NASW News

Board's Action Context Programs Approved the 2015 legislative agenda. The 2015 legislative agenda was developed and shaped by assessments conducted through interviews, focus groups and surveys of various member groups and stakeholders. Priorities identified were: reimbursement rates, Affordable Care Act integration, student loan forgiveness, strengthening the role of social work in health and human services, and social and economic justice, e...

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October 2014 Board's Action Context Finances Received the pre-audited financial report for FY 2013-14 and the year-to-date financials for the period ending Aug. 31, 2014. As of June 30, 2014, total assets were $15.5 million; total liabilities and deferred income were $12.4 million; and total net assets were $3.2 million, an increase of $0.7 million from the previous year. For the period July-Augu...

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NASW student member Scott Luetgenau is the co-founder of the Collegiate Recovery Community at North Carolina State University. The program helps students with drug and alcohol addiction, and it has been selected for a $10,000 grant from the Stacie Mathewson Foundation, which focuses on addiction recovery and prevention for young people. According to an article in the Technician Online — which reaches the university’s campus audience — about 500 students at the school are in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Luetgenau says he got involved in the Collegiate Recovery Community when he began dealing with personal rea...

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If someone wakes up at 2 a.m. and can’t sleep because they’re upset about something, help may not be too far away, says Frederic Reamer, an expert in social work ethics. Technology has made this possible, he says. “It’s pretty much a guarantee that someone can reach out, 24/7, 365 days a week, and there will be a social worker somewhere who can help,” says Reamer, a professor at the Rhode Island College School of Social Work who gave a presentation called “The Interface of Ethics and Technology” at NASW’s national conference in July. He also spoke on the same topic at the association’s ...

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For more than a century, social workers have led efforts to fortify the fabric of American society and strengthen our nation’s social safety net. For 60 years, through the might of our members, NASW has fueled the profession’s efforts to build a better world. Today, our nation faces numerous social challenges that require the innovative problem-solving that social workers are in the business of providing. However, many social workers are concerned that our ability to continue advancing our nation’s social welfare could be significantly compromised if Congress and the White House aren’t attuned to — and urged ...

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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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