Social Work Advocates Magazine

By Paul R. Pace, News staff Former U.S. Rep. and social worker Edolphus “Ed” Towns recently announced the launch of the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy, or CRISP. Towns created the institute to complement the mission and work of the Congressional Social Work Caucus, which he founded in 2010. At an April reception for CRISP in Washington, ... Read More »

By Rena Malai, News staff Pressure cooker bombs killed three people and injured about 164 when they exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in April. In response to the tragedy, NASW’s Massachusetts Chapter has gathered resources and information online to help those affected by the bombings. “We have put together a resource list for families of victims, ... Read More »

By Paul R. Pace, News staff Social workers are doing their part to help shape their states’ health insurance marketplaces, formerly known as health insurance exchanges. A key component of the Affordable Care Act, health insurance marketplaces are being constructed so individuals and small businesses can shop for coverage. As of May 2, 17 states and the District of Columbia ... Read More »

By Paul R. Pace, News staff NASW’s new CEO, Angelo McClain, said he is eager to build on the foundation that social work pioneers have worked hard to achieve. “There are many of us who were around 30 plus years ago when the social work profession did not get the respect it deserved,” said McClain, who started work as NASW’s ... Read More »

By Paul R. Pace, News staff As part of the NASW Annual Leadership Meeting in April, attendees advocated for the profession on Capitol Hill. About 100 chapter leaders made personal visits to their congressional representatives during Advocacy Day on April 11. Their efforts garnered 22 co-sponsors of the Social Work Reinvestment Act as well as some who signed on to ... Read More »

By Rena Malai, News staff Much like a social worker attending to the welfare of others, being a college president is like being a mother hen that knows no boundaries, said James Kelly, past president of NASW and current president of Menlo College in California. As a college president, Kelly said he uses every social work skill he possesses on ... Read More »

By Rena Malai and Paul R. Pace, News staff NASW chapter executive directors, presidents and presidents-elect traveled to Washington, D.C., in April to participate in the 2013 Annual Leadership Meeting held at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. The four-day meeting, with the theme “A Profession of Leaders in a Leading Profession,” offered an opportunity for NASW leaders to network, ... Read More »

NASW, through its Legal Defense Fund, filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case, Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl. The case involves whether the Indian Child Welfare Act applies to a private adoption initiated by a non-Indian parent. Previously, the South Carolina Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that a Native American child could be not be ... Read More »

NASW News’ Social Work in the Public Eye NASW member Kenneth Hanna created Lion Youth and Community Services LLC, an Afrocentric counseling and group therapy center in St. Cloud, Minn., because he wanted to see more African-American leaders, according to an article in the St Cloud Times. “I’ve really always had a passion for working here, in this town, with ... Read More »

By Rena Malai, News staff A group of MSW students from the University of Southern California School of Social Work visited the NASW national office in March to learn more about the social work profession. The students are enrolled in Child Development and Social Policy at USC, and spent a week in Washington, D.C., as a part of their class ... Read More »