Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH Executive Director

Mary McAleese, President of Ireland, opens 6th International Conference on Health and Mental Health. During her address she noted that social workers are the outreach to areas of vulnerability. She used an Irish saying to describe social work — “Two shortens the road.” For many people who are struggling, social workers are companions and navigators on life’s journey.

She spoke about the resilience of social workers and how important that resilency is for these difficult economic and social times. She noted that there is an increased need for problem solvers in society and encouraged participants to use the conference as an opportunity for cross-fertilization of ideas and solutions.

Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH Executive Director

The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) released their Policy on Health, and Paul Bywaters, a consultant to IFSW presented “Worldwide Challenges for Practice and for Policy-Making” at the 6th International Conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health in Dublin.

The IFSW Policy on Health includes 7 key points:

1. Health is a key aspect of all social work practice, education, research, and ploicy making and in all settings.

2. Health is not merely the absence of disease, it emcompasses physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing.

3. Health is a central dimension of people’s lives.

4. Health is an issue of fundamental human rights.

5. Health status is primarily determined by social, economic, environmental, and political conditions and is an issue of social equality and justice.

6. Securing and sustaining health depends on local, national and global health and social policies and practices.

7. Securing and sustaining health depends on the concerted actions of intenational institutions, governments, civil society and peoples.

The IFSW policy is a starting point for discussion.  Can we create conditions for action?

The IFSW Policy on Health is available at www.ifsw.org/p38000081.html

At the recent 2010 Joint World Congress on Social Work and Social Development, one of NASW’s presentations focused on successful international collaborations to build social work capacity.  The Congress was held in Hong Kong.  A presentation and poster session were made available to attendees.  The example of the Best Practices in Psychosocial Oncology Exchange between Hungary and the United States of America was used to communicate important foundations and principles for such collaborations.  The Hungary project was undertaken as part of the NASW Foundation’s Social Workers Across Nations (SWAN) initiatives.

At the poster session, social workers from Croatia, Serbia and Thailand expressed interest in the project.  They noted the need for similar projects and resources regarding cancer, palliative and end-of-life care in their countries.  They were  interested in materials that could be made available for translation to help social workers in their communities.

NASW is participating in additional international social work capacity-building collaborations through SWAN, including projects on the continent of Africa.

For more information about NASW’s work in this area, visit http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/intl/default.asp

June 16, 2010

Gary Bailey gave his inaugeral address to the General Assembly of the International Federation of Social Workers this week in Hong Kong. IFSW represents social workers from 90 countries around the globe.

Gary began his remarks by noting that IFSW is a global community of friends who show mutual respect for each other and for the profession of social work around the world Gary emphasized that he stands on the shoulders of giants and outstanding social work leaders like Dr. Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr.

Gary said he felt quite humbled to be given such a leadership opportunity, and he quoted Civil Rights legend Whitney Young when he assumed his new role: “The truth is that there is nothing noble in being superior to someone else.. The only real nobility is in being superior to your former self.”

A Past-President of NASW, Gary is the first African-American president of IFSW. He said he is used to “firsts” and described his heritage as a major factor in his achievements. He noted that as the great-grandson of slaves, and as the son of parents who worked under very difficult and harsh conditions in the south, Gary learned both the need and the obligation to help others. He ended his address with his favorite quote by Tagore: “I dreamt of joy. I acted and behold, service was my joy.”

Two previous NASW leaders held the office of IFSW President. Chauncey Alexander, an Executive Director of NASW, and Susan Dworak Peck, a former President of NASW, both played pivitol roles in the development and advancement of international social work. Sue Peck is the lifetime Ambassador to IFSW, and she was present at the meeting. Current NASW President Jim Kelly and NASW Executive Director Betsy Clark also attended the event.

NASW congratulates Gary on this wonderful achievement.

For more information about IFSW, please visit www.ifsw.org.

For Immediate Release
April 9, 2010

WASHINGTON—The National Association of Social Workers (NASW-USA) is obligated by our ethical code to raise concerns about the “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” that now stands before the Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.  At stake are the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) citizens of Uganda.  NASW-USA has been joined by the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW), in calling upon the Ugandan Parliament to reject this detrimental bill.

The “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” in the Ugandan Parliament could set a serious  precedent for other countries—allowing extreme penalties of death and life in prison, and punishable offenses for a broad range of individuals if they fail to report suspected homosexuality to the authorities. The measure violates fundamental human rights and hinders effective public health responses to HIV and AIDS.

“Human rights are universal, regardless of sexual orientation,” said James J. Kelly, PhD, ACSW, NASW’s president.  “Criminal penalties against individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity violate basic human rights, demean human dignity, and also undermine efforts to limit the spread of HIV.”

