From the President As my second year as NASW president comes to an end, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to help lead this organization. I have been fortunate to meet many extraordinary social workers, connect with colleagues from my past and work to expand my knowledge base of the social work profession through the wonderful work that you, our members, are doing. My presidency has thus far been exciting, rewarding and active, to say the least. At the beginning of my term in 2008, one of my duties was to launch the first-ever virtual Delegate Assembly. We achieved a milestone in utilizing technology to connect social worker...

Read More

NASW’s new Lunchtime and Specialty Practice Sections teleconferences will include a webinar format to expand the experience for those listening to a live teleconference. “We are always looking for better ways to enhance our products and services and this will add new, interactive elements to our teleconferences,” said Yvette Mulkey, manager of NASW Specialty Practice Sections. Participants in live teleconferences will continue to listen to the audio presentation by telephone, Mulkey explained. They will also have the opportunity to connect to an interactive website that will display multiple elements, including a slide pre...

Read More

The United Nations Foundation has awarded NASW grant funding to help promote awareness of the importance of access to quality reproductive health services in the U.S. and abroad. With the grant funding, NASW will develop and adapt content, messaging and resources focused on reproductive health and family planning, linking domestic and international perspectives. It also will provide a catalyst for social workers and leaders at the chapter, university and grassroots levels to raise awareness and educate others on domestic and international family planning issues. Initially, NASW will partner with Advocates for Youth, an organization dedicat...

Read More

Four hundred social work students participated in the virtual 2010 Student Social Work Congress, part of the 2010 Social Work Congress. Among the participants was Texas Christian University social work major Heather Brown, who said students are the successors to the profession and they need a say in how it will be shaped. “We are the future,” she said. “The world is constantly changing and for me, I need to be a part of making change. I need to be mentored and be involved in order to continue the momentum of the leaders.” The students represented 16 classrooms across the country, said Elizabeth Hoffler, co-chair fo...

Read More

By Paul R. Pace and Matthew Malamud, News Staff Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Kirstin Downey, left, inspired congress participants with accounts of the life of social worker and presidential Cabinet member Frances Perkins. Four hundred social work leaders from coast to coast gathered in Washington April 21-23 to vote on a list of imperatives for the profession during the next decade. The 2010 Social Work Congress aimed to reaffirm, revisit and reimagine the profession, said NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark. “This was a great opportunity to address the challenges facing the profession,” she said. “We wi...

Read More

The NASW Center for Workforce Studies has released its “Summary of Key Compensation Findings” report based on a survey sponsored and developed by the association. Based on nearly 18,000 responses, the center determined that on Oct. 1, 2009, the median hourly wage for social work practitioners was $29.64 an hour. The median base pay among the survey respondents was $55,000 a year, with 12 percent earning $90,000 a year or more and 12 percent earning under $30,000. Most social work practitioners (57 percent) said they were paid an annual salary. Demographics: Regarding age, the report noted that average pay for those under 35 ...

Read More

NASW’s second annual social work practice conference, “Social Work’s Critical Role in End-of-Life Care,” will examine new factors that may influence end of life and the grieving process. The Aug. 4 event in Boston precedes the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s conference, “Developing the Care Continuum: Innovative Models to Meet the Unique Needs of Patients/Families,” Aug. 5-7. Kenneth J. Doka, professor of gerontology at the Graduate School of The College of New Rochelle in New York state and senior consultant to the Hospice Foundation of America, will deliver a keynote address. ...

Read More

At a briefing during the 2010 Social Work Congress, members of the U.S. Congress and executive branch offered inspirational stories about why they chose social work as a career and how those skills continue to guide their efforts in the nation’s capital. U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H., said her parents taught her that “everyone mattered” and they never shied away from helping those in need. Her parents’ concern for others inspired Shea-Porter to work with children and senior citizens. “I ran a senior center and my social work program helped my organization skills,” she said. “As social work...

Read More

Patient navigation experts from across the country, including NASW Senior Practice Associate Karyn Walsh, gathered in Atlanta in March for the first-ever National Patient Navigator Leadership Summit. The purpose of the summit was to develop standardized outcome and process measures applicable to all types of patient navigation programs and health care institutions. Patient navigation is individualized assistance offered to patients, families and caregivers to help overcome barriers to care and facilitate timely access to quality health and psychosocial care. According to the summit’s advisory council, common metrics will improv...

Read More

NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark (left) and President James J. Kelly (second from right) pose with the 2009 National Award recipients at an April 23 reception in Washington. From left: Harold House was NASW’s Public Citizen of the Year, S. Megan Berthold was named Social Worker of the Year and Massachusetts State Rep. Ruth Balser was named Public Elected Official of the Year. Dr. Dorothy I. Height, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, died April 20.  

Read More