If you use online banking, please make sure NASW’s payment address is current so that your renewal reaches us. Mail renewal payments to:

NASW, PO Box 79949, Baltimore, MD 21279-0949

If you have any questions, contact Member Services at 800.742.4089, Monday – Friday, 9 am – 9 pm ET.

A recent MSNBC report on involuntary sterilization in North Carolina by medical correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman was a sobering reminder for American social workers about how close we are to our country’s complicated and discriminatory past. 

Snyderman’s November 7, 2011 segment on Rock Center with Brian Williams told the story of forced operations in the 1960s and 1970s on thousands of young, generally poor—and frequently minority—women in North Carolina and 30 other states. 

Specifically, the disturbing story of Elaine Riddick in “State of Shame,” a woman sterilized after giving birth to a child conceived in a rape, sent shockwaves across blogs, websites and other social media.

But perhaps most alarming was the audiotape played during the segment in which social workers discuss their recommendation to have another young mother with multiple children sterilized. Social workers and members of the public expressed disbelief that such a program could still be in operation during the height of the civil rights and women’s rights movement in the United States.

In May 2011, NASW staff spoke with freelance journalist Kevin Begos about his three-part Independent Weekly investigative series on the American eugenics movement after World War II. 

Begos had called to get comment on his discovery that NASW officials in 1957 had agreed to provide mailing labels to the Human Betterment Association (the leading eugenics group) for an education campaign with health and social welfare providers. While the first mailing did happen, we were also able to confirm that another request in 1961 for member mailing labels was unanimously denied by the NASW Board.

The eugenics movement officially began in the late 19th century, reached it first zenith in the 1920′s and 1930′s, fell out of favor during WWII, and then made a comeback in the 1950′s. The history of the movement is inextricably linked to society’s conflicted views about women’s reproductive rights, poverty reduction and social class.

As early social workers researched and developed programs to provide solutions to alleviate American social ills, and encouraged greater investment in the social safety net, long held beliefs about the capacity of poor, mentally ill and other social “outsiders” colored a variety of government policies and the medical establishment. 

Considerable literature is now available to help explain the mores and politics governing the nation’s acceptance and control of women’s reproductive rights in the last century.

For example, the policy and practice of sterilizing women perceived as overly sexual in their behavior has descendents in policies to address and regulate the behavior of women in what Michigan State Social Work Professor Angie Kennedy calls “the reproductive underclass.” Her article about eugenics and social work in the February 2008 issue of Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work is worth reading.   

It is essential that social workers and others educate themselves about this history to understand where modern discussions of genetic testing and other advanced technologies might lead.   Berkeley statistics professor Deborah Dolan in the Journal of Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry (2007 v. 9, n. 2) wrote that therapeutic fields need four prevention strategies to avoid involvement in problematic practices of this kind in the future:

• General cultural remembrance of the involvement of health care professionals in violating basic rights of individuals in service to society or the state
• Continuing education in applied ethics and the history and philosophy of science and medicine
• Creating and maintaining a professional culture of questioning attitudes and policies both within and outside of the professions
• Enhancing the reflection on the role of values and ideologies with social work and other health professionals-in-training

Today, the social work profession vigorously incorporates cultural competence values and knowledge into its core public policies, academic curricula and practice standards.  

A few examples include:

1)      NASW Standards for Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice

2)      Indicators for the Achievement of the NASW Standards of Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice

3)      Social Work Speaks, NASW Policy Statements 2009-2012

• Family Planning and Reproductive Choice Statement
• Family Policy Statement
• Women’s Issues Statement

We must remain vigilant.

Dr. Jeane Anastas
NASW President

All Children Matter: How Legal and Social Inequalities Hurt LGBT Families

October 25, 2011, 10:00am – 12:00pm

Introduction:
Winnie Stachelberg, Senior Vice President for External Affairs, Center for American Progress

Opening remarks:
Douglas F. Gansler, Attorney General of Maryland (D)

Presenters:
Jeff Krehely, Director of LGBT Research and Communications, Center for American Progress
Ineke Mushovic, Executive Director, Movement Advancement Project

Panelists:
Jennifer Chrisler, Executive Director, Family Equality Council
Bryan Samuels, Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families
The Revered Dr. Dennis W. Wiley, Covenant Baptist Church

Moderator:
Jonathan Capehart, The Washington Post

More than 2 million children in the United States have, to varying degrees, become collateral damage after decades of ideology, laws, and policies that hurt lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or LGBT, people and families. To shine a light on this issue, LGBT, allied, and child welfare-focused organizations are, for the first time, releasing a comprehensive report that profiles and documents the experiences of the 2 million children with LGBT parents, the many ways that state and federal laws hurt and exclude them, and the common-sense policy solutions that can make things better.

