NASW News

Wilson provides social work view on officers wearing body cameras Melvin Wilson, manager of NASW’s Department of Social Justice and Human Rights, penned a guest column in December in the Orlando Sentinel titled “Knowing eyes are watching could reduce police abuses.” NASW recommends that law enforcement officers wear body cameras, Wilson wrote, a recommendation that came about in the aftermath of the decision by two separate grand juries not to indict police officers for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. “These devices can help to alleviate conflicts with law enforcement that may turn violent,” Wils...

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NASW-Georgia Executive Director Cheryl Bonneau grew up in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, watching her parents — and all her neighbors — regularly give back to the community. She said that was how things were done in her neighborhood when she was a kid, and those early values of community organization are ingrained in her today. “It was very community oriented, and there were always meetings in the community regarding everything, from basic stuff to having activities,” Bonneau said. “My mom was very politically active, and one of those people who would go and hear people like Malcolm X speak. It was stressed...

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Social Work Month 2015 Social worker Rebecca Stewart, left, returns items stowed for the school day and says goodbye to River Bend Education Center students El’evoun and David, while staff member Ernest Tucker looks on. The story, about social workers making a difference — in this example for students in the Minneapolis Public School District — is one of several available in the online series “Lifelines: Stories from the Human Safety Net.” NASW supported the series. — Photo by Sasha Aslanian. With National Professional Social Work Month arriving in March, it’s important that social workers promote...

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Community policing should be standard reform I applaud NASW for addressing the issue of police reform (NASW News, January 2015). The reforms reported in the article are excellent. One reform not mentioned that can have major implications is community policing. The advantage of police becoming personally acquainted with the community to which they are assigned can have significant positive outcomes when they are called in to address a crime, or even in avoiding crimes. Just walking down the streets, visits to schools and addressing students, dropping in to community meeting places or community meetings — all may make a differenc...

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Immigration Reform President Barack Obama made a decision in November to issue a series of executive actions that aim to prevent about 5 million undocumented immigrants from being deported, and NASW says this is an important step in immigration reform. Obama’s action was a response to the U.S. House of Representatives’ failure to bring the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed by the Senate, to the floor for a vote, said Melvin Wilson, manager of NASW’s Department of Social Justice and Human Rights. NASW agrees with Obama’s actions, he added. NASW’s Public Relations Manager Greg Wright said the as...

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Association works with Polsinelli to advance social work policy in U.S. NASW is strengthening its government relations strategies for the 114th Congress by teaming up with an award-winning, full-service government relations law firm that prides itself on strong bipartisan relationships in the executive and legislative branches. The association is working with Polsinelli law firm to energize social work’s policy muscle throughout the U.S., said Heidi McIntosh, NASW’s deputy director of programs. “The Polsinelli team includes former members of Congress, former in-house counsel of national health care institutions, the Off...

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The African countries hit hardest by the Ebola virus are Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Social workers can play a key role in educating people about the Ebola virus and allaying public concern about the disease — and NASW’s newly released guide about the virus can help. The online resource, Ebola: A Social Work Guide, includes information such as basics about the disease, how it affects practice and how to donate and/or volunteer. It also includes other resources and “reflections on social work practice” in which social workers discuss their role in addressing Ebola through policy and direct practice. “So...

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NASW member Joy Lieberthal, a Korean adoptee who was raised in Mount Vernon, N.Y., is included in an NBC News article about identity issues that many Korean adoptees experience. The article says America first became an adoption terminus for Korean orphans at the end of the Korean War in 1953, and more than 107,000 Korean children have been adopted into American homes. Lieberthal, who now works as a clinical social worker at The Juilliard School in Manhattan, came to the United States from Korea in 1976 when she was 6 years old. She says in the article that she knew very little about being Korean as she was growing up, but she credits her ...

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A participant of a workshop for teen survivors of suicide paints during a session at Your Heart on Art in Nashville, Tenn (photo right). Hearty laughter, colorful paints and a beloved country song all have something in common — they can be vital tools for social workers to enhance their practices. Laughter may quite possibly be the best medicine, says NASW member Lisa Wessan, who adds that she appreciates the absurdity of life without falling victim to it. “If the universe serves you lemons, make some lemonade,” she says. NASW member Eileen Wallach says art is incredibly therapeutic for her, particularly when it comes...

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Every January I conduct my own “year in review” to assess and analyze my options, decisions and actions from the previous 12 months. Aided by objective hindsight, I am critical of my strengths and limitations, and then use the information to develop a new road map for the current year. It is both a refreshing and illuminating process, and I’m sure many of you conduct a similar assessment. Since beginning my term as NASW president in July, I have had the pleasure of hearing from hundreds of social work colleagues across the nation about key challenges facing the profession and our association. Some of these observations...

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