When I was a child, my mother always told me, “Do something with your life to help other people.” If she were alive today, she’d be so proud to know that I’m CEO of NASW, a national organization of 140,000 social workers dedicated to helping people, families and communities. I know that each of you has your own personal story about why you chose social work as your profession. Maybe you were raised with privilege and want others to experience their share of social, economic and political justice. Perhaps you have suffered and want to help end all forms of pain, discrimination and oppression. Perhaps you have family...

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Law clarifies state’s requirements for social work licensure. The NASW Virginia Chapter worked with state Sen. Jeff McWaters, R-Virginia Beach, on a recently passed bill in the Virginia Senate regarding licensure for social workers. In April, Gov. Bob McDonnell signed the Clinical Social Work-Educational Requirements for Licensure (S.B. 1011) into law. The bill assures that social workers who have a master’s degree in social work with a clinical concentration will satisfy Virginia’s educational requirements for clinical licensure, providing the MSW program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, said Debr...

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The University of Connecticut School of Social Work recognized former NASW president and current International Federation of Social Workers President Gary Bailey with a Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the school’s Recognition Ceremony in May. Bailey, a professor at Simmons College, is an internationally recognized leader, scholar and educator in social work, diversity, human rights and related fields. He has spoken at the Connecticut School of Social Work on various topics over the past several years, and he delivered the keynote address at the school’s Recognition Ceremony on May 11. The award recognizes Bailey’s cont...

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John C. Kidneigh, president of NASW from 1959 to 1961 is highlighted in the Children’s Bureau centennial celebration series, located at Children's Bureau Timeline. In the timeline under 1958, there is a picture of Kidneigh and an entry noting that the 1958 amendments to the Social Security Act called for an Advisory Council on Child Welfare Services to report to Congress and to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Kidneigh was chairman of the advisory council. One of its outcomes included a report to the HHS secretary recommending steps to address child welfare workforce shortages. For the second...

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From left, Charles E. Lewis, deputy chief of staff and communications director for Towns; former NASW CEO Elizabeth J. Clark; and former U.S. Rep. Edolphus “Ed” Towns pose for a picture at an event to launch Towns’ Congressional Research Institute for Social Work Policy, or CRISP. Lewis will direct the institute. Former Rep. Ed Towns creates Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy Former U.S. Rep. and social worker Edolphus “Ed” Towns recently announced the launch of the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy, or CRISP. Towns created the institute to complement the ...

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NASW co-sponsored a Capitol Hill briefing in April to discuss the rights of parents with disabilities, as well as the recommendations to protect these rights. The briefing, called Rocking the Cradle: Ensuring the Rights of Parents with Disabilities and Their Children, was based on a report from the National Council on Disability released in September 2012. NCD Chairman Jeff Rosen, a third-generation deaf person, began the forum with introductory remarks and described NCD as the, “voice for people with disabilities in the federal government.” “The view is that parents with disabilities are not competent,” Rosen sai...

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Elvira Craig de Silva, a past president of NASW, left, hugs Betsy Clark during a dinner in April to honor Clark, who stepped down in May after leading NASW for 12 years as director and CEO. More than 200 people gathered at a reception and dinner in April to celebrate and recount memories with NASW CEO Elizabeth J. Clark, as she prepared to step down from her position after 12 years. The event was held during NASW’s Annual Leadership Meeting in Washington, D.C., and included past NASW presidents, colleagues and others who told stories of working with Clark and remarked about all she has done for the association and the social work p...

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Julie Balasalle, front, government relations and political action associate for NASW’s Massachusetts Chapter, runs in the Boston Marathon in April. She was near mile 20 when the bombs exploded near the finish line. NASW-Massachusetts put together a resource list for victims and their families after the bombings. Pressure cooker bombs killed three people and injured about 164 when they exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in April. In response to the tragedy, NASW’s Massachusetts Chapter has gathered resources and information online to help those affected by the bombings. “We have put together a resource l...

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Inaction against bullying behavior not always best I am responding to the article in the April 2013 issue about dealing with bullying behavior. In several places the article says that one of the best responses to bullying is, “ … to do nothing at all.” This response is based on the practice of not providing reinforcement to the bully’s behavior, including not allowing them to see your emotional reaction, which further encourages their behavior. While I know and support the general principal and wisdom in this, I believe it overemphasizes the tolerance of violent behavior. Would we say the same to a woman who is b...

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The NASW Legal Defense Fund celebrated a long-awaited victory in the Iowa Supreme Court case Gartner v. Iowa Department of Public Health. On May 3, the court ruled that married same-sex couples have the same rights as married opposite-sex couples in applying the presumption of parentage law, where one member of the couple gives birth to a child and the other member of the couple is legally presumed to be the child’s parent and both their names are to be placed on the child’s birth certificate. In its ruling, the court noted, “It is important for our laws to recognize that married lesbian couples who have children enjoy th...

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