NASW News

— Lyn Stoesen, News Staff   The Intercultural Cancer Council has awarded the Dr. Dorothy I. Height Lifetime Achievement Award to Judge Gabrielle Kirk McDonald. NASW Executive Director Elizabeth J. Clark co-chaired the jury that selected the award recipient. McDonald is a highly accomplished civil rights lawyer, law professor and federal judge who also served as president of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. McDonald graduated first in her class from the Howard University School of Law in 1966, and in 1979 was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Southern Di...

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Esther Glasser, a charter member of NASW and a member of NASW's Practice Advancement Council on Social Work Services in Schools from 1983 to 1988, died on Feb. 2, 2008. She was 91. An NASW Social Work Pioneer®, Glasser worked in a range of social work practice areas, including family services, child protection, adolescent counseling and school social work programs. She also held board positions with mental health organizations, organized a national conference on school social work and served on citizens' advisory councils. Glasser was a founder of the Mental Hygiene Society of Northern Virginia in 1947. She also worked in the Detroit sc...

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— Lyn Stoesen, News Staff   The NASW Foundation Board of Directors met in February and welcomed several new members. The NASW Foundation is a charitable organization that administers a wide variety of educational and research programs in an effort to fulfill its core mission of enhancing the well-being of individuals, families, and communities through the advancement of social work policy and practice. The Foundation board is made up of nine members. In accordance with the Foundation's bylaws, three of the board members are in professions other than social work. Armin Weinberg is director of the Chronic Disease Prevention and ...

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The Second Annual World Social Work Day is slated for April 15, 2008. The general theme for the World Social Work Day is "Social Work — Making a World of Difference," and it is established by the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), a global body of social workers representing social work associations from 84 countries. This annual event is held in order to put a spotlight on social work's contributions to society and to encourage ongoing dialogue with all partners on how challenges linked to social conditions can be met by communities, according to IFSW. NASW members can download posters in English, French or Spanish. NAS...

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— Lyn Stoesen, News Staff   NASW is partnering with PBS on a new documentary series that explores "the mystery of what's stalking and killing us before our time, especially those of us who are less affluent and darker skinned." The series, Unnatural Causes, launched in late March and continues airing through April. It includes four programs that explore how work, wealth, neighborhood conditions and lack of access to power and resources affect health. NASW joined as a campaign partner to promote the series and provide information and assistance related to eliminating health disparities. NASW has also been working with chapters t...

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A delinquency-prevention program that is coordinated with the help of the School of Social Work at the University of Southern Mississippi is making positive strides in the community it serves. Michael Forster, director and professor, along with Timothy Rehner, assistant director and professor at the school, are the cofounders of the Family Network Partnership (FNP). The program is a nontraditional, community-based delinquency-prevention program operated in conjunction with the School of Social Work. The primary objective of the FNP is to prevent youth from entering the juvenile justice system by strengthening the community in which they liv...

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While the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr., Social Work Reinvestment Act (H.R. 5447) was introduced to Congress in February, NASW chapters continue to do their part with Social Work Reinvestment Initiative (SWRI) efforts at the state level. Following are several examples: Mississippi The Mississippi Chapter in February organized a "social worker salary rally" at the state capitol. The effort brought out 256 social workers, social work students and faculty who met with legislators and participated in a press conference to encourage better pay for social workers in the state. Among those attending were NASW Executive Director El...

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— Lyn Stoesen, News Staff   Case management is an integral part of the jobs of many social workers in many areas of practice. While social workers have always looked beyond isolated problems toward a more holistic approach, case management provides a specific approach to providing services. Recently, NASW has been working on a number of projects related to case management, and several new products will be released in coming months to enhance case managers' effectiveness. NASW has worked closely with the Case Management Society of America (CMSA) to develop several products and publications, including a matrix that examines eleme...

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— Lyn Stoesen, News Staff   NASW has filed a brief in a case before the United States Supreme Court addressing the imposition of the death penalty for child rape in Louisiana. NASW has also filed a brief in a U.S. Court of Appeals regarding the strip-search of a 13-year-old student in Arizona. Death penalty In the case Patrick Kennedy v. State of Louisiana, Kennedy has been sentenced to death after being convicted of raping his eight-year-old stepdaughter. The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled in May 2007 that the U.S. Supreme Court's 1977 decision barring capital punishment for rape does not apply when the victim is under age 12. ...

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— Elvira Craig de Silva, DSW, ACSW From the President April 15, 2008, will mark the second annual World Social Work Day celebrated and recognized by NASW and coordinated by the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW). We invite social work professionals everywhere to take pride in the important contributions the profession makes worldwide. This year's theme, "Making a World of Difference," continues a promotion IFSW launched on its 50th anniversary in 2006. IFSW established the annual observance to showcase the goals and accomplishments of diverse social work professionals in all countries and to raise awareness about the p...

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