Research shows that a person who feels forced to conceal his or her sexual orientation is less likely to seek assistance with HIV prevention, or to seek medical care for complications from HIV infection.  As a result, statistics on HIV infection rates are inaccurate, further hurting efforts by health care personnel to stem the spread of the virus.

NASW-USA believes that people with same-gender sexual orientation should be afforded the same respect and rights as those with other-gender orientation.  Discrimination and prejudice directed against any group is damaging to the social, emotional and economic well-being of both the affected group and of society as a whole. This holds true for Ugandan society as well as any other.

Challenging social injustice and affirming the dignity and worth of the human person are core principles of the social work profession.  Social workers pursue social justice, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people, including the LGBT community.   NASW-USA in honoring the critical importance of human rights asks the Ugandan government to reject this life-limiting legislation.

For more information, please see Human Rights and International Affairs on SocialWorkers.org.

NASW encourages members to get involved

WASHINGTON DC—In the aftermath of the deadly earthquake in Haiti this week, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is issuing an alert to its nearly 150,000 members to help support recovery efforts for victims and their families.  In disasters such as this, social workers are uniquely suited to assess the disaster environment in a culturally competent manner and to provide leadership in promoting effective disaster relief and recovery efforts.

“Social workers are often among the first to respond to disasters both nationally and abroad,” says Elizabeth Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH, executive director of NASW. “The people of Haiti need our help now more than ever, and we are committed to providing any assistance we can to one of the world’s poorest countries during this terrible tragedy.”

“If you would like to join with your social worker colleagues in the social work response to this disaster, you can donate through the NASW Foundation’s Social Work Disaster Assistance Fund to assist social workers and/or social welfare organizations who can provide help.”

• Click here to donate to The Social Work Disaster Assistance Fund
• Join our Facebook Cause
  

Social workers are already helping through various organizations both nationally and internationally. NASW is a member of InterAction, the largest coalition of U.S-based international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) focused on the world’s poor and most vulnerable people.  Many NGO members of this coalition were active in Haiti prior to the earthquake and have been mobilizing immediate aid to survivors in the past few days.  Social workers have a strong presence within these organizations.  Social workers can also make contributions to organizations listed here:

• American Red Cross www.redcross.org
• InterAction member organizations active in Haiti
• United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) –for the delivery of urgent medical care, food, and water to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti through UN agencies such as UNICEF, WHO, the World Food Program, UNDP, UNFPA, IOM.

Social workers can also help by offering disaster recovery services through organizations working in Haiti.  Tragic events of this magnitude often require the expertise of social workers who can immediately provide their crisis management, community organizing and mental health support skills.  Social workers with prior disaster relief experience can register with the Center for International Disaster Information to volunteer their time and expertise to this important cause.  Or for those with more experience and seeking longer-term paid positions, social workers can search for vacancies with NGOs at www.reliefweb.int .

For further information about ways to get involved, visit the InterAction Web site at or the USAID Disaster Assistance page .

NASW recognizes that some of our members and friends have lost loved ones through this tragedy.   Our thoughts are with those affected by this disaster.  To find additional resources on coping with grief and loss, please visit Help Starts Here, the social work consumer Web site .

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About NASW

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 150,000 members. It promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.

About the NASW Foundation

The NASW Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization created to enhance the well-being of individuals, families and communities through the enhancement of social work practice. One of the Foundation’s goals is to assist with rapid response to social crises.

Embrace diversity. End discrimination.

Background

On December 10 the world celebrates Human Rights Day.  Every year, Human Rights Day marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948. This year the theme is focused on non-discrimination.

The Role of Social Workers

Social work is fundamentally a human rights profession.  When the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was ratified, human rights concerns had been the bedrock of the social work profession in the United States for more than 50 years.  Discrimination and social exclusion based on racial and religious intolerance; gender inequality and violence; denial of the rights of women and children, refugees and older people – all are social justice issues that long have concerned social work. (NASW 2009)

The International Federation of Social Workers includes human rights in their definition of social work: “The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilizing theories of human behavior and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work.”

Take Action

• Read more about Human Rights Day and human rights and social work
• Take a look at NASW’s Policy Statement on Human Rights and the International Federation of Social Work Policy Statement on Human Rights
• Spend some time browsing the Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights webpage
• Review human rights instruments that social workers may encounter in their work

References

National Association of Social Workers (2009). International Policy on Human Rights. Social Work Speaks, National Association of Social Workers Policy Statements, 2009-2012 (8th ed., pp 202-207). Washington, DC:  NASW Press.

