The NASW-Illinois Chapter expresses its deepest condolences to the family of Pamela Knight. Ms. Knight died last week as a result of injuries suffered during an attack on her in September 2017 while working to protect children in her capacity as an investigator for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Every day social workers across the United ... Read More »
By Paul R. Pace, News staff A key step in implementing solutions for the opioid overdose epidemic was reached in San Diego in October where days later the opioid crisis was officially declared a national public health emergency. Seventy representatives from more than 50 organizations, including NASW, gathered in California for the first ever Integrative Pain Care Policy Congress during ... Read More »
Mel Wilson, LCSW, MBA, social justice and human rights manager at the National Association of Social Workers, attended the Women’s March of 2018 in Washington, D.C. He wrote about his experience: The Women’s March of 2018, drew hundreds of thousands of marchers to major cities nationwide such as Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Denver, Dallas, and Montgomery, ... Read More »
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 »
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