NASW News

Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker who helped lead a smuggling operation that rescued thousands of children from Warsaw's Jewish ghetto during World War II, died May 12 at a hospital in that city. She was 98. In 2007, NASW submitted a letter of recommendation to the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Olso, Norway, in support of nominating Sendler for the Nobel Peace Prize. Signed by NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark on behalf of NASW, the letter stated that Sendler's effort to save more than 2,000 children during World War II was an inspiration to social workers everywhere. While Sendler was not nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize tha...

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Prison Pregnancies I am writing concerning your article "Courts Hear Cases on Pregnancy in Prison" [March]. Everything is not as black and white as the article implied. I have been treating addicted criminal offenders for over 30 years. I agree that prison is not the ideal place to be pregnant and that treatment should be a first resort. However, what do you do when a woman is pregnant, on community supervision, and refuses to (or cannot) stop using illegal substances? Do you simply keep trying to engage in treatment while she uses the drugs? Should we ever consider what those substances are doing to the unborn child? There is also the iss...

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NASW and the NASW Foundation were among the sponsors of the Voice Awards held in Hollywood in May. Award-winning actors, writers and producers joined the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) at the event to honor individuals who have shown leadership in their communities to promote understanding and support for those with mental health problems. Suzanne Dworak-Peck (second from right) and other NASW California Chapter members with actress Ruta Lee (center) at awards. (Photo: Suzanne Dworak-Peck) The ceremony included honoring those in the entertainment industry who incorporate dignified, respectful and accu...

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Social workers were among the child welfare specialists invited to testify at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing in February on ways to improve America's child welfare system. Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, called the hearing to review legislative proposals. "We have no greater responsibility than ensuring the well-being of America's most vulnerable children," McDermott said in a statement. He recently introduced the Invest in Kids Act (H.R. 5466). The proposed legislation would: Create a new federal-state partnership to provide services aimed at reducing the nee...

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— Lyn Stoesen, News Staff   The NASW Foundation is presenting the 2008 Ruth Fizdale Program grant to the NASW Iowa Chapter to support the chapter's research project focusing on recruitment and retention in the social work profession. The Ruth Fizdale Program underwrites research projects that link practice and policy issues with relevant social issues in order to facilitate effective service delivery and supports chapters in conducting research targeted at specific emerging issues. The program was created in 1987 to honor Ruth Fizdale's contributions to social work. It was founded by Helen K. Rehr and other friends of Fizdale t...

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Efforts to curb the high rate of high school dropouts in the U.S. have been discussed for decades. However, new rallying cries from national leaders and organizations to address the problem have been broadcast nationwide in recent months. Social workers and school social workers point out that their roles are critical in any efforts to keep children from becoming dropout statistics. Media reports highlighted a study prepared for the America's Promise Alliance earlier this year. It warned that 17 of the nation's 50 largest cities had high school graduation rates lower than 50 percent when analyzing 2003-2004 school district data. The study ...

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— Lyn Stoesen and Paul R. Pace Several NASW chapters have recently made advances in promoting the social work profession in their states, including loan forgiveness, licensure restructuring, title protection and vehicle license plates with the "Help Starts Here" message. Pictured: Special license plates in Mississippi highlight "Help Starts Here." Image courtesy of NASW Mississippi Chapter NASW's New York City Chapter has worked successfully to secure funding in the New York state budget that doubles the state's social worker loan-forgiveness program, bringing it from $1 million to $2 million. &qu...

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— Lyn Stoesen, News Staff   Decisions have been reached in two legal cases for which NASW filed friend-of-the-court briefs, both favoring NASW's positions. The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a woman prosecuted for child abuse for continuing her pregnancy while abusing cocaine and delivering a stillborn infant. In North Carolina, an appeals court upheld a decision that awarded joint custody of a child to two women, former partners, who had been raising the child. South Carolina In the case McKnight v. South Carolina, Regina McKnight was convicted of homicide and sentenced to 20 years for the stillbirt...

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Apr. 2008 Board's Action Context Finances Received the financial report as of March 31, 2008 Revenues were reported at $12.4 million and expenses at $14.6 million, the difference due primarily to board-approved early booking of an Assurance Services Inc., transaction and, with the changes in the stock market, a paper loss on investments. Overall, actual expenses were under budget, and the associa...

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NASW Rhode Island Chapter Executive Director Rick Harris plans to pedal his way from his home state to Washington, D.C., to attend the upcoming NASW Delegate Assembly. Rick Harris at the Vermont State House in Montpelier. (Photo: Rick Harris) Taking back roads, he estimates he will endure about 1,000 miles of biking. And he will be doing it alone. Taking place Aug. 7-10 in the nation's capital, Delegate Assembly is the representative, decision-making body by which NASW members set broad organizational policy, establish program priorities and develop a collective stance on public and professional issues. It takes place every three years...

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