NASW will send a membership survey to a sample of prospective, current and lapsed members this year in an effort to improve membership services, programs and benefits. Tracy Whitaker, director of NASW’s Center for Workforce Studies and social work practice, said the survey results will be a guidepost for the professional association, which represents around 140,000 social workers. “This will help us form our programming for the future,” she said. “This is our chance to help improve our services.” The survey will be sent out to a sample group in October. Members who do not receive a mailed survey will be sent ...

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The NASW Board of Directors voted at its June meeting to increase new and renewing associate membership dues, bringing them in line with regular member dues. As of Oct. 1, annual associate member dues will increase to $190, the same amount a regular member pays. The associate membership is open to anyone currently employed in a social work capacity (not self-employed or group private practice) who holds a baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited U.S. college or university. Associate members are eligible for all rights and privileges of regular members, except they may not hold national elective office with NASW. They can vote in ...

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“Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license,” U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker ruled last month in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, a lawsuit challenging the 2008 voter-approved amendment to the California Constitution that limited marriage to heterosexual couples. Walker’s 136-page findings of fact and conclusions of law mirrored the amicus brief that NASW, its California Chapter and several other prominent organizations filed with the court in support of the plaintiffs. The brief contended that denying same-sex couples the right to marry flies ...

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Consider the facts: Schools of social work cannot train and graduate enough students to meet demand. Social work careers are perceived as stressful jobs that pay poorly. More than half of social workers surveyed by NASW have student loan debts between $10,000 and $40,000. Students say educational debt is keeping them from pursuing a social work career. With that in mind, NASW posed the following question to participants of the 2010 Social Work Congress in Washington last April: “What should be done to ensure that the benefits and rewards of a social work career continue to attract enough people to the profession?” Congress-goe...

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After months of engaging stakeholders, including social workers, to develop a national strategy, the Obama administration in July announced its strategic plan to effect a 25 percent reduction in the annual number of new HIV infections in the U.S. by the year 2015. Right now, an estimated 56,300 Americans are infected each year with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. To lower that number to 42,225 in the next five years, the White House wants to reallocate funding and refocus prevention efforts toward those at highest risk of being infected — namely minorities, substance abusers and men who have sex with men. “Not every person or g...

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NASW’s Luisa Lopez, Rebecca Myers, Elizabeth J. Clark and Robert Carter Arnold attended the global conference in Hong Kong. NASW was part of a June gathering of more than 2,500 social workers from more than 110 countries charged with drafting a global social work action plan for the future. The three leading global social work organizations — The International Federation of Social Workers, the International Association of Schools of Social Work and the International Council on Social Welfare — endorsed an agenda June 14 in Hong Kong during the 2010 Joint World Conference of Social Work and Social Development: The Agenda...

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Lynn Paltrow, National Advocates for Pregnant Women Treatment — rather than persecution — for people with substance use disorders was the common message conveyed by speakers at a Capitol Hill briefing on drug policy reform. NASW was a partnering sponsor of New Directions: A Public Health and Safety Approach to Drug Policy, which brought social workers, educators, law enforcement and advocates of drug policy reform to Washington in June. U.S. Rep. Robert Scott, D-Va., said the time is right for a fresh look at U.S. drug policy, including drug conviction incarcerations. “Rehabilitation ... costs less than just locking ...

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NASW staff coordinate the webinar production for the first-ever Meet the Authors Book Chat at the national office. From left: Rochelle Wilder, project coordinator, professional development; Stephanie Chambers, manager of credentialing and continuing education; and Yvette Mulkey, Specialty Practice Sections manager. NASW Specialty Practice Sections (SPS) and NASW Press partnered to present the first Meet the Authors Book Chat in a webinar format. “We wanted to partner with NASW Press’s great books that are practice-specific,” said Yvette Mulkey, SPS manager for professional development and marketing. Lisa M. O’Hear...

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June 2010 Board's Action Context Finance Received the financial reports for the period ending May 31, 2010. As of May 31, NASW’s total asset position was $14.4 million. Overall, assets increased by $123,000 compared to the same time last year. The increase was attributed to the increased value of investments by $574,000 compared to May 31, 2009. For the 11 months ending May 31, total revenu...

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NASW’s 2009 InterSections in Practice annual bulletin about social workers and the military has won the 2010 APEX Award for Publication Excellence. This is the fourth time a Specialty Practice Sections publication has won the award. “I’m particularly proud of the 2009 annual bulletin (PDF), but the honor goes to everyone who had a hand in putting it together,” said NASW Specialty Practice Sections Manager Yvette Mulkey. She said both social workers in the military and those who work with servicemembers contributed. SPS members can access the award-winning issue, which explores the emotional effects of war on servicem...

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