The Council on Social Work Education held its 57th annual program meeting in Atlanta in October, with the theme “Increasing Access: Confronting Disparity and Inequality.”
Over the course of the four-day conference — which included presentations, preliminaries and networking opportunities — NASW members Trudy B. Festinger and Leon H. Ginsberg were presented with the Significant Lifetime Achievement in Social Work Education award in recognition of their achievements as educators in the profession.
NASW member Tricia B. Bent-Goodley received the Distinguished Recent Contributions in Social Work Education award.
Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., received the 2011 CSWE Presidential Award in honor of his lifelong work in support of civil rights across America and for his contributions to the progression of social work education and research.
Throughout the meeting, presentations were given by NASW President Jeane Anastas, NASW Special Assistant to the Executive Director Elizabeth Hoffler, NASW Foundation Director of the Social Work Policy Institute Joan Levy Zlotnik, and NASW Manager of the Office of Ethics and Professional Review Dawn Hobdy.
Anastas presented jointly with Lynn Videka, the dean of the New York University Silver School of Social Work, on “The Practice Doctorate in Social Work: Pros and Cons Considered.”
Anastas and Videka explored the possible opportunities and challenges around the practice doctorate, such as the market need for the degree, the core concepts and competencies of the degree, and how it could impact licensure around the country.
Attendees engaged in an exchange of ideas about the future path of this emerging issue.
Hoffler and Zlotnik said a joint presentation they gave, called “Reinvesting in the Profession: A Comprehensive, Nationwide Approach,” focused on the need to further sustain and enhance the social work profession through the adoption of state and federal reinvestment efforts.
These efforts include the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act (H.R. 1106/S. 584), as well as other federal legislation focused on workforce issues and a multitude of chapter reinvestment efforts.
Hoffler and Zlotnik also discussed the newly formed Congressional Social Work Caucus and highlighted it as an invaluable resource to educate the public about the social work profession and the clients served by social workers.
The presentation also focused on the continuing growth of the Social Work Policy Institute, which serves as the profession’s think tank and works to educate a variety of stakeholders on issues of importance to the profession and to the health and well-being of the nation.
Hobdy and Alan Barsky, a professor of social work at Florida Atlantic University, represented the NASW National Ethics Committee, as they hosted a one-hour workshop presentation on ethics education.
“Through role-playing scenarios and an interactive approach, we were able to portray potential ethical dilemmas to be addressed,” Hobdy said. “The course goal was to provide tools for critical thinking in ethics to be applied as necessary by the social worker.”