Please join the Center for American Progress and Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler to discuss a new report, “All Children Matter: How Legal and Social Inequalities Hurt LGBT Families.” “All Children Matter” was released by the Center for American Progress, the Family Equality Council, and the Movement Advancement Project, in partnership with COLAGE, The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, and the National Association of Social Workers (with a foreword by the Child Welfare League of America).

October 25, 2011, 10:00am – 12:00pm

WATCH this event via live video.*Video available LIVE and after the event has occurred.

Live Tweet – Use the hashtag #CAPlgbt

On Tuesday July 12, 2011, the Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Ways and Means will hold a congressional hearing on child deaths due to maltreatment. Chairman Geoff Davis (R-KY) announced the hearing that will coincide with the release of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on child abuse and neglect deaths associated with the child welfare system. Congressman Dave Camp (R-MI), Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, called for the hearing this past spring during a Congressional briefing on child abuse deaths held on Capitol Hill, hosted by the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths.

Congressional Hearing on Child Deaths Due to Maltreatment

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

10:00 am

Rayburn House Building B-318, Washington, D.C. (Southwest of the Capitol on a site bounded by Independence Avenue, South Capitol Street, First Street, and C Street, S.W.)

MEDIA ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND THIS HEARING

Individuals to Testify Include:

Kay E. Brown, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security, U.S. Government Accountability Office

Tamara Tunie, Actress  (Law & Order: SVU) and celebrity spokesperson for the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths

Carole Jenny, MD,  Director of the Child Protection Program at Hasbro Children’s Hospital and an internationally known expert in child abuse prevention and treatment.

Theresa Covington, MPH, Director for the National Center for the Review and Prevention of Child Deaths and member of the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths.

Michael Petit, MSW, President, Every Child Matters Education Fund and member of the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths.

Jane McClure Burstain, Senior Policy Analyst, Texas Center on Public Policy Priorities
Ms. Tunie and Coalition Members will be available for interviews immediately following the hearing.   For more information about the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths, visit http://www.endchildabusedeaths.org.

Washington, D.C./// March 30, 2011///- On April 5, 2011, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit star Tamara Tunie will travel to Washington, D.C. to deliver a petition asking Congress to hold hearings on child abuse and neglect deaths.  The petition signed by nearly 9,000 people will be delivered specifically to Congressman David Camp of Michigan during a congressional briefing on child abuse deaths in America.

The briefing will be hosted by the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths and the Children’s Advocacy Institute (CAI).  Experts from the five organizations comprising the Coalition as well as from CAI will be on-site to present what is known about the estimated 2,500 children that die in the United States every year from abuse and neglect.  These experts will go beyond just addressing the startling statistics to discuss suggested national strategies for decreasing and ultimately preventing these tragic deaths.

Kimberly Day, Coordinator for the Coalition, said about the event, “Everyday in America at least 7 children are killed by someone who is supposed to love them.  We know what works to keep these children safe from harm.  We hope this event on Capitol Hill will spark the beginning of a national call to act on solutions to end child abuse deaths”.

This congressional briefing is timely, as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will soon be releasing (date TBD) a report titled “Child Fatalities in the Child Welfare System.”  This report, requested by Congressman Camp, will address concerns regarding the disclosure and classification of child fatalities due to abuse and/or neglect.

Congressional Briefing on Child Abuse Deaths in America DETAILS:

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

11:30am

Rayburn House Building B-318, Washington, D.C. (Southwest of the Capitol on a site bounded by Independence Avenue, South Capitol Street, First Street, and C Street, S.W.)

RSVP to endcad@everychildmatters.org

MEDIA ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND THIS  BRIEFING

Ms. Tunie and Coalition Members will be available for interviews immediately following.

For more information about the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths, visit http://www.endchildabusedeaths.org.  For more information about the Children’s Advocacy Institute, visit http://www.caichildlaw.org

###

About the Members of the Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths:

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with 145,000 members and 56 chapters.  NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional standards, and to advance sound social policies.

The National Center for Child Death Review (NCCDR) is a resource center for state and local child death review programs.  The center provides technical assistance to help teams develop, implement and sustain a prevention-focused CDR process, training, strategic planning and program development for state and local teams, consultation to coordinate with other reviews, including fetal and infant mortality, domestic violence, serious injury, and maternal mortality, support for the network of CDR program leaders.

