Featured Articles

By Paul R. Pace, News staff  The world needs an interdisciplinary approach more than ever to address the social, political, technological and climate challenges of today and the future, says Ambassador Wendy Sherman, a newly appointed NASW Social Work Pioneer ®  Political solutions can’t keep up with the rapid pace of change, said Sherman in her keynote speech at the NASW Social Work Pioneers  13 annual program and luncheon held in Washington, D.C., in October.  Sherman, was among the 17 2017 Pioneer inductees. She is the former undersecretary ... Read More »

As we begin the new year, it seems like a good time to provide an update on the Association’s ongoing Modernization Initiative.  We’re pleased to report that the implementation of the initiative is proceeding, for the most part, according to schedule.  We are now in the middle of the second phase of this three-phase implementation and are beginning to realize ... Read More »

By Alison Laurio, News contributor When J. David Hawkins was a probation officer in the 1980s, he thought, “Isn’t there something we should have done to prevent these kids from getting to this place?” Programs from that period like “Just Say No” and “Scared Straight” just didn’t work, he said, for one reason: There was no evidence behind them. Now ... Read More »

By Paul R. Pace, News staff Grameen Bank provides credit without collateral to those who are poor in rural Bangladesh. Aimed primarily at women, these microcredit loans of often no more than $100 are meant to help those who are poor launch small businesses. The bank says it has 8.92 million borrowers, 97 percent of whom are women, and it ... Read More »

By Paul R. Pace, News staff Social workers are the among the behavioral health professionals greatly needed to meet a growing demand for services, says the new leader of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA. Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz is the assistant secretary for mental health and substance use. In the newly created position, she advises the ... Read More »

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) partnered with the American Psychological Association on the amicus brief in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The U.S. Supreme Court case addresses the validity of Colorado’s anti-discrimination statute which prevents commercial businesses from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, in addition to other attributes such as race and religion. In ... Read More »

On December 2 the Senate passed its version of H.R. 1: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (51 Republicans voted in favor, while all Senate Democrats and Republican Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) voted against).  On Monday, December 4th, the House of Representatives agreed to the motion to go to conference by a vote of 222-192.  Seven House Republicans joined the Democratic caucus ... Read More »

By Laetitia Clayton, News staff As a young girl, Carla Gonzalez says she dreamed of becoming Miss America one day. Now, as a multiple pageant winner, she dreams of putting an end to domestic violence. Gonzalez, whose current title is Ms. U.S. World Elite 2017, also is a social worker and longtime NASW member. She visited the national office in ... Read More »

By Alison Laurio, News contributor Imagine yourself leaving home to go to work every day thinking “Will this be the last time I see my house? Will this be the last time I see my family?” One young woman in her 20s has worked two jobs for the last 10 years as the main breadwinner for her family of five. ... Read More »

The theme for World Aids Day 2017 on December 1 will be “Increasing Impact through Transparency, Accountability, and Partnerships.”   In elaborating on the theme Ambassador Deborah L. Birx, the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State, said, “We now have the unprecedented opportunity to change the course of the pandemic. This brings with it ... Read More »