The legislation will create a bipartisan, two-year commission to recommend a comprehensive national strategy to reduce and prevent child abuse and child neglect fatalities. NASW has been a longtime supporter of the bill, and submitted written testimony Dec. 12 at a U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means hearing. In its testimony, NASW noted that the social work profession has worked tirelessly to safeguard children from child abuse and neglect and that it is vital to include social workers among the commission’s stakeholders. “Social workers can be found in a broad array of settings serving children and families, including c...

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NASW student member Megan Salisbury recently received a Martin Luther King Jr. Student Service Leadership Award, which was announced in an article in the Downtown Devil, the online student publication of Arizona State University in Phoenix. Salisbury received the award in recognition of her work helping homeless veterans and the LGBT communities in Arizona. She says in the article that she is passionate about her work because it helps vulnerable people. She also says volunteering is her way of challenging herself. “I will never be able to solve every person’s problem in our community,” she says in the article. “Bu...

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Larry Betcher knows firsthand the danger a social worker can encounter on the job, as one of his clients once flashed a butcher knife at him during an at-home visit. This is one reason safety training is so important for social workers, said Betcher, an NASW board member. “Social workers work with a wide range of patients. Many have capabilities to act out in a violent way,” he said. “People with mental illness don’t necessarily have an increased risk of danger, not in reality, but they may think they’re in danger and try to harm their social worker. Knowing de-escalation techniques, the ability to get out of...

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The start of 2013 brought legislative compromise on the tax side of the financial challenges facing the United States, even though it took extended congressional efforts to do it. Spending cuts, however, are also needed to achieve a balanced and effective approach to deficit reduction. But determining which programs to cut is complex. As in the 1990s during the welfare reform debate, the political rhetoric surrounding spending cuts uses the term “entitlements” to vilify social benefits — this time key social insurance programs for the elderly and others who receive Social Security and Medicare. This rhetoric overlooks the...

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NASW President Jeane Anastas and NASW CEO Elizabeth J. Clark participated in the Tanzanian Association of Social Work (TASWO) conference “Making a Difference to the Vulnerable Groups,” which was held in October in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The conference was part of TASWO’s annual general meeting to address the profession of social work, finding ways to further enhance the role of social workers in Tanzania. “The purpose of the trip was to continue to provide technical support to TASWO, through NASW’s twinning partnership project,” Anastas said. “The goal of the project is to help the recently do...

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The Association of Social Work Boards announced that Mary Jo Monahan has been selected to serve as its new executive director. Monahan served on the national board of directors of NASW from 1998 to 2001 and was president of the NASW Florida Chapter from 1988 to 1990. Monahan, formerly vice president of operations at Matthews Benefit Group Inc., and president and CEO of ICON Institute of Florida LLC, takes over the role following the retirement of Donna DeAngelis. “I have known Mary Jo for more than 20 years. She is highly qualified and I am confident that she has the knowledge, skills and energy necessary to lead ASWB,” DeAnge...

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Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, discusses the Affordable Care Act during the eighth annual Social Work Pioneers® luncheon in October. Washington Post columnist Colbert I. King also was a keynote speaker at the lunch. The NASW Foundation hosted its eighth annual Social Work Pioneers® luncheon in October at the Woman’s National Democratic Club in Washington, D.C. More than 100 people attended the event, which featured two keynote speakers — Washington Post columnist Colbert I. King and Executive Director of Families USA Ron Pollack. King’s speech, “The Invisibility of the Poor: A Challenge ...

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James Roosevelt, then a candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, called for a city inventory of social problems, serving as one example of how NASW chapters quickly got the word out as they worked with local representatives in their respective states. NASW Social Work Pioneer® Robert Cohen, who previously served as NASW general counsel as well as interim executive director in 1995, sees National Professional Social Work Month as celebrating the depth, breadth and value of the profession. “Social workers are involved in and have an impact on all facets of society,” Cohen said. “The initial idea of Social Work Month was to tr...

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NASW CEO Elizabeth J. Clark, on behalf of the association, submitted testimony in September at a U.S. Senate hearing on hate crimes and domestic extremism, held by the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights. Clark stated that NASW applauds the committee for hosting the hearings and for Congress and the federal government in taking increased measures to prevent and combat hate crimes and domestic extremism. The letter noted that the killing of six people at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., was related to racial, religious and ethnic intolerance. “Oak Creek was not a Sikh tragedy, but an Am...

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The NASW Practice Perspectives series offers three new publications to educate members about social work developments that will enhance their professional practices. In addition, NASW has compiled a consumer fact sheet on health care reform, explaining important benefits of the Affordable Care Act for individuals and families. The newest Practice Perspectives — “Essential Health Benefits & the Affordable Care Act: What Social Workers Need to Know,” “Employee Assistance Programs: Social Work at ‘Work,’” and “Challenges and Opportunities for Social Workers in Hospice and Palliative Care&rdq...

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