers – New York State Western Division (NASW­NYS Western Division) strongly condemns Catholic Charities’ decision to withdraw services from some of the most vulnerable members of our community for the sake of continuing to discriminate against LGBTQ persons in the services they provide.

Prominent among our ethical principles are the values of Social Justice and Dignity & Worth of the Person. As a standard for putting these principles into practice, the NASW Code of Ethics specifically states that “Social workers should not practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical ability.” These values call us to serve others as they are, not as we believe they should be.

Inherent in our ethics is a commitment to honoring difference in what these principles mean to the diverse communities that we serve and work with. The wide scope for understanding of what these principles mean in both theory and in practice contributes to our strength as a community of professionals. However, if these principles and standards are to have substance, there comes a point where a line is crossed, and disagreements are no longer a matter of respectful diversity of interpretation and application. At this point, they become a matter of the violation of our foundational ethical principles.

The recent decision of Catholic Charities of Buffalo is one such case in which that ethical line is crossed. This decision is in direct violation of the ethical standards social work professionals hold themselves to while serving individuals, families, and communities. Furthermore, the decision to phase out the foster care and adoption services program in order to not provide these services to same­sex families creates a pro­found ethical dilemma for social workers employed by Catholic Charities.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as of 2016, more than 437,000 children were in foster care and more than 57,000 were adopted.

NASW and NASW­NYS strongly support the recognition of LGBTQ families through parental recognition laws and (Social Work Speaks, 2018, p.216) and adoption laws (p. 137). Specifically, NASW supports “the removal of barriers that prevent children from being placed in per­ manent homes, including barriers that are unsupported by tested ex­ perience such as resistance to using single parents, foster parents (for adoption), and nontraditional family patterns (including LGBT parents) as potential foster care and adoption resources.” (p.137).

For these reasons, the NASW­NYS Western Division condemns Catholic Charities’ decision, and fully supports all Catholic Charities employees who are working to challenge this decision and call the agency to the higher values of justice and service to all. It is our responsibility as social workers to speak out against this discrimination, firmly state that we do not agree with or condone this decision, and refuse either to facilitate or collaborate with its enactment.