From the Director A few weeks ago, I had the singular privilege of leading a delegation of social workers to South Africa. We went as part of the People to People Ambassador Program that was started by President Dwight D. Eisenhower who believed that people can make a difference where governments sometimes cannot. While in South Africa we had the opportunity to meet with social workers who were doing remarkable work under remarkable conditions. For example, we visited a center for children orphaned by AIDS; a residential social crime prevention program to develop at-risk young adults into strong community leaders; a hospice which serves the...

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NASW's consumer Website, HelpStartsHere, hosted a survey among users to gain insight into who was visiting the site and for what reasons. Theresa Spinner, senior Web communications associate at NASW, said among the 690 visitors who completed the online survey, 32 percent accessed the site to research a topic for schoolwork. Fourteen percent were visiting to gain information about a personal issue. Six percent visited to help a friend or relative address a problem and 6 percent were there to find a social worker. Forty-two percent selected "other," which, among the reasons listed, was to find more information about social work as a career. ...

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Delegates made several site visits while in South Africa. Here, they listen to their guide during a trip to Robben Island. NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark led a delegation of 110 social workers to the Republic of South Africa in October through a continuing collaboration with People to People Ambassador Programs, NASW and the NASW Foundation. Delegates visited the major cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg for exchange sessions, site visits and cultural activities. Social workers from the U.S. gained a better understanding of the issues that affect access to social services as they especially relate to women and girls, palliat...

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The NASW National Committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification in November 2008 adopted the following slate for the 2009 election. Members eligible to vote must hold NASW membership in good standing as of Feb. 27, 2009. A ballot will be published in an upcoming issue of the NASW News. Completed ballots must be postmarked by May 23, 2009, to be included in the vote count. Members may also vote online. Candidates' biographical information and platform statements will be posted on NASW's Website and candidate information will be published in the NASW News. Campaigns must be conducted in accordance with the NASW Election Standards and P...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff "Social Workers at Work," a new report from the NASW Center for Workforce Studies, draws attention to the employment characteristics of social work professionals and examines the safety issues they face while at work. The report was compiled using data from a 2007 membership data survey. Violence from adult clients is a major safety concern for 41 percent of respondents, while 35 percent worry about their vehicles being vandalized, 34 percent are concerned about car accidents while in the field, 32 percent fear physical assault from non-clients and 28 percent are afraid of the neighborhoods where t...

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Advocates for mental health parity celebrated a victory in October with the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equality Act signed into law. The language of the act was attached to the highly publicized Wall Street rescue, tax and disaster relief bill (H.R. 1424). The action will mandate that private insurers provide mental health and addiction services parity for about 113 million Americans who work for employers with 50 employees or more, said James Finley, senior government relations associate at NASW. The new law will begin to help the millions of people who suffer from mental illness and substance abuse...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff   Democrat Barack Obama's victory in the presidential election was welcome news at NASW, whose Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE) announced its endorsement of the candidate in September 2008. "In these troubled times, Sen. Obama is the right person to lead this country," said NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark. She added that NASW "stands ready to assist Mr. Obama in any way we can. Social workers have always been involved in helping people during tough economic times and will remain involved during these difficult times." NASW prepared a transition document for the Obama admini...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff   The NASW Government Relations/Political Action staff is looking forward to working with the newly-elected Congress and President-elect Barack Obama. "The final outcome of the election is wonderful for NASW members and for our country," said Judy Walruff, chair of NASW's Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE). "I believe that these results signal that many of the issues and initiatives important to our members and the people we serve will move to the political forefront." More than 87 percent of the 238 candidates endorsed by NASW-PACE claimed victory. When the NEWS went to press, a few rac...

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NASW's Council of Chapter Executives met in Chicago recently. Tamitha Price (left) of Missouri was honored as Chapter Executive Director of the Year. Johanna Byrd (center), director of Government Affairs and Special Projects for the Florida Chapter, was honored with the Gillman-Wells Award for chapter support staff. Alan Ingram (right), executive director of the Minnesota Chapter, received a card acknowledging his 30 years of service.

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff   Ruth Knee co-founded NASW’s Social Work Pioneer Program. Ruth Irelan Knee, an NASW Social Work Pioneer®, died Oct. 8 at the age of 88. "Ruth's impact on social work was immeasurable. She devoted her life and career to social work. She will be greatly missed by all of us at NASW," said NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark. After helping found NASW, Knee served on the NASW Board of Directors for two terms. She also served on a variety of committees, councils, task forces and planning groups and co-founded NASW's Social Work Pioneerw program to honor contributions to social work....

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