Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH Executive Director The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) released their Policy on Health, and Paul Bywaters, a consultant to IFSW presented “Worldwide Challenges for Practice and for Policy-Making” at the 6th International Conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health in Dublin. The IFSW Policy on Health includes 7 key points: 1. Health is a key aspect... 

NASW attended the National Partnership for Women and Families (NPW) annual luncheon on June 24.  NASW has been a luncheon sponsor for the past five years.   The keynote speaker for this year’s event was Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.  She spoke about how the Affordable Care Act will benefit women.   Secretary Sebelius stated that, “when you look at the full range... 

Recently, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a new Administrator Interpretation on the meaning of “in loco parentis” in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).  The interpretation makes clear that a person who steps in to parent a child qualifies for FMLA leave under the provision of the Act that provides leave for those who act in loco parentis. Examples include: grandparents, domestic partners and other relatives. ... 

On Thursday, June 24th, the House Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, chaired by Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), held a hearing on cyber bullying.  The witness panel included popular television psychologist, Dr. Phil Mcgraw, and 14-year-old Girl Scout, Dominique Napolitano. Ms. Napolitano offered personal insight by describing a cyber bullying incident involving... 

NASW has launched a new web education course for members titled An Advanced Course in Ethics and Malpractice Risk for Social Workers. The new NASW WebEd course is free to members and offers 3.0 continuing education credits to social workers who complete and pass the test. NASW developed this course to take social workers beyond a basic understanding of the NASW Code of Ethics. This advanced course will identify steps... 

At the recent 2010 Joint World Congress on Social Work and Social Development, one of NASW’s presentations focused on successful international collaborations to build social work capacity.  The Congress was held in Hong Kong.  A presentation and poster session were made available to attendees.  The example of the Best Practices in Psychosocial Oncology Exchange between Hungary and the United States of America was... 

Today, the lead Cabinet secretaries from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) – from the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Veterans Affairs (VA) – joined Executive Director of the USICH Barbara Poppe to unveil and submit to the President and Congress the a comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness. The full... 

The House Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, chaired by Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), recently held a hearing on “Corporal Punishment in Schools and its Effect on Academic Success.”  McCarthy explained that over 220,000 students were paddled in schools in the United States in the 2006-2007school year, according to the most recent data available from... 

Faced with several more days of congressional debate, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has begun processing payments for Medicare Part B claims for services delivered beginning June 1, 2010 and afterward, including those of physicians and clinical social workers. For the third time this year, Congress has been stymied in its efforts to pass legislation that would prevent a scheduled Medicare Part B... 

June 16, 2010 Gary Bailey gave his inaugeral address to the General Assembly of the International Federation of Social Workers this week in Hong Kong. IFSW represents social workers from 90 countries around the globe. Gary began his remarks by noting that IFSW is a global community of friends who show mutual respect for each other and for the profession of social work around the world Gary emphasized that he stands on...