Social Work Advocates Magazine

Social Media Addiction and Teens

Social Media Addiction and Teens

By Maren Dale How much social media is too much for a teen? No one knows for sure, but the issue of social media addiction has many people concerned. One study, published in 2016, not only showed that 59% of parents believe their teens are addicted to their mobile...

One Year Later: Trump policies negatively impact social work

One Year Later: Trump policies negatively impact social work

By Alison Laurio, News contributor Imagine yourself leaving home to go to work every day thinking “Will this be the last time I see my house? Will this be the last time I see my family?” One young woman in her 20s has worked two jobs for the last 10 years as the main...

Opioid crisis leads to social work workforce shortage

Opioid crisis leads to social work workforce shortage

By Paul R. Pace, News staff The nation’s opioid crisis is creating a new threat in some of the hardest hit states: a social work workforce shortage in child welfare and addiction treatment. “The demand for social workers has always been high, but it is particularly...

Experts: Family violence touches all practice areas

Experts: Family violence touches all practice areas

By Alison Laurio, News contributor A 4-year-old boy was brought into a North Carolina hospital emergency room in August after his mother’s boyfriend picked him up by his legs and threw him across the room. He told his grandmother, “Mommy didn’t protect me.” Family...

Pennsylvania social worker highlights the value of father involvement

Pennsylvania social worker highlights the value of father involvement

Social worker Rufus Sylvester Lynch says one out of three children in our nation would better thrive if public policy was more inclusive of fathers’ contributions to the well-being of children. Research and studies show that children who are involved with their...

Learning to harness technology for social good

Learning to harness technology for social good

By Alison Laurio, News contributor Melanie Sage is part of a suicide special interest group that meets on Twitter, where she said “the medium helps get us out of our silos and see problems from multiple perspectives.” In 2014, Stephanie Berzin was given a Teaching...

Programs help homeless, foster LGBTQ youth

Programs help homeless, foster LGBTQ youth

By Maren Dale, News contributor Although progress continues to be made toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) equality in the U.S. — as evidenced by marriage equality and better recognition of and respect for people who identify as LGBTQ —...