Idealism important, but front-line social workers need help Most social workers find needless and unrelenting bureaucracy meriting prioritization over the rhetoric of the "Grand Challenges.” Where is our leadership to improve the effectiveness of social workers to coordinate services and better address the challenges of the people we work with? We continue to struggle with unnecessary paperwork and poor leadership, along with the lack of portability of our own benefits. Idealism is important, but social workers on the front lines need help. Bruce Tabashneck Berkley, Mich. Listing Social Work Journal table of contents is helpful ...

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  The NASW New York City Chapter’s first group of graduates from training offered through the Hartford/NASW Supervisory Leaders in Aging Initiative were honored earlier this year. The initiative, being implemented in the New York City, Maryland, Illinois and Florida chapters, seeks to support gerontological leadership for MSWs who are supervising social services staff serving older adults. Between 2015 and 2017 there will be two cohorts of 20 MSWs in each of the chapters.

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Social workers lead Project IOWA staff in teaching employment, self-assessment skills Clifford Salmond (photo right), an alumnus of Project IOWA, speaks at the program’s most recent graduation ceremony. Project IOWA has developed a unique model to help those seeking employment address their self-concept and self-worth, which adds to their personal development. Social workers are known for having skills to help people overcome challenges. There are also social workers who specialize in connecting people with one of life’s basic needs: a living-wage job that can boost self-worth. And Project IOWA is one of the places where yo...

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NASW, CDC and others form strategic cross-discipline partnership to impede FASDs Prenatal alcohol exposure is 100 percent preventable. Yet, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders — the range of lifelong adverse effects associated with prenatal alcohol exposure — affect up to 5 percent of children born in the U.S. NASW, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several schools and agencies are launching a strategic cross-discipline partnership to prevent FASDs. The goal is to promote the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based clinical practices to impede FASDs, which remain the leading preventable cause of bir...

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The NASW national board of directors’ executive committee approved the sanctioning of Larry Anderson on Nov. 20, 2015, based on a self-report from the former member of the Iowa Chapter. According to the self-report, Anderson developed a sexual relationship with a client. He was arrested and charged with sexual exploitation by a therapist. He pled guilty and was sentenced on Jan. 14, 2015. In addition, the Iowa state board approved and the member accepted a settlement. Anderson was charged with engaging in a dual relationship with a current client, engaging in a sexual relationship with a current client, and engaging in unethical con...

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Studies involving one of the longest and most significant relationships a human can have — that of adult siblings — is rare, according to University of Maryland School of Social Work professors Geoffrey Greif and Michael Woolley, who were highlighted in a Baltimore Sun article. Greif, an NASW member, joined Woolley in discussing their book, “Adult Sibling Relationships” for the article. “The relationships we have with our siblings are the longest relationships we’ll ever have,” Greif is quoted as saying. “We have them longer than our parents, our partners, our children and probably longer tha...

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When Georgia Van Cooten walked into New York City’s Penn Station to participate in the homeless count this year, her thoughts went to two people. A second-year master’s in social work student at Touro College in New York City, Van Cooten also had taken part in the 2015 count. Back then, she talked with a couple resting in a stairwell who had come to New York from Florida for a fresh start. “They got engaged and had a friend here who was going to help with a place to stay and jobs,” Van Cooten said. “The plan fell through, and they were left at Penn Station.” The two were offered a place to stay but decli...

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Have you ever wished you had an absolute assurance that a challenging task or decision would result in an anticipated and favorable outcome that would satisfy everyone? I can only imagine that you, like me, have had that experience more than once — and maybe more than once today. The energy expended in being unsure about what course of action to take or for avoiding a difficult decision or task can be immobilizing. Yet, for many of us this requirement is part of our regular experience. We have in our work or personal lives obligations — earned or thrust upon us — that require taking actions in uncharted or very difficul...

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More than 3,800 social workers signed up to participate in the NASW Career Center’s second Virtual Career Fair on Feb. 9. The one-day event allowed NASW members and nonmembers a free opportunity to connect directly with 43 different employers by using Skype and instant messaging integration for their interviews. Social work job seekers and employer participation both increased dramatically compared with the first NASW Virtual Career Fair, which was held last May. At that time, more than 1,500 social work job seekers signed up to interact with 25 participating employers. Through the career fairs, job seekers have the ability to exp...

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About 60 people attended a safety training program for social workers and other service professionals in Bismark, N.D., pictured right. Another session was held in Fargo where around 75 people were in attendance. The NASW North Dakota Chapter contracted with the North Dakota Safety Council to develop the curriculum. The chapter is taking the lead on the coordination of all future training sessions. NASW continues to help social workers and other human-service professionals learn how to be safe performing their jobs. Some of the latest efforts are taking place at the NASW North Dakota Chapter. Chapter Executive Director Nancy Miller sai...

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