By Alison Laurio Will Francis, LMSW, said he “saw the writing on the wall” after new laws were implemented in Texas and took action to inform NASW Texas Chapter members about how to stay safe while doing their jobs. “Freedom of Social Work: How the First Amendment Supports Safe Spaces” — his presentation at the state conference — is an ... Read More »
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and American Psychological Association (APA) on April 18 filed an amicus brief in support of a challenge to the death penalty case of Melissa Lucio, who is scheduled to be executed in Texas on April 27 as a result of a false confession. Our amicus brief provided research on the various interrogation techniques ... Read More »
By Peter Craig If there was ever a perfect place to study immigration social work—especially in light of the ongoing influx of migrants into the U.S.—it would have to be Texas. So how are different social work schools there addressing this increasingly important subject area? Special coursework on immigration would seem a natural, but the subject is already baked into ... Read More »
The Texas Attorney General Paxton on Feb. 18 released a non-binding legal opinion, stating that, under certain circumstances, gender affirming care (GAC) procedures that are not medically necessary could “constitute child abuse.” In response, The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Texas Chapter released a statement and NASW’s national office also released a statement in support of transgender youth and their ... Read More »
BACKGROUND: Texas attorney general Paxton issued a legal opinion that said gender affirming treatment/procedures constitute child abuse. Based on that legal opinion, Texas Governor Abbott instructed DCPS to conduct CPS investigations on any of these “abusive” gender affirming procedures. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) requested a temporary restraining order (TRO) in district court to prevent Texas DCPS from conducting ... Read More »
A message from National Association of Social Workers (NASW) President Mildred “Mit” Joyner “NASW condemns Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s direction of the Department of Family and Protective Services to implement Attorney General Ken Paxton’s opinion and to actually treat age-appropriate medically necessary gender affirming treatment as child abuse. The Texas attempt to change the definition of child abuse are in ... Read More »
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) on Oct. 27, 2021 and 10 other civil rights organizations joined in an amicus brief led by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in the Whole Women’s Health v. Jackson case filed in the U.S. Supreme Court. This case involves Texas’s Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), banning abortion after six weeks ... Read More »
Alison Mohr Boleware, LMSW Government Relations Director National Association of Social Workers Texas Chapter SB 8, the “Heartbeat Bill”, goes into effect in Texas on Sept. 1, 2021. The new law allows any private citizen to sue someone for “aiding and abetting” an abortion. Aiding and abetting is laid out in chapter 7 of the Texas Penal Code, but is ... Read More »
The NASW Texas Chapter (NASW/TX) stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. We must all call out the racism embedded in our country and communities at the macro and micro level, and as we watch the protests across the country escalate, we cannot remain silent about the outcomes people of color face in America. Black Lives Matter as a modern ... Read More »
It’s Social Work Month and NASW officials are doing interviews around the nation about the important work of social workers. Watch TV interviews with NASW South Carolina President-Elect Dr. Macie Smith and NASW Texas Branch Chair Shanna Rogers and a “Manic Monday” appearance by the NASW Maryland chapter on WJZ-TV in Baltimore to promote Social Work Month and social workers ... Read More »
Social Work Blog Social work updates from NASW