Tarrant County commissioners adopt amended Social Work Awareness proclamation after brief but heated debate

A majority of the Tarrant County Commissioners Court voted 3–2 to adopt a proclamation recognizing March as National Social Work Awareness Month, after the court approved an amendment earlier in the meeting.

The amended proclamation drew sharp remarks during the public comment period from social work staff and family members who said the body should avoid inserting politics into professional recognition. Dorel Walker, identified in the meeting as an assistant court investigator, told the court the proclamation language reflects principles published by the National Association of Social Workers and described the county’s social work program contributions.

"These interns provided over 14,000 hours of volunteer services to the citizens of Tarrant County last year," Walker said during public comment, noting the county’s social work interns and staff serve tens of thousands of residents annually.

Commissioners debated whether the amended language properly represented the social work community and whether social workers themselves had an opportunity to accept the revision. One commenter said she would not accept the amended resolution, calling it an "insult" and urging the court not to force a position on the social work community.

Court clerks recorded a 3–2 vote in favor of the amendment and a subsequent 3–2 vote to adopt the proclamation as amended. The transcript did not record the names of the motion maker and seconder on the floor for the motion to amend or for the final adoption.

Why it matters: The proclamation is symbolic but touches on questions of professional representation and whether elected bodies should specify language for occupational recognition, which drew public pushback in this session.

The court moved on after the vote to employee recognition on the agenda.