From Margins to Models: Credible Messengers, Paraprofessionals, and the Future of Community-Based Social Work

Background and Purpose:
As gun violence is increasingly recognized as a public health crisis in the U.S., community-based violence intervention programs (CVIPs) have emerged as promising non-carceral responses, particularly in Black and marginalized communities. At the core of many CVIPs are credible messengers—trusted community members with lived experience who interrupt cycles of violence and guide others toward healing. Despite their vital role, credible messengers often lack the training, support structures, and career advancement opportunities associated with professional helping roles. This conceptual paper explores how social work can realign with the needs of this emerging workforce by embracing a paraprofessional framework that revives community-embedded traditions while challenging profession-centered models.

Methods:
This conceptual analysis synthesizes peer-reviewed literature, policy briefs, and findings from participatory action research on credible messengers (Martinez et al., 2022; Buggs et al., 2022; Lesnick et al., 2023). The study draws from CVIP program evaluations, qualitative studies on lived experience leadership, and paraprofessional workforce development research. Field-based insights from collaborations with CVIP agencies and training organizations are also included to identify best practices and implementation challenges. The analysis is guided by Brawley and Schindler’s (1991) framework for strengthening paraprofessional contributions to social welfare, alongside empowerment theory (Breton, 1994) and critiques of professionalization.

Results:
Five core commitments are identified to guide social work’s engagement with credible messengers:

1. Decentering Profession-Centered Models: Social work must move beyond gatekeeping roles to recognize and support indigenous helping traditions. This includes adapting educational curricula to prepare students to work collaboratively with paraprofessionals and adopt coaching—not controlling—roles.

2. Team-Based Models: Interdisciplinary care structures that position credible messengers as frontline navigators, supported by licensed social workers in clinical or supervisory roles, can improve service access and coordination, especially in resource-constrained communities.

3. Mutual Training Models: Training should be reciprocal—messengers gain therapeutic and ethical decision-making skills, while social workers develop cultural humility and deeper understanding of community dynamics.

4. Affirming Indigenous Strengths: Training should build on community wisdom rather than erase it, preserving the authenticity and trust that make credible messengers effective.

5. Career Advancement Pathways: Institutional investments in credentialing, fair compensation, and long-term career pathways are essential to the sustainability of this workforce. Social work must advocate for policy reforms that support paraprofessional development and integration.

Conclusions and Implications:
Social work has a historic and ethical responsibility to meet communities where they are—culturally, structurally, and relationally. Credible messengers represent both a critique of and a complement to traditional helping systems. By embracing a paraprofessional model rooted in collaboration, equity, and lived experience, social work can help build a stronger, more inclusive ecosystem of care. This work calls for intentional changes in social work education, practice, and policy to support the development of credible messengers as central agents of public safety and healing in communities most affected by violence.