NASW News

A lesbian who was denied the right to seek custody of her ex-partner’s adopted daughter should be allowed to do so, NASW said in a May 3 brief to the New Mexico Supreme Court. Research shows that nonbiological parents can forge strong relationships with children and such relationships are valuable for children’s development, regardless of the parent’s sexual orientation, NASW said. “Decades of social science research have shown that children experience psychological harm and trauma when attachment bonds they have formed with their functional parents are severed,” NASW said in an amicus brief filed in the case o...

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Joel Nana of the African Men for Health and Sexual Rights, Samuel Matsikure of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, Ugandan activist Paul Semugoma and Evelyn Tomaszewski of NASW took part in a May Capitol Hill briefing for International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. While social and political acceptance of the LGBT community have made great strides in the U.S. and some other countries, members of this group continue to face substantial discrimination elsewhere. Dr. Paul Semugoma, a physician and HIV and LGBT activist in Uganda, said addressing homophobia in his country is vital to promoting successful HIV prevention efforts. The U.S...

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The national campaign to promote National Healthcare Decisions Day on April 16 proved to be a success, according to Nathan Kottkamp, founder and chairman of NHDD. “Our participation numbers took a nice step up, but it was our activity level that saw a huge jump,” Kottkamp said in a statement posted on the NHDD website. NASW once again joined in the annual campaign that encourages adults with decision-making capacity to engage in advance care planning. Hundreds of organizations, health care providers and other key stakeholders used the day to promote awareness, completion and discussion of advance directives. Kottkamp said mo...

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Roxana Torrico Meruvia is an NASW senior practice associate with several years’ experience working with diverse, low-income youth and families in the nonprofit and public systems. NASW News talked with her about the intersection of foster care and homelessness. Q: There seems to be a link between poverty and homelessness and children being placed in out-of-home care. Are you seeing more children in the foster care system as a result of the economic recession? A: Despite the recession, the recent National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System report did not indicate an increase in substantiated maltreatment. However, some organizations h...

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Being elected president of NASW is a high honor, and I pledge to do my best to represent professional social workers, and to support the invaluable work that our members do, in every way I can. I want to thank outgoing President Jim Kelly, the rest of the national Board, and members of the NASW staff for all of their generous efforts to get me oriented to my new role. As I begin my term, the national Board will be spending some additional time together in September so we can collaboratively set priorities for the next three years’ work. One thing we already know: We will continue to strive to be good stewards of members’ hard-ea...

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“Patients cannot ask the questions if they don’t know what to ask or expect.” In June, the National Transitions of Care Coalition released a new tool, Your Rights During Transitions of Care: A Guide for Health Care Consumers and Family Caregivers. (PDF) NASW, a founding member of the NTOCC Advisory Task Force, proposed and developed the new resource in collaboration with the National Family Caregivers Association and other task force members. “The bill of rights is an important addition to the other NTOCC consumer tools,” said Chris Herman, senior practice associate at NASW. “Transitions of care (or car...

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April 2011 Board's Action Context Finance Received financial statements as of March 31, 2011. As of March 31, NASW’s total asset position was $15.6 million. Since March 2010, overall assets have increased by $334,000; total value of investments increased by $406,000; and liabilities and deferred revenue decreased by $436,000. Year-to-date revenue was $13.8 million, with $7.4 million in dues...

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There’s never a dull moment for social workers in Arizona, according to Jeremy Arp, the state’s recently hired NASW chapter executive director, who started work in January. “Arizona social workers work in a variety of settings, serving diverse populations,” Arp said. “The state may be expansive geographically, but it is still possible to witness the positive impact that social workers as individuals can have on everyone here.” Arp is one of several chapter executive directors hired in recent months that the NASW News is profiling in an ongoing series. Arp said he first became interested in becoming a soc...

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Texas State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, NASW’s public elected official of the year, chats with NASW President-Elect Jeane Anastas and Board of Directors member Robin Mama at a reception for national award honorees. NASW hosted its Annual Leadership Meeting in late April that invited the association’s 56 chapter executive directors and board leaders and members of the national Board of Directors to Washington, in part to connect with their representatives in Congress. Attendees conducted 160 Capitol Hill visits during their stay, urging representatives to support the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young Jr. Social Work Reinvestment...

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Barbara Heffernan was profiled in the Weston-Redding-Easton Patch (Conn.) for a story that explained how she helps people as a licensed clinical social worker and licensed alcohol and drug counselor. “I treat people with anxiety, people with trauma issues, people who want to live happier lives,” Heffernan was quoted as saying. “I’ll help people work through current problems, help them recover from childhood wounds that are still affecting their present day functioning.” The article pointed out that, unlike psychiatrists, psychotherapists do not prescribe drugs. Instead, they attempt to solve problems through ...

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