Academic scholars and higher education institutions are currently called on to contribute to the overall well-being of communities by using their expertise. They are asked to address emerging human needs, solve problems related to globalisation, ameliorate negative impacts of new technologies, and assist with a myriad of other issues. This increasingly requires scholars and institutions of higher education to engage with external groups and organisations outside the boundaries of higher education (Lunsford and Omae, 2011). Although literature in many fields has examined faculty involvement in community engagement as a major innovation in higher education (O’Meara et al, 2011), little research exists regarding academics’ engagement in policy practice endeavours.

In social work, policy practice encompasses ‘the professional efforts to influence the development, enactment, implementation, modification, or assessment of social policies, primarily to ensure social justice and equal access to basic social goods’ (Barker, 2003, p 33). Given the current economic, social and political challenges, social work expertise has much to offer to the policy-making process. Social work experts can help construct a comprehensive effort to achieve the social justice goals central to social work. Many social workers pursue careers focused on influencing social policy. They are working as lobbyists, policy and programme analysts, organisers and advocates. Such positions can be found in the executive and legislative branches of government, with provider and professional organisations, foundations, think tanks and public interest advocacy groups at the national, state and local levels. Social work education requires graduates to have competence in advocacy (Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), 2010) but we know little about the policy practice activities of those who implement this mandate. It is imperative for social work academics who prepare students for policy practice efforts to engage in the policy discourse themselves. To achieve the goal of increasing social work presence in policy practice, the teachers should model the behaviours they train others to implement.

Social work academics play a vital role in not only the renewal and expansion of the professional knowledge base, but in producing and regenerating a skilled social work workforce. Due to its greater autonomy and the existence of both relevant data and critical approaches in academia, Gal and Weiss-Gal (2013a) consider social work academia as an additional route through which social workers engage in policy practice.