NASW News

NASW hosted a Capitol Hill briefing in November to highlight the social work profession’s role in working with veterans, military members and their families. Rear Adm. Peter Delany, left, with SAMHSA, speaks during a Capitol Hill briefing in November, as Lt. Col. Jeffrey Yarvis, of Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, center; and Col. Ann McCulliss Johnson, Reserve social work consultant to the Army surgeon general, listen. The briefing, “Social Workers Join Forces to Support Service Members, Veterans, and their Families,” was hosted by NASW and the Congressional Social Work Caucus. NASW held the briefing, “Social W...

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Mary Jo Kinzie, the executive director of the NASW Oklahoma Chapter, has a passion for jazz music. But after figuring that a career in music may not pay the bills, she felt social work was a good fit, too. In college, Kinzie began her higher education by pursuing sociology, and she soon found out that social work had a stronger calling for her. “I started taking social work classes while still studying sociology and I could very clearly see that the hands-on part of social work was much more interesting to me,” Kinzie, MSW, said. “One thing led to another as I proceeded with the education part of my BSW.” Kinzie sai...

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The NASW Lunchtime Series gives members the opportunity to earn CEUs and learn about the latest social work issues being addressed by the association. Each one-hour webinar is offered live on a monthly basis and conducted by NASW staff. The following Lunchtime Series topics are being offered for 2013: Feb. 12: “Navigating the New Multigenerational Workplace in Child Welfare.” Presented by Roxana Torrico Meruvia. April 18: “Emerging Issues in Adolescent Health.” Presented by Kamilah S. Omari. May 16: “New Domestic Violence Policies: Implications for Social Work Practice.” Presented by R...

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More social workers needed in schools I, like most of you, have been deeply affected by the recent events in Newtown, Conn., and other acts of violence visited upon our communities. I have been pondering the role of social workers as we move forward, and would like to offer some thoughts. I believe we need to enhance our efforts to increase the number of school social workers across the United States. I know that limited finances are often cited to explain and justify the lack of social work positions in schools, but now is the time to convince school leaders that prevention is worth the investment. While I am not suggesting that we can p...

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NASW President Jeane Anastas, left, presents the Rhoda G. Sarnat award to Marilyn L. Flynn, dean of the Univeristy of Southern California School of Social Work, during an NASW Foundation awards ceremony in November. The Foundation also recognized Peter Vaughan, dean at the Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service in New York City, and Rear Adm. Peter Delany, director of the Office of Applied Studies in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, who both received Knee/Wittman awards. The NASW Foundation hosted the Knee/Wittman and Rhoda G. Sarnat awards ceremony and reception for the 2011 honorees in November...

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Social work leaders and educators and human services agencies in Illinois are on a mission to better prepare the state’s social work students for a challenging job market. The NASW Illinois Chapter and the Illinois Association of Deans and Directors hosted a Social Work Jobs Summit in early 2012, and participants are busy collecting research this winter that will aid the summit’s action plan to promote workforce success. Barry Ackerson, associate dean and MSW program director at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, serves on the advisory committee of the summit. From his own findings at the university, Ackerson sai...

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Hurricane Sandy approaches the New Jersey shore in late October. NASW members in New Jersey and New York volunteered to help with recovery efforts after the storm devastated the areas. Social workers volunteered to aid the recovery effort for those impacted by Hurricane Sandy, which caused severe structural damage and flooding in the mid-Atlantic region in late October. NASW New Jersey Chapter Executive Director Walter Kalman said more than 200 NASW members responded to the chapter’s initial call for volunteers to aid the American Red Cross in its disaster recovery. The chapter, with its offices on the second floor of an office bu...

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The NASW Specialty Practice Sections is offering SPS members a series of newsletters correlating to hope. The series of hope articles now available online for Section members detail a true experience of how hope prevailed and aided social work in specific areas of practice including aging, health, mental health, child welfare and school social work, as written by various Specialty Practice Sections experts and NASW members. “For people who did not attend the Hope conference, these newsletters give them a way to participate and relate to hope,” said NASW Senior Practice Associate Kamilah Omari. “These are solid articles th...

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Retired congressman and Social Work Caucus founder says he will work with new caucus leader, Rep. Barbara Lee Edolphus “Ed” Towns, who recently retired from the U.S. House of Representatives after 30 years, stands with Washington, D.C., Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton at his Dec. 6 retirement reception on Capitol Hill. NASW and the Council on Social Work Education hosted the event for Towns, who created the Congressional Social Work Caucus and was its first chairman. U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (photo below), D-Calif., is the new chairman of the caucus. Retired congressman and social worker Edolphus “Ed” To...

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  NASW’s national office partnered with C-Change to host two “care force” focus groups in December. The care force includes non-health professionals who provide vital services to augment the workforce. One focus group sought input from individuals who provide or facilitate care for those with cancer, and the second group sought feedback from volunteers in hospice settings. C-Change strives to leverage the expertise and resources of its members to eliminate cancer as a major public health problem at the earliest possible time. The discussion is part of C-Change’s planning process for its upcoming care force summit...

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