The National Children’s Alliance (NCA) is a professional membership organization dedicated to helping local communities respond to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient – and put the needs of child victims first. National Children’s Alliance provides training, support, technical assistance and leadership on a national level to local children’s and child advocacy centers and communities responding to reports of child abuse and neglect.

The Every Child Matters Education Fund (ECMEF) was founded in 2002 with the mission to make children’s issues a political priority.  To that end ECM has promoted the adoption of smart policies for children and youth.  These include ensuring that children have access to affordable, comprehensive health care services, expanding early-care and learning opportunities and after-school programs, preventing violence, abuse, maltreatment and fatalities against children in their homes and alleviating child poverty.

The National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), founded in 1950, is the oldest and largest professional organization representing criminal prosecutors in the world.  The National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse (NCPCA), a program of the NDAA was established in 1985. The NCPCA is staffed with professionals involved in the investigation and prosecution of child abuse, exploitation and computer facilitated crimes against children.

About the Children’s Advocacy Institute:

The Children’s Advocacy Institute (CAI), of the University of San Diego School of Law, works to improve the health, safety, and well being of children.  In addition to its academic component, CAI engages in regulatory and legislative advocacy, impact litigation and public education in order to ensure that children’s interests are represented effectively whenever and wherever government makes policy and budget decisions that will impact them.

4:30pm – 6:30pm

National Association of Social Workers (NASW)

7^th Floor Conference Room

750 First St, NE

Washington, DC 20002

Refreshments provided for an event on:

Promoting Human Rights of Women and Girls Globally:

The Intersection of Social Work and Family Planning Services

This event coincides with the United Nations mobilization campaign:

STAND UP, TAKE ACTION, END POVERTY NOW.

Join millions of people around the world who will take part in the STAND UP campaign

to demand that world leaders end poverty and achieve the

MDGs in advance of the MDG Summit from 20-22 September 2010.

What are the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)? How does poor access to reproductive health and family planning services affect families in the US and globally? How does all of this apply to us as social workers and what do international social workers do?

We anticipate facilitating a lively, dynamic conversation to encourage you to reflect on these issues and how they affect your work as social workers. Discussants include staff and members of the National Association of Social Workers with international experience and faculty of Howard University School of Social Work. A short film highlighting these issues will be shown.

Please RSVP to Soojung Kim: skim@naswdc.org

Sponsored by:

Together, we can make poverty history. Join millions worldwide

to ‘STAND UP and TAKE ACTION’ today!

This event is co-sponsored by DC Metro Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. We invite area students and social workers to attend. The Metro Chapter will issue certificates for 2 hours to Metro Chapter members and non-members for $10.00.

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW), Representative Edolphus “Ed” Towns (D-NY) submitted acknowledgment of the Academy into the Congressional Record on February 26, 2010. Honoring the work and impact ACSW holders have had in society over the past fifty years, below we have provided a link for you to download the Congressional Record and the congratulatory letter from Rep. Towns recognizing members of the Academy.

Both the Congressional Record and congratulatory letter reflect the achievements of all ACSW holders. ACSW holders, educate others on the value of the Academy and the social work profession by displaying these documents in your office and presenting a copy to your employer.

https://www.socialworkers.org/credentials/acsw50/default.asp

Is your school using the Professional Social Worker pin to recognize graduating students?

Ask your school to consider the silver-plated Professional Social Worker pin at commencement. Just $10 each for schools of social work, the pins distinguish Social Work from other programs on campus, and instill pride in the profession.

All funds from the Social Work pins support the National Social Work Public Education Campaign, raising public awareness of the irreplaceable benefits of Professional Social Work. More than 100 social work schools and programs participate in the campaign. We invite your school to join us!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH President, NASW Foundation Executive Director, NASW

P.S. – Send us your photos of you and the Professional Social Worker pin! We’d love to include you in campaign materials in print and on the Web.

Keynote speaker: Julian Bond, social activist; leader in the American Civil Rights Movement; politician; professor; and writer

The University of Pittsburgh has set the stage for a solution-focused dialogue on race. Pitt’s School of Social Work and the school’s Center on Race and Social Problems will host Race in America: Restructuring Inequality, a national conference in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Workshops include:

• The Color of Money: Economic Disparities among the Races
• Mental Health: Finding Solutions to the Problems Minorities Face
• The Bigger Issue: Obesity in Minority Communities

Early bird special for registration by March 31, 2010

For more details and to register visit: http://www.race.pitt.edu