‘Confused and frustrated’: Kansas social work advocate loses job in national group’s restructure

Becky Fast has led the Kansas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers since 2017, often testifying at the state legislature as she did here last week before the Joint Committee on Child Welfare System Oversight. She lost her job in a restructure done by the national organization. (Screen capture of Child Welfare System Oversight Committee)

TOPEKA — A national organization supporting social workers restructured, stripping Kansas of its local executive director and leaving a long-time system advocate without a job.

Becky Fast, who has led the Kansas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers since 2017, was let go from her position when NASW announced internally two weeks ago that it was combining 14 state chapters into pairs that would be overseen by one director.

Kansas now is paired with Iowa, said LaToya Evans, NASW spokeswoman.  

Fast was stunned by the decision to restructure the NASW’s entire system and said it was not discussed or voted on by member states or representatives. The decision was made at the executive committee level.

“The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is undergoing a national, internal realignment to strengthen operational efficiency and support for social workers,” Evans said in an email. “As costs within nonprofit organizations continue to increase, it has become necessary to continue transitioning to a dual-chapter executive director model in states that have fewer members or were supported by part-time employees.”

Fast, who is also a Johnson County commissioner, worked 30 hours per week as executive director, she said. 

Organization dues in Kansas pay for the local chapter costs, including her salary, so financial considerations are not the full reason for the restructuring, Fast said. In a letter announcing the new structure, the national board said “appropriate steps were taken to ensure that we adhered to our financial, legal, and ethical duties.”

Evans said Kansas and Iowa will each maintain a leadership council and chapter identities. The new model has been tested in some states, providing full-time employee support between neighboring chapters and maintaining local engagement and collaboration, she said.

Across the country, social workers and state NASW leaders took to social media to complain about the decision. In some states, including Arkansas and Kentucky, entire boards running state chapters resigned at once in disagreement with the national association’s decisions.

The Kansas NASW chapter board wrote a letter expressing its anger at how the restructuring decisions were made, citing the lack of clear communication, one of the bedrock principles of social work, as leaving board members and volunteers “confused and frustrated.”

“As the Kansas Chapter President, I have not been informed about the rationale, process, or decision-making steps leading to the elimination of our Kansas Director,” Kansas board president Tonya Ricklefs wrote in a letter signed by all board members.

The letter listed accomplishments Fast made as a state leader, including moving the organization out of a financial deficit and organizing one of the largest “advocacy day” efforts in the NASW organization. On social media, one upset Kansan pointed to Fast’s recent testimony in front of a Kansas legislative committee addressing questions about workforce issues.

“Frustrations have arisen from the lack of communication about realignment plans, no publication of approval of major changes, lack of opportunity for board and executive director input, and lack of understanding of how this cost savings will be allocated and how NASW will be structured to support our local advocacy efforts,” Ricklefs’ letter said.

Fast, the Kansas board of directors and others worry that eliminating the local chapter will weaken statewide advocacy efforts, particularly at a time when social workers are needed to support many industries.

“I’m not only sad that I’ve lost my job,” Fast said. “I’m sad for the social work community, the social workers, because it’s taken me years to build up (legislative) relationships.”

The lack of direct Kansas leadership raised such concerns that advocates have called a virtual meeting on Dec. 6 to discuss whether there is a way to create “a new Kansas social work organizational structure with the first priority being legislative advocacy,” one Facebook post said.

Fast said she’s worked with numerous Kansas legislators to educate them about social work, and the result is relationships built on trust so that government officials will call and ask for presentations and information.

The power of relationships was brought home to Fast recently when she filled in for her Oklahoma counterpart who was on sick leave. As she tried to work through issues, Fast said, she struggled with who to contact and even finding social workers in the state willing to testify. In Kansas, she has helped social workers become confident and willing to share their stories.

Fast said each state’s licensing laws are different and it’s important that the person speaking for Kansas social workers understands the nuances of the laws, particularly in a time when the Trump administration has proposed removing social workers from a list of professional degrees.

Melinda Lewis, a University of Kansas professor and director of the Center for Community Engagement and Collaboration, said the loss of someone with Fast’s knowledge of Kansas-specific challenges is significant.

“I do think the Kansas chapter of NASW with Becky’s leadership has made great strides in helping policymakers — not just legislators but state agencies and local leaders who pay attention to what’s happening in the Legislature — understand what social work does for Kansans,” Lewis said.

“We are in a different and a much more promising place now than we were several years ago, and (Kansas NASW) and Becky Fast aren’t the sole reason those advances have been made but they have been significant in it,” she added.