NASW News

From the President Being a part of the 19th World Conference of Social Work was an honor, and I want to thank the community of Brazilian social workers, of which about 2,300 attended despite the significant expense. Not only did our Brazilian colleagues attend, but also they actively participated and stayed through the end of presentations. As one of the last presenters before the closing event, I was gratified to be greeted with a full venue. The Brazilians were anxious to talk about distance education and concern about its overuse; it is being promoted in lieu of traditional levels of fieldwork. Their social work faculty speakers were exce...

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Stephanie Tubbs Jones addressed NASW's Annual Leadership Meeting in 2007. Social workers are mourning the loss of social worker and U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) who died Aug. 20 after suffering a brain hemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm. She was 58. Serving her fifth term in office, Tubbs Jones introduced several pieces of legislation that continue to champion the social work profession and the people social workers serve. Most recently, she was an original co-sponsor of the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr., Social Work Reinvestment Act (H.R. 5447/ S 2858), which calls for programs designed to keep the social...

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NASW, in collaboration with the Case Management Society of America (CMSA) and the National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC), has helped develop a number of professional tools that can help social workers who work in case management. "NASW is continuing its work to provide practical information and tools for social workers who work in case management and who facilitate care transitions," explained NASW Senior Practice Associate Chris Herman. Caseload Work Group: NASW, CMSA, and other members of the Caseload Work Group sought comments on a final draft of its caseload matrix tool as well as a caseload concept paper. These materials will b...

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In reaction to the brutal slaying of a social worker in West Virginia in late July, state lawmakers there are taking steps to review social work safety policies. Social work leaders are also emphasizing the need to pass federal legislation that addresses protection of the workforce. Social worker Brenda Lee Yeager, 51, was killed July 30 while making a home visit for an infant in a rural and secluded area south of Huntington. The infant's parents, a 23-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman, have been charged with first-degree murder in relation to Yeager's death. Also, the man's father, 51, is charged with helping dispose of the body. Police...

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Frances Kerchner was quoted in the MetroWest Daily News in Framingham, Mass., in a story about what living options are available for people as they age. The story noted that the AARP reports that 9 out of 10 Americans age 60 and older wish to remain in their own homes as they age. The fastest-growing segment of the population is the over-85 age group and the senior population is expected to double in the next 30 years. Living longer brings with it a whole new set of challenges, the story stated. Kerchner, of Kerchner Associates, was quoted as saying, "Long-term care has historically consisted of two options for older adults: move in with a ...

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Staff for NASW's Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE) are assisting in grassroots efforts to build support for candidates endorsed by members of the PACE Board of Trustees. PACE is the political action arm of NASW. As a political action committee, PACE endorses and financially contributes to federal candidates from any party who support NASW's policy agenda. While much of the media attention in recent months has focused on the historic presidential race, PACE leaders said it is equally important to remind voters that all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 seats in the U.S. Senate as well are up for election this...

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NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark was a keynote speaker at the opening ceremony of the Navajo Nation Division of Social Services 25th annual conference in Arizona in late July. The conference focused on promoting health and safety for children and families for the next 25 years. The host tribe for the event was the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, which has about 1,000 members. The Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized Indian tribe in the U.S. Like other members of the more than 500 federally recognized tribes in the U.S., leaders of the Navajo Nation face serious challenges. While the national average of people living at ...

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— Lyn Stoesen, News Staff   NASW's Legal Defense Fund has issued a new law note which reviews legal issues affecting social work practice in schools and under the jurisdictions that control them. The document, Social Workers and the Legal Rights of Students, provides a history of school social work and a review of school social worker credentials. It also reviews legal rights within the public education system, issues related to the school environment, and issues related to social work services within the school. "School social workers are significant contributors to the formative years of children in America's schools," the la...

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  At left, NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark welcomed members of the Korean Association of Social Workers (KASW) at NASW's national office in August. NASW and KASW also signed a memorandum of understanding between the two organizations.

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In an effort to raise its social responsibility and help conserve the planet's natural resources, NASW's national office is launching a green program. An important step in this effort took place over the summer when the NASW Board of Directors decided that the association would host a Virtual Delegate Assembly for the first time (see related story). By reducing the number of people who would have to travel to Washington, D.C., for the event, from around 300 down to only four, numerous natural resources were saved, said NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark. "Social workers have long supported environmental justice," she said. "By exten...

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