NASW News

Inaction against bullying behavior not always best I am responding to the article in the April 2013 issue about dealing with bullying behavior. In several places the article says that one of the best responses to bullying is, “ … to do nothing at all.” This response is based on the practice of not providing reinforcement to the bully’s behavior, including not allowing them to see your emotional reaction, which further encourages their behavior. While I know and support the general principal and wisdom in this, I believe it overemphasizes the tolerance of violent behavior. Would we say the same to a woman who is b...

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The NASW Legal Defense Fund celebrated a long-awaited victory in the Iowa Supreme Court case Gartner v. Iowa Department of Public Health. On May 3, the court ruled that married same-sex couples have the same rights as married opposite-sex couples in applying the presumption of parentage law, where one member of the couple gives birth to a child and the other member of the couple is legally presumed to be the child’s parent and both their names are to be placed on the child’s birth certificate. In its ruling, the court noted, “It is important for our laws to recognize that married lesbian couples who have children enjoy th...

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NASW’s new CEO, Angelo McClain, left, stands with Betsy Clark, who recently stepped down as head of NASW after serving in the position for 12 years. Angelo McClain says he plans to build on social work traditions. NASW’s new CEO, Angelo McClain, said he is eager to build on the foundation that social work pioneers have worked hard to achieve. “There are many of us who were around 30 plus years ago when the social work profession did not get the respect it deserved,” said McClain, who started work as NASW’s top administrator on May 13. “The clout and influence we have as a profession today were not gain...

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Carol Trust, executive director of the NASW Massachusetts Chapter, receives the Outstanding Chapter Executive of the Year award during the Annual Leadership Meeting in April. — Rena Malai and Paul R. Pace, News staff Conference features workshops, Hill visits, award ceremonies. NASW chapter executive directors, presidents and presidents-elect traveled to Washington, D.C., in April to participate in the 2013 Annual Leadership Meeting held at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. The four-day meeting, with the theme “A Profession of Leaders in a Leading Profession,” offered an opportunity for NASW leaders to network, learn...

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Social workers serve on committees that provide oversight. Social workers are doing their part to help shape their states’ health insurance marketplaces, formerly known as health insurance exchanges. A key component of the Affordable Care Act, health insurance marketplaces are being constructed so individuals and small businesses can shop for coverage. As of May 2, 17 states and the District of Columbia were expected to operate state-based marketplaces, seven states were planning for a state-federal partnership marketplace and 26 states will default to the federal health insurance marketplace, according to the Kaiser Family Foundati...

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April 2013 Board's Action Context Finances Received financial statements as of Feb. 28, 2013 Treasurer Mary McCarthy reported that as of Feb. 28, 2013, NASW’s total asset position was $17.3 million. Total expenses as of Feb. 28, 2013, were $11.1 million, $318,000 below budget due to cost containment efforts across divisions. Appro...

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NASW’s Wisconsin Chapter Executive Director Marc Herstand, left, chats with U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., on Capitol Hill during ALM’s Advocacy Day. As part of the NASW Annual Leadership Meeting in April, attendees advocated for the profession on Capitol Hill. About 100 chapter leaders made personal visits to their congressional representatives during Advocacy Day on April 11. Their efforts garnered 22 co-sponsors of the Social Work Reinvestment Act as well as some who signed on to join the Congressional Social Work Caucus. The caucus presently has 53 members. NASW’s Wisconsin Chapter Executive Director Marc Herstand ...

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Board's Action Context Finances Received financial statements as of Feb. 28, 2013 Treasurer Mary McCarthy reported that as of Feb. 28, 2013, NASW’s total asset position was $17.3 million. Total expenses as of Feb. 28, 2013, were $11.1 million, $318,000 below budget due to cost containment efforts across divisions. Approved the FY 2013-14 budget. ...

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NASW member Dennis Bumgarner was featured in an article in Indiana’s Journal & Courier, when he gave a presentation called “The World of Young People Today” during a Youth Worker Café networking luncheon sponsored by the Indiana Youth Group Institute. Bumgarner, a licensed clinical social worker, says it’s important to understand how environment shapes the lives of today’s youths. “One aspect of the world they live in today is that children are more alone than they ever have been, an average of 3.5 hours a day,” Bumgarner said. He also points out that cultural stimulation is up, while ...

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Karen Haynes, (photo right) center,  president of California State University, San Marcos, talks with students. Much like a social worker attending to the welfare of others, being a college president is like being a mother hen that knows no boundaries, said James Kelly, past president of NASW and current president of Menlo College in California. As a college president, Kelly said he uses every social work skill he possesses on a daily basis. “It is impossible for me to separate my social work self from my educator self,” Kelly said. “Some days I’m in clinical mode, I am accepting and I am a listener; I help...

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