On Tuesday, May 21, the Health Subcommittee of the House Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing on a wide range of issues.  One area covered was The Veterans Integrated Mental Health Care Act of 2013.  This bill would offer more coordinated care, particularly for Veterans in rural areas.  This bill, along with The Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act of 2013, are still in the stage of draft legislation.  We... 

On April 17, 2013 NASW co-hosted a Congressional briefing with the National Council on Disabilities (NCD), American Psychological Association (APA), and Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) titled, Rocking the Cradle: Protecting the Rights of Parents with Disabilities and Their Children. The briefing focused on the barriers persons with disabilities experience when they exercise their fundamental right to create and... 

In May, we updated you on the Senate’s reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).  Now, there is a possibility of the bill failing if the House and Senate are unable to reconcile differences between their two bills.  The House bill excludes members of the LGBT community and reduces protections for Native American women as well as immigrants.  It also requires an auditing procedure, which diverts funding... 

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend an event at the White House to see President Obama make a statement about student loan debt.  My invitation to the White House occurred because I reached out to the organization, Campus Progress, and volunteered to work at their Student Debt Day.  By volunteering, I was given the opportunity, along with other student interns, to go to Capitol Hill and advocate on behalf of a... 

While women constitute 51 percent of the population of the United States, they experience disparate treatment.  There continues to be a gender gap in earnings between men and women.  Household income varies dramatically and women, and women-headed households, are more likely to live in poverty.  Social work is a female-majority profession and women are the majority of clients served by the profession.  Social workers... 

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect and bring attention to the critical need for resources to support and strengthen families and keep children and youth safe from harm. Social workers play critical roles in the lives of vulnerable families. Enhancing the well-being of children, youth, and families is at the heart of the social work profession. The National... 

NASW Executive Director Betsy Clark and CSWE President Mit Joyner, joined Congressman Ed Towns on his television program, Political News and Views, on March 10, 2011, to discuss the importance of the social work profession to our nation. Congressman Towns is a proud social worker and covered a variety of topics including the diverse fields of social work practice, how the profession can best respond to the current economic... 

Ending Homelessness among Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care Thursday, December 16, 2010 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET Credit Hours: 1 CE(s) Too often, young people who leave foster care face housing needs upon discharge. Social workers can explore a range of housing options for youth. This webinar will provide social workers with a broad landscape of what young people aging out of foster care are facing and how they... 

Political Climate The primary season began in earnest on Tuesday, May 18 and we learned several important lessons that night.  For one, voter turnout was not particularly high, defying the expectations of many observers who believed voter anger would voice itself loudly at the first opportunity.  Second, the night clearly went better for Democrats than it did for Republicans.  The hard fought special... 

The House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education held a hearing on March 18, 2010 titled “Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization: Addressing the Needs of Diverse Students” to examine how schools can appropriately educate low-income, minority, English Language Learners, disabled, Native American, and homeless students within the context of reauthorizing ...