Testimony: Pathways to Behavioral Health Degrees Act of 2023
Children’s Law Center Policy Director Sharra E. Greer testified before the DC Council Committee of the Whole to share our support for the Pathways to Behavioral Health Degrees Act of 2023, which creates a Master of Social Work degree pathways at the University of the District (UDC) of Columbia. We thank the Council for including the funding for UDC to begin to build this much-needed program in its FY 2024 budget and urge the Council to advance the bill so we can move toward a more diverse, homegrown behavioral health workforce.
Learn about Our Behavioral Health Work
Although tens of thousands of DC children have behavioral health needs, only a fraction of them actually receive timely supports and services. At Children’s Law Center, we know that many of the children we work with – including children in the foster care system or receiving special education services – only need our help because their needs have gone unaddressed.