All interested LGBT social workers are invited to publish a personal profile on the National Association of Social Workers’ web site for the general public www.HelpStartsHere.org. NASW membership is not required.

Just e-mail your responses to the following questions along with an electronic photo to Theresa Spinner in the NASW Communications Department at tspinner@naswdc.org by Friday, May 28, 2010.  Ms. Spinner will send you a draft of your submission for your review and approval. Ms. Spinner will then upload your information to the site.  Let her know you found this appeal on the NASW Pressroom blog.

Q. Where did you earn your social work degree, what is your area of specialization, and where are you employed?

Q. Why did you choose social work as your profession?

Q. If you could resolve just one ongoing challenge affecting the LGBT community what would that be and how would you go about it?

Last year’s Pride Month submissions were extremely well received by visitors to the site. We received many heart felt compliments from members of the community who appreciated seeing social workers like themselves represented. You can see the complete list of profiles by clicking here.

NASW Members, Submit your comments on proposed NASW Bylaws Amendments by May 7 Proposed amendments to NASW Bylaws articles on 1) amendments to bylaws, 2) membership, and 3) dues and other income are under consideration. NASW invites you to review the proposed changes and submit comments by May 7, 2010. To access the proposed amendments and post your comments, first log in to the NASW Web site at www.socialworkers.org by clicking on the “Log In” button at the top of the page and entering your NASW username and password. Once logged in, copy and paste the following link to your browser: https://www.socialworkers.org/governance/BylawAmmend/default.asp?CatID=3

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

Dear Social Work Student –

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.

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.

Social workers changes the lives of millions people every day. The National Association of Social Workers Foundation (NASWF) is a charitable organization created to enhance the well-being of individuals, families, and communities through the advancement of social work practice

Donations to the NASW Foundation help to bring tools and resources to thousands of social workers, or makes a big difference to one individual when it is needed the most – such as Alisha Ellis, who received the Verne LaMarr Lyons Scholarship as an MSW student in 2006.

Ms. Ellis was raised in Harlem and worked as an advocate for underserved African American populations suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, mental illness and HIV/AIDS before pursuing her MSW. Today, she works in oncology and is an active NASW member.

She says, “Support from the NASW Foundation came at the start of my second summer at Smith College, enabling me to pay for books for the entire year. It was especially helpful during that time, when I frequently traveled to NYC as my father’s healthcare proxy and second caregiver. The scholarship provided some peace of mind as I juggled academic and family commitments.”

“Since 2008, I have had the privilege of working at CancerCare in New York with women diagnosed with breast and gynecologic cancer. I’m proud to be helping people at a point in their lives when support is so crucial.”

Each year, the NASW Foundation supports educational and charitable initiatives that:

* enhance social workers’ knowledge and skills
* support and honor the profession, and
* improve the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities

The Foundation is funded entirely through grants and donations, so your contribution is critical.

Your gift today of $10 or more will help bring scholarships to future social workers; research and training to current social workers; and recognition to social work leaders both current and past. Would you please consider making your gift today?

You can give  on the NASW Foundation website at
https://www.socialworkers.org/foundationcampaign/onlinegiving.asp?fund=r/efund

Thanks you for your support!

NASW has an exhaustive process to determine our public policy statements. The policy statements are compiled in Social Work Speaks, a comprehensive collection of policies adopted and revised by NASW’s key policy-making body, the Delegate Assembly. The Delegate Assembly, an elected body of 277 professional social workers representing NASW’s diverse membership, meets at regular intervals (every three years since 1981) to set broad parameters for the Association’s programs, to determine some bylaws issues, and to agree on policy statements that guide advocacy efforts in public policy. Any member can request review of a current policy statement or propose a new statement prior to the triennial meeting. All statements are automatically placed on the agenda every 9 years.

The last meeting of the Delegate Assembly occurred in 2008. The process included two comment periods for all of the new and revised policy statements by the membership prior to adoption by the delegates. Comments were reviewed by hearing panels composed of delegates who made final revisions to the statements. Delegates then voted on the final version presented to them, which appears in the book.

NASW national and chapters must advocate for policy that is in alignment with the adopted policy statements in Social Work Speaks. If a legislative proposal is consistent with the policy statement, NASW then considers additional factors, such as the overall value of the proposal, current political climate, effect on the profession and effect on our clients prior to determining support. If there is no policy statement on the issue, the Board of Directors may make a determination regarding support.

Give an Hour is a national nonprofit organization providing free counseling and other mental health services to members of the military, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, and their loved ones.  Join the more than 4,500 mental health professionals who have already donated nearly 20,000 hours to make a difference in the lives of those who serve our country by donating an hour a week out of your practice. Visit www.giveanhour.org to learn more or to register as a provider.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET
Credit Hours: 0 CEU(s)

Click Here to Register Now!

Kyrsten Sinema, MSW, JD is Arizona’s Assistant House Democratic Leader. She will discuss how lessons learned in Arizona apply to health reform nationally. Sinema is one of 32 state legislators nationwide — the only state lawmaker from Arizona — selected for President Obama’s White House Health Reform Task Force. She is providing best practices and lessons learned from Arizona, which will help shape national health reform this year. Join us for this informational session.*

Presenter: Kyrsten Sinema, MSW, JD

Moderator: Rebecca Myers, LSW , NASW

Social workers are reminded to check with their state licensing boards to confirm that distance learning and/or home study education is accepted for continuing education credit.

The Lunchtime Series teleconferences are open to all NASW members. These hour long live teleconferences highlight the latest social work issues addressed by NASW. Besides a live teleconference, online features include the ability to post a question for the speaker; read teleconference transcripts; listen to an audio/podcast at your convenience; and earn CEU credit.

A major responsibility for the council is to review and make recommendations regarding grant applications.

By Paul R. Pace, NASW News Staff - Vol. 54, No. 9, October 2009

NASW member W. June Simmons, CEO of the Partners in Care Foundation, has been appointed to the National Advisory Council on Aging. The council is among several national research advisory councils reporting to the director of the National Institutes of Health concerning pertinent programs.

“As a social worker, I am honored to represent the field — especially during these challenging times — on this very important advisory council,” Simmons said in a statement.

A major responsibility for the council is to review and make recommendations regarding grant applications to support biomedical research and research training activities.

Simmons will serve on the Advisory Council until December 2012 and will participate in council meetings held at the NIH.

According to the Partners in Care Foundation, Simmons’ career includes numerous activities involving aging issues.

She was a delegate to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging. She serves as senior adviser to the Alliance for Children and Families’ National Initiative for Transforming Social Service Geriatric Practice. She is an appointee to the HMO Caregiver Work Group, a national think tank funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to advance managed care models for caring for the aging population.

Simmons is an advisory board member of the Practice Change Fellows Selection Committee and was founding chair of the National Chronic Care Consortium. She initiates and directs the Institute for Advancement of Geriatric Social Work Education, a cooperative venture between major Southern California graduate schools of social work to develop the region as a center of excellence in geriatric social work education.

In addition, Simmons serves on major national and local technical committees, panels and advisory boards.