Social Work in the News – March 27, 2008

News Source: Google News
Letter: Social workers help people in all stages of life
TCPalm – West Palm Beach, FL
I wonder just how many people really understand what social workers do? When I took an informal poll in our community, many people responded: “Don’t they …

Social workers play many roles in our society
Cumberland Times-News – Cumberland, MD
Social workers aim to open the doors of access and opportunity for everyone, particularly those greatest in need. The original mission of social work had …

School of Social Work alumna donates $250000 to college
LSU The Reveille – Baton Rouge, LA
While students were out enjoying spring break, the School of Social Work announced some good news – a dedicated alumna made a big donation. …

Patrick lends support to social workers
Boston Globe
By State House News Service Governor Deval Patrick today acknowledged the danger social workers face on the job, pointing to the fatal stabbing last month …

Social workers still await security
StarNewsOnline.com – Wilmington, NC
By Tyra M. Vaughn, For the past seven years, Pender County Social Services Director Reta Shiver has made the same plea: Security upgrades are needed to …

Sigmund Freud’s grand-daughter to discuss her views at lecture
Fall River Herald News – MA
By Grant Welker Sigmund Freud’s granddaughter Sophie, a writer and retired social work professor, will give a lecture at the University of Massachusetts …

Social worker says he will oppose Sally Kern in
kjrh.com – Tulsa, OK
Ron Marlett, a 59-year-old social worker, was introduced by state Democratic Party head Ivan Holmes at a news conference where Marlett said statements by …

Social Work Students Get Practical
WTOK – Meridian, MS
“This helps a lot in helping with us studying social work because it applies everything that we’ve been practicing for,” said Natisha Isaac, …

Jenee: Retired social worker discovers that being a mentor is a …
Kansas City Star – MO
“I was worried she wouldn’t like me, because I’m old, but it’sa lot like being a grandma,” says Ann, 54, a retired Kansas City social worker. …

Social Work Photo Puzzle – Add your photo!

In celebration of Social Work Month 2008, NASW has launched the Social Work Photo Puzzle!

http://www.socialworkblog.org/photoPuzzle/

Adding your photo and comment to the Social Work Photo Puzzle is a great way to show your love and support of the social work profession and to express yourself in a unique way. This photo puzzle contributes to the “digital legacy” of social work and lets the world know WHO the Social Work profession is. Social workers come from all walks of life and have varied interests. Upload a photo of you and your fellow social work students, your furry companion, or your new baby boy who is a “future social worker”. Show off the best photo from your Flickr account or share one that you’ve uploaded to your Facebook or MySpace page. Share your photo and add your unique piece to the puzzle that makes up the beautiful picture that is Social Work.

You can view the current entries on the puzzle by clicking on the “Click Here to View the Social Work Photo Puzzle” in the top left side OR “View the Puzzle” link in the top right side of the page. Once the puzzle appears, you can also click on any puzzle piece with an image to read the message related to the entry as well as a larger view of the uploaded image and the web address.

Social Work in the News – March 24, 2008

Breaking unemployment news to the kids
Southtown Star – Chicago, IL
“For children ages 5 to 10, only answer the questions as they ask them,” said Scott Costello, a licensed clinical social worker who owns Personal Solutions …

Experts reach out to struggling moms in Champaign
Urbana/Champaign News-Gazette – Champaign, IL
McDonald, a licensed clinical social worker who does private counseling, said there are many women with either postpartum depression or anxiety who would …

Social Workers Rally In Frankfort
WYMT – Hazard, KY
There’s concern in Frankfort that thousands of social workers could lose their jobs because of state budget cuts. Dozens of social workers gathered in the …

A Day In The Life Of A DCF Case Worker
CBS 4 – Miami,FL,USA
As the nation recognizes March as Social Worker Awareness Month, Florida honors the many thousands of social work professionals contributing in helping …

Peninsula senior peer program includes LGBTs
Bay Area Reporter – San Francisco, CA
Howard Lader, manager of senior peer counseling at Family Service and a licensed clinical social worker, said LGBT people may have special needs that will …

Social Work in the News: Good Morning America reports on Sandwich Generation Caring for Parents

From ABC News – http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/ElderCare/story?id=4487229

“Millions of Americans care for both children and elderly parents, and as the baby boomers age, that number will grow. A new survey shows that this balancing act is taking a bigger toll on women and their families than they might realize.

A study of social workers who work with the “sandwich generation” found that the vast majority of them are ill-prepared for the time, expense and emotional toll of caring for aging parents. What’s more, many of the caregivers don’t know how to get help… By 2020, one in five Americans will be older than 65, so this is a problem that’s not going away. The message the National Association of Social Workers is trying to get out is that there is help available.”

Press Release: SURVEY OF SOCIAL WORKERS FINDS FAMILIES ILL-PREPARED FOR TIME, EXPENSE, EMOTIONAL TOLL OF CARING FOR AGING PARENTS

EMBARGO FOR RELEASE: 12:01 a.m. March 20, 2008 Note: Caregivers and Social Workers Available for Interviews

Contacts Amber Moore, (202) 336-8277 amoore@naswdc.org Sai Pradhan, (212) 584-5000 spradhan@fenton.com

SURVEY OF SOCIAL WORKERS FINDS FAMILIES ILL-PREPARED FOR TIME, EXPENSE, EMOTIONAL TOLL OF CARING FOR AGING PARENTS

Nearly half of social workers help women clients coordinate care for their aging parents, but many women are reluctant to ask for help or don’t know where to turn.

