— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff   NASW has recently filed two amicus briefs addressing criminal prosecution of pregnant women and adoption by same-sex couples. Kentucky Brief NASW joined an amicus brief in the Cochran v. Commonwealth of Kentucky case, which was filed in the Commonwealth of Kentucky Supreme Court. The case challenges the criminal prosecution of a woman who continued her pregnancy in spite of a drug addiction. NASW is in disagreement with the appellate court opinion in the case. "In that decision, the court ignored established precedent and effectively rewrote state law to permit the punishment of a woman who carri...

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June 2009 Board's Action Context Finance Received the financial report as of May 31, 2009. NASW's total asset position was $14.3 million, a decline of $2 million compared to the same period last year. The decline is attributed to unrealized loss on investments and costs associated with the defined benefit pension plan obligations. Liabilities declined $2.1 million for the same period. ...

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Managing stress was the topic of a story in published in The Examiner in Washington, D.C. It quoted Bernadette Gaffney, who explained that people - females in particular - tend to overextend themselves and take on more responsibilities then they can handle. "It seems to be very much a gender issue as females, particularly employed mothers, expect themselves to manage parenting, work, marriage/partnership, household tasks and relationships simultaneously." Gaffney was quoted as saying. "One cannot possibly give to important others in their lives if they, themselves, are depleted." Gaffney and other experts encourage those who often overexten...

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From the President Few issues dominate national headlines these days like health care reform. It is one of the Obama administration's most ambitious goals and its complexity cannot be overstated. Our distressed health care system affects social workers as providers, advocates and consumers, so our investment in a positive legislative outcome is significant. Promoting health throughout the U.S. population has always been a priority for the social work profession. The NASW policy statement on health care pays special attention to the growing numbers of uninsured and underinsured Americans, with minorities and the poor being disproportionately...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff   New changes to personnel requirements for social work jobs in hospice settings went into effect on Dec. 2, but not without garnering criticism from NASW. In a July 7 letter to Kerry Weems, acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark opposed the final rule for the Medicare Hospice Conditions of Participation. The rule defines personnel qualifications for social workers as having an MSW with one year of experience or a bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, sociology or other related field, as well as one year of experienc...

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Valerie Jarrett will chair the committee. NASW celebrated a milestone victory in its goal of achieving gender equity. President Obama signed an executive order on March 11 to create the first-of-its-kind White House Council on Women and Girls. The conception of such a council was encouraged just a few months earlier by a coalition of women's groups. NASW signed the letter and members wrote to Obama encouraging this action. NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark, NASW Pioneer Dr. Dorothy I. Height and Joan Levy Zlotnik, executive director of the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research, attended the signing ceremony for t...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff   As the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M .Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act gains traction in both chambers of Congress, NASW recognizes the important input from many sister social work and allied organizations including the National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) and the Clinical Social Work Association (CSWA). NASW also worked with Dr. Dorothy I. Height, for whom the bill is named, to suggest multiple changes to the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act (H.R. 795/S. 686) before reintroduction. “We were lucky to work with the National Assoc...

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NASW joined a delegation of social welfare leaders, cash transfer experts and educators from around the world to discuss systematic reviews that explore the efficiency of linking social welfare services and cash transfers. Rita Webb, senior policy advisor for NASW’s Human Rights and International Affairs department, was among those who met in Carmona, Spain, April 22-24 to discuss how social services can complement and enhance government cash transfer programs to improve child protection outcomes. UNICEF was the host of the meeting called Cash Transfer and Social Welfare and invited social welfare representatives, researchers, cash tr...

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Nine universities have been selected to implement BSW and MSW traineeship programs in an effort to boost leadership capacity among the child welfare workforce. The effort is being led by the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI), which is being funded through a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Children’s Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services along with eight universities and the National Indian Child Welfare Association. Among NCWWI’s goals is to develop leadership capacity among the child welfare workforce. This workforce is facing challenges by the imminent retirements of experienced staffers as...

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— Heidi Sfiligoj, News Staff   The Hospice Foundation of America hosted the 2009 National Bereavement Teleconference, “Diversity and End-of-Life Care,” in April. NASW Senior Policy Associate Karyn Walsh attended. It was the 16th annual Living With Grief Teleconference. The teleconference was sponsored by the Foundation for End-of-Life Care and the Dignity Memorial Funeral Providers in cooperation with NASW, Adventist Communications Network, the Association for Death Education and Counseling, and the Department of Veterans Affairs Employee Education System. HFA’s learning objectives for the teleconference were ...

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