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

Harold House - NASW Public Citizen of the Year

Dr. S. Megan Berthold - 2009 NASW Social Worker of the Year

State Representative Ruth Balser - NASW Public Elected Official of the Year

The Social Work Career Center and NASW Press is offering 15% off the publications below until June 30, 2010:

• An Author’s Guide to Social Work Journals, 5th edition
• The Results Are In: What Social Workers Say About Social Work
• Workforce Trends Affecting the Profession 2009
• What Social Workers Do, 2nd Edition
• Social Work Career Development, 2nd Edition
• Social Work Speaks, 8th Edition

Please use code WMCC10 for this promotion.

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.

For those that are interested in ongoing discussions online, visit www.socialworkchat.org on Sundays and Tuesdays from 9 - 10 PM EST.

March Schedule:
Sun, March 7th Share ideas for celebrating Social Work Month
Tues, March 9th Case Consultation
Sun, March 14th Our Online Social Work Month VIRTUAL CELEBRATION!
Tues, March 16th Best Book Recommendations for SW Practice
Sun, March 21st The New DSM
Tues, March 23rd Creative and Unusual Work Settings for SW
Sun, March 28th Social Work Practice with Child Sexual Abuse

There are ongoing discussions on bulletin boards if you can’t make regularly scheduled chats.  You can sign up for a free account at www.socialworkchat.org.

NOW AVAILABLE
Doing What Works: An Integrative System for the Treatment of Eating Disorders from Diagnosis to Recovery
By Abigail Horvitz Natenshon

Do you have clients dealing with eating disorders?  If so, Doing What Works is a great resource for treatment team professionals as they learn to treat complex cases of eating disorders through various techniques and strategies. Eating disorders, at times, leave practitioners feeling as emotionally challenged and out of control as the patients they treat. This is the first book of its kind to provide support, direction, clarity, and optimism to clinicians treating people with these disorders. Special topics include the unique aspects of diagnosis, the requirements for a versatile use of the practitioner’s self in treatment, co-morbidity, childhood eating and feeding disorders, and the significance of neuro-scientific research on the treatment of eating disorders with a focus on the impact of brain plasticity on creating remediating movement and changes toward recovery.

For more information, visit http://www.naswpress.org/publications/health/doing-what-works.html

Find out where to take your career and how to get there!  The NASW Center for Workforce Studies has compiled survey results, indentified decision points, and classified the social work labor force to help you understand your place on the professional spectrum.  These reports are must haves for any social worker looking to equipt themselves for the current workforce demands.

Your feedback is needed:  Share your experiences:  Complete the survey

CLICK TO ORDER

The Results Are In: What Social Workers Say About Social Work

NASW Center for Workforce Studies, Tracy Whitaker, DSW, ACSW, Director

2009. Item #B200. 66 pages. $24.99

CLICK TO ORDER

Workforce Trends Affecting the Profession 2009

NASW Center for Workforce Studies, Tracy Whitaker, DSW, ACSW

2009. Item #B100. Booklet. 28 pages.  $9.99

NASW was pleased to be a co-chair organization of the National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence, held in New Orleans, Louisiana, this past week. The Family Violence Prevention Fund hosted this fifth biennial conference, which addressed domestic violence and health. Domestic violence is often seen as a public health problem, and the role health care providers can play in preventing violence and helping victims is well recognized.

At the opening session, the audience was addressed by Lynn Rosenthal, a social worker and longtime advocate, who is the White House Advisor to the President and Vice President on Violence Against Women. The keynote speaker was Eve Ensler, a playwright, performer, and activist and the author of The Vagina Monologues and the founder of V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls.

Many social workers presented their research on intimate partner violence, its health and mental health consequences, and the burden placed on families, communities, and our nation. NASW staff and members were represented on the national conference steering committee and on panel and individual presentations that addressed innovative and promising practice, scientific reports, and skill building.

- Rita A. Webb, DCSW, ACSW

The October issue of Social Work (Vol. 54, No. 4) covers a wide range of topics important to social work and social workers, from questions surrounding consumer-driven health care to issues involving child welfare worker caseloads. Below is a sampling of what’s inside the issue. Download the table of contents of the October Social Work Journal here.

• New Practice Model for Latinos in Need of Social Work Services
  Kurt C. Organista
  Does your work assist the Latino community?  Learn more about new practices presented in a model that thoroughly describes the four dimensions of culturally competent practice essential to working with U.S. Latino populations.
• The Big Picture: How Social Work Can Effectively Utilize Photographs
  Heather L. Marshall, Sarah W. Craun, and Matthew T. Theriot
  A picture is worth a thousand words….Examine the use of photography as a powerful tool for promoting positive attitudes about social work at an adult day care program.
• Civilian Social Work: Serving the Military and Veteran Populations
  Laura Savitsky, Maria Illingworth, and Megan DuLaney
  Help those that serve our country. Civilian social workers acknowledge their responsibility to competently aid military and veteran clients.