Social Work Advocates Magazine

By Rena Malai, NEWS Staff More than 1,400 people from the social work field – including professors, doctoral students, and academic and agency researchers – gathered at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C., for the 16th annual Society for Social Work Research conference, “Research That Makes a Difference: Advancing Practice and Shaping Public Policy.” Participants were able to choose and ... Read More »

Have you (or someone you know) been quoted in the media about your social work skills? NASW members are highlighted in each issue of the NASW News about the ways they help people overcome challenges and the important contributions they make to society. NASW News welcomes submissions for “Social Work in the Public” Eye section. Send any news links and details ... Read More »

By Rena Malai, News Staff Edith and Grace Abbott, born in 1876 and 1878 respectively, were sisters and pioneer social workers who shared an interest in public service as they worked closely together to tackle social problems and issues in public welfare. John Sorenson — director of the Grace Abbot Project at the University of Nebraska — said the two ... Read More »

Social workers participated in the 27th Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, held in October 2011. The theme focused on building services for children who experience trauma through exposure to domestic violence and become involved with the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.  Attention also was given to trauma-informed services, which were highlighted by the many components of the ... Read More »

A gut reaction can be one of the strongest intuitive signals a human being possesses, but it’s becoming harder to follow these reactions as our instinctive natures — originally programmed to protect us — have been confused in a busy digital age where danger can mean anything from stepping in front of a bus while chatting on a cell phone ... Read More »

By Greg Wright, NEWS contributor Carla Damron may have retired after working for 31 years as a social worker in mental health, but she is staying busy as an advocate and educator for the profession. Not only is Damron the executive director of NASW’s South Carolina chapter, but she also has started on her fourth mystery novel featuring fictional social ... Read More »

By Rena Malai, NEWS Staff NASW’s Social Work Policy Institute, in collaboration with PolicyLab of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and contributing partner the University of Southern California School of Social Work, held an interdisciplinary symposium in November to discuss ways to better meet the health care needs of children served by the child welfare system and those at risk of ... Read More »

By Rena Malai, NEWS Staff The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library in San Jose, Calif., has developed a “Social Workers in the Library” program, which offers social work consultations in a neutral setting. Deborah Estreicher, head librarian at the Dr. Martin Luther King  Jr. Library in San Jose, Calif., had an idea. “Being a librarian, I came across many ... Read More »

At an age when many people are considering retirement, Capt. Dan Grinstead was instead leaving for his first deployment to Afghanistan, according to an article on 9news.com, a website for Denver’s local NBC affiliate. Grinstead, an Iowa native in his 60s and a social worker for 35 years, felt that his services would be best put to use helping soldiers ... Read More »

By Paul R. Pace, NEWS Staff A new resource has been launched that provides social workers and educators greater insight into the religious and spiritual viewpoints of the clients they serve. “It’s important to recognize a client’s spirituality and religion and acknowledge it,” said Sharon Issurdatt, NASW senior practice associate. To further this effort, NASW has become a member of ... Read More »