Children in Tacloban City in the Philippines get ready to attend a psycho-social art therapy program, provided by volunteer professors at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. It was part of the many relief efforts in the region following Typhoon Haiyan in November. Staff from the University of Southern California School of Social Work performed the first phase of a relief mission in the Philippines to aid the survivors of a devastating typhoon that struck the region in November. Typhoon Haiyan, known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, caused numerous deaths in portions of Southeast Asia. It is the deadliest Philippine typhoon ...

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Most suicide victims are male, an often-ignored fact I just read the article on suicide in the April 2014 NASW News. I am both saddened and shocked that there was no mention of the fact that males comprise 80 percent of those who complete suicide — 80 percent. Imagine for a minute that some other malady had 80 percent of the victims be female or black or just about any other demographic. Under those circumstances the article would have likely featured entire sections on this or that group that face the bulk of the problem. The least they would have done would be to call attention to the group most impacted. Why not so with men? Sa...

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NASW and the NASW Ohio Chapter, through the NASW Legal Defense Fund, filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court urging the court to review a 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal’s decision in Campbell-Ponstingle, et al v. Kovacic. The case involves three Ohio child protective service workers — classified as social workers — who removed two children from their mother’s home because they believed the children were at risk of physical harm. The appeals court denied the social workers’ ability to use the qualified immunity defense in removing the children without a warrant, thus exposing them to personal liabil...

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Foster Care and the ACA An estimated 25,000 youths age out of the foster care system every year, and they face a variety of issues when they no longer have that support system. Social workers who specialize in this area say health care is among the main concerns. The Affordable Care Act is helping to alleviate this problem by extending the age that these young people have access to health care to 26. And social workers play a large role in making sure they are signed up for this benefit, said Shadi Houshyar, vice president of Child Welfare Policy at First Focus in Washington, D.C. As of January, the Affordable Care Act mandates Medicaid c...

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Josefina Ahumada, a member of the NASW Arizona Chapter’s board of directors, is part of a federal lawsuit filed recently in Arizona by Lambda Legal. The lawsuit, which challenges Arizona’s ban on same-sex marriage, was filed on behalf of seven same-sex couples and two surviving spouses who were part of a same-sex couple. Ahumada, one of the surviving spouses, joined the lawsuit after she was denied an application to be listed as spouse on the death certificate of her wife, Helen Batiste. Ahumada is currently the Tucson component field coordinator at the School of Social Work at Arizona State University. She and Batiste were ma...

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Dealing with personal grief over the loss of a loved one can be an overwhelming experience that children may cope with differently from adults. In an online article in New York’s Broadway World, NASW member and grief expert Edy Nathan shares her list of do’s and don’ts when helping children cope with grief. Nathan’s tips appear in her article titled From Helpless to Helpful: 10 Do’s and Don’ts for Grieving Children. The article says that Nathan’s list allows an understanding of the children’s process while providing specifics about what can be done to help. “Reach out to support syst...

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Since its first Social Work Month theme in 1966 — “Support Social Work Education in Your State” — promoting Professional Social Work Month in March has been a priority for NASW. Each year, NASW creates a new theme for the month-long campaign, with the goal of bringing all social workers together to celebrate and shine a spotlight on the profession. NASW selected “All People Matter” as the 2014 theme to raise awareness throughout the country about the profession’s 116-year commitment to improving social conditions and quality-of-life opportunities for everyone. Highlights from this year’s So...

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Since 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed during the month of May. This year’s theme “Mind Your Health,” seeks to expand awareness about the importance of mental health to overall health and wellness. By emphasizing the connection between the mind and body, the campaign encourages people to take positive actions and measures to protect their overall well-being. Since 1988, National Foster Care Month has also been celebrated in May, focusing on giving foster parents the recognition they deserve for opening their hearts and their homes to foster children. Foster Care Month is an opportunity for people nat...

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In February, President Obama announced Maria Cancian as his nominee for Assistant Secretary for Children and Families (Family Support) in the Department of Health and Human Services. Cancian is professor of public affairs and social work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Social Work and an affiliate of the Institute for Research on Poverty and the Center for Demography and Ecology. Cancian’s expertise on children, families and income inequality policies prepares her for the leadership role at ACF, according to a statement released by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Cancian has served as ass...

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Social workers have been selected to serve on the National Academies ad hoc committee “Developing Evidence-Based Standards for Psychosocial Interventions for Mental Disorders.” The committee is charged with developing efficacy standards for psychosocial interventions used to treat mental disorders. Members will explore strategies that different stakeholders might take to help establish these standards for psychosocial treatments. Social workers on the committee include Enola Proctor, director of the Center for Mental Health Services Research at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis;...

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