International Federation of Social Work web page, retrieved December 2009; http://www.ifsw.org/p38000212.html

Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH

Our delegation was received today by the social work faculty of Helwan University. We were met by the Dean, Prof. Dr. Maher Abo Elmaate, and by the Vice Deans for Post Graduate Studies and Community Organization. Their faculty mission is “Preparing a high quality social worker able to apply the skills of dealing with social work systems and influencing them for making changes for developing the community and individuals.”

They explained their programs and that they use the CSWE standards as a guide. They also were quick to point out that they had the latest version of The Encyclopedia of social Work published by NASW.

We discussed the challenges facing social work in our respective countries. One theme in common was the need for a clearer understanding of what social workers do. We mentioned the need for tuition assistance and loan forgiveness for social work students in the USA. They do not have that problem because their university is government run and undergraduates can attend at almost no cost and MSWs pay a small sum. Doctoral students pay a bit more, perhaps $400 per year. Since they are government run, they accept only Egyptian and Palestinean students.

We toured their computer lab and library which housed all of the theses and dissertations that have been completed on their campus. It was an impressive number. They are working at building a data base for their research and community projects.

We discussed the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act that is currently pending in the US Congress. They enjoyed hearing about the legislation and thought it was a good idea.

Helwan University was established as a social work school for women in 1946. They opened admission to men in 1975. They are very active in community development and action programs.

At the conclusion of our meeting, we were interviewed by Nile Television. They were interested in knowing how we felt Egypt was progressing.

Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH

Today we visited The Suzanne Mubarak Regional Centre for Women’s Health and Development (SMC) in Alexandria. This is a special program of Mrs. Murbarak, the First Lady of Egypt, and it is part of the national budget. We met with the director of women’s development. Mrs. Khagida Khashana and her staff and toured the state-of-the art facilities. They have been in operation for two years.

Their posters use the tag line of”Breaking the Silence in Egypt.” Their mission statement is linked to the WHO definition: The mission of the SMC is to promote women’s health and development in Egypt and friendly neighboring countries, health being a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, and is closely linked to women’s development. They emphasized that their definition includes “a healthy sexual and reproductive life.” Their long term goals are to combat illness, ignorance, poverty and to support women’s rights.

Their outreach and community organizing focus is reaching school teachers, social workers, and NGOs to get women referred for their services and as settings for their educational programs which also include skill building.

In addition to routine care in areas such as obesity and diabetes, cancer screenings, bone health and antismoking, they do genetic markers, Microeconomics, and productive skills for refugees.

They have a mobile clinic for breast cancer for women in rural areas, and they are just starting a breast cancer survivorship program. They are partnering with the Susan G. Koman organization from the USA and they were having their first walk at the pyramids later this week.

They told us that AIDS is not a serious problem in Egypt, nor is there much rape because of their social culture and because rape is a major crime punishable by death. However, domestic violence and genital mutilation are both problems. One of the things they try to do is to teach women that neither is a part of their religion.

They said that women in Egypt don’t talk about violence, even to each other. Thus, the tag line above about breaking the silence. They are also training doctors to detect battering, and Mrs. Murbarak has created a Women’s Council to help battered women with legal problems.

In the USA, President Obama has established the Council for Women and Girls. I was pleased to be present when he signed that important order. In Egypt, the Women Center was also established by Presidential decree. It also receives a yearly budget from the Egyptian government to cover the operating expenses. We could use a greater governmental focus on women’s health in the United States.

For more information on the Women’s Centre, see www.smcalex.org.

Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH

As part of our delegation trip to Cairo, we visited the Children’s Cancer Center which opened in 2007. It is a state-of-the-art center that is a flagship facility for the Middle East. It has 182 inpatient beds, 10 ICU beds, 22 outpatient clinics, and 82 physicians on staff. It is modeled after St. Jude’s Hospital in the US, and any children with cancer are treated for free.

The most frequent childhood cancers are brain tumors and leukemia. Only 40% of children survive cancer in Egypt. This is about half of the survival rate in the USA. They hope to improve this number with outstanding health care.

They began fundraising for the hospital in 2000. As part of their fundraising campaign, they named the project after their bank account number, and the hospital is now known as 57357. They started with $14 million pounds. Most of the funds raised were small donations from people who made charitable contributions during Ramadan. School children also helped raise funds.

The Center’s psychosocial care is headed by a psychiatrist and includes social workers (8 of them), psychologists, and child life therapists. Social workers there make about $300 per month. The Cancer Center noted that they were quite surprised that our delegation wanted to visit. They told us that they would welcome assistance with training for psychosocial oncology. One of our delegates, Floyd Allen from CancerCare in NYC, will be a great contact for them.