The Child Welfare and Mental Health Coalition, of which NASW is a supporter, met in Washington, D.C., in September, to discuss evidence-based interventions that are part of Title IV-E waiver implementation. Title IV-E is the major source of federal funding for child welfare services in the United States. In 2011, Congress provided reauthorization for demonstration programs by states to use Title IV-E funds more flexibly through Title IV-E waivers in up to 10 states per year. Joan Levy Zlotnik, director of NASW’s Social Work Policy Institute, said attendees at the September meeting discussed the fact that implementing many of the Titl...

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Washington became the first state in the nation to require suicide assessment and management training for licensed social workers, therapists, counselors and psychologists. The Matt Adler Suicide Assessment, Treatment, and Management Act was signed into law in 2012 and went into effect in January. The statute, which was amended to include other health professions, such as doctors and nurses, says qualified participants must complete training in suicide assessment, treatment and management every six years as part of their continuing education requirements. Hoyt Suppes, former executive director of NASW’s Washington State Chapter, sai...

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Six BSW students (above) from Fontbonne University in Missouri, who are in Tamitha Overly’s policy class, visited NASW’s national office in Washington, D.C., in September. Overly, at right, the executive director of the NASW Missouri Chapter, role-plays with three of the students on how best to prepare for a visit to their representatives on Capitol Hill. From left are Rachel Shedd, Erica Sanders and Emily Smith. Overly noted that visits to Missouri representatives in the House and Senate proved successful, as members voiced support for several bills. Students (above) from Simmons College School of Social Work in Boston, Mass.,...

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Passing the Torch was the theme of the Policy 2.0 conference in May, where about 90 attendees — including former NASW President Nancy Humphreys and NASW member Linda Plitt-Donaldson — participated in presentations, workshops and roundtables. Co-sponsored by NASW, the conference was a revival of the original Policy Conference held annually between 1998 and 2005, said Sunny Harris Rome, a professor in the Department of Social Work at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., and a member of the Policy 2.0 organizing committee. “The purpose of Policy 2.0 was to bring together social work faculty, students and practitioners w...

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Social Work: Paving the Way for Change The year 2015 will be a special one at NASW. It marks the 60th anniversary of the association. With that in mind, the theme for National Professional Social Work Month in March 2015 will be Social Work: Paving the Way for Change. Staff from NASW chapters and headquarters in Washington, D.C., proposed about two dozen ideas for next year’s theme. The theme chosen was a top choice among NASW’s Facebook fans. Celebrated each March, National Professional Social Work Month encourages social workers and their supporters across the country to promote the value of the profession and highlight soc...

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Social worker and NASW member Judith Peres is urging social workers and others to read the newly released Institute of Medicine report Dying In America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life. Peres and social workers June Simmons, president and CEO of Partners in Care Foundation; Fernando Torres-Gil, professor of Social Welfare and Public Policy and director of the Center for Policy Research on Aging at the University of California, Los Angeles, Luskin School of Public Affairs; and Monsignor Charles Fahey, the Marie Ward Doty Professor of Aging Studies Emeritus at Fordham University, were part of the 21-m...

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NASW on Aug. 25 joined more than 1,300 other organizations to call for reforms to end police violence in the aftermath of a Ferguson, Mo., police officer shooting and killing Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager. The letter was published in the Washington Post. Others who have signed the letter include social worker and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Congressional Social Work Caucus; Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Ben Cohen, co-founder of the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream chain; and actress Cynthia Nixon. “In cities across America, local law enfo...

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More than 100,000 children and youth in the U.S. foster care system are awaiting permanent families. National Adoption Month is a time to raise awareness about the adoption of these children. The Children’s Bureau, in partnership with AdoptUSKids and Child Welfare Information Gateway, sponsors the initiative each November as a way to focus public attention on the urgent need for adoptive families. More information: childwelfare.gov/adoption/nam In recognition of the month, NASW offers the following resources: The NASW Foundation Social Work Policy Institute adoption page NASW Standards for Social Work Practice in Child Wel...

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NASW chapters continue to pressure state lawmakers about the need to adopt the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion provision. At press time, 26 states and the District of Columbia are implementing ACA’s Medicaid expansion, which opens Medicaid services to millions of people by expanding eligibility to adults under age 65 with incomes at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level. A U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2012 allowed states the option to implement the expansion. Three states have so far adopted a hybrid model. Arkansas, Iowa and Michigan have received Medicaid expansion “Section 1115 waivers,” ...

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Christian social worker espouses NASW positions I write in response to the letter of Rick Ralston (October 2014 News), in which he expresses that as a committed Christian and a committed social worker, he finds it difficult to accept NASW’s liberal stance on many issues. I respect Mr. Ralston’s position and views, and applaud him for continuing to serve both God and the social work profession. However, I also am a committed Christian and a committed social worker, and deeply appreciate and espouse NASW’s stance on many issues. I find the social justice and respect for all human beings expressed in NASW’s positions very...

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