WASHINGTON, DC – The first survey of social workers who provide services to sandwich generation women—women between the ages of 35 and 64 who are “sandwiched” by the needs of their children and their aging parents—found that this group, which typically shoulders a family’s caregiving burdens, is ill-prepared for the challenges of caring for older relatives. The services social workers provide to sandwich generation women include advising on care coordination for their aging relatives, but many women delay getting support because they are reluctant to ask for help or don’t know who could help. The survey will be released on March 20.

Commissioned by the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the report, “Not Ready for Prime Time: The Needs of Sandwich Generation Women, A National Survey of Social Workers,” explores the challenges faced by some 42 million American women who are sandwiched by the needs of their own children and their aging relatives, at a time when women are having children later and their parents are living longer. The squeeze is expected to intensify, as one in five Americans will be 65 or older within the next two decades.

“As our society’s demographics shift, older women will increasingly find themselves shouldering heavier caregiving burdens, but they don’t have to do it alone,” said Pat Volland, director of NYAM’s Social Work Leadership Institute. “Unfortunately, there are barriers to seeking help because women think they should be self-reliant and able to handle it all. And they often don’t know that health professionals like social workers can help with daily stresses. ”

In addition to the survey of social workers, 41 sandwich generation women were asked to keep a journal for two weeks about their experiences to provide anecdotal support to the social work survey. They wrote about the kinds of tasks they would like help with and they explained why they didn’t seek more support.

“What this research reveals is that many of the things social workers can help with – managing and relieving day-to-day stress and helping to navigate the maze of health and social services that their older relatives need – are precisely the things that women say would most relieve their anxiety and unhappiness,” said Dr. Elizabeth Clark, executive director of NASW.

Key Findings
Of the more than 1,400 social workers surveyed:

• The majority report that sandwich generation women (SWG) are not prepared for many aspects of their aging relatives’ care. Nearly 75% say they are least prepared to deal with the cost of their aging relatives’ care.
• Two-thirds say a majority of SWG underestimate the financial, emotional and physical toll of providing care for aging relatives.
• Almost half say they hear from SWG that they delay getting help because they feel they should be able to shoulder care-giving responsibilities on their own.
• Nearly half say they ease caregivers’ burdens by providing care management or care coordination for aging relatives. This includes making referrals to health and social services, arranging transportation and food delivery, advising on financial management and benefits, and even acting as a liaison for long-distance care.

Of the sandwich generation women who participated in the journaling project,

Social Work in the News – March 19, 2008

News Source: Google News
Social workers help those in need
Chicago Daily Herald – Chicago, IL
Throughout the year and during National Social Work Month, our social workers encourage individuals, families and communities to focus on the strengths and …

National Social Work Month celebrated in March
Hattiesburg American – Hattiesburg, MS
A social worker is knowledgeable of community resources to make sure they are acquiring the best care for the patient throughout the continuum. …

Health workers offer help to SF’s packrats
San Francisco Chronicle – CA
“It can only be dealt with by me personally,” he told Oblena, who said he’d be back in a week with social workers to help out. Oblena says Finley, like a …

Inner View: For Patty Hunter, it’s about making a difference
Enterprise-Record – Chico, CA
She moved to Chico a year later, and became a licensed clinical social worker in 1986. Hunter also has been a member of National Association of Social …

Moving beyond ‘more is better’
Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription) – Minneapolis, MN
Two nurses, a social worker and a doctor have come to visit. Her parents, Tom and Lisa Kimlinger of Fridley, are among the fortunate few parents of very …

Bill Would Reward Mental Health Workers In Military
Hartford Courant
The bill provides smaller bonuses of $5000 to $15000 a year for social workers and mental health nurses. The military has been stymied in efforts to …

When Does Discipline Begin?
Parents.com
“Setting limits is a critical part of your responsibility as a parent,” says Claire Lerner, LCSW, director of parenting resources at Zero to Three, …

Social Workers in the News – March 14, 2008

News Source: Google News

New DVD Highlights Role of Social Workers
PR Web (press release) – Ferndale, WA
(Vocus/PRWEB ) March 13, 2008 — With National Professional Social Work Month in March, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is raising the …

UNCW OKs new college to train health workers
StarNewsOnline.com – Wilmington, NC
“Right now, by 2014, we’ll be 9000 to 12000 nurses short in the state, and 4000 to 5000 short of social workers,” said Robert Tyndall, a former vice …

UTSA earns accreditation for social work program
Bizjournals.com – Charlotte, NC
The University of Texas at San Antonio’s (UTSA) College of Public Policy received accreditation for its master of social work program from the Council on …

Saving the Children
The News Journal – Wilmington, DE
When an officer responded and saw the marks on the boy’s neck, his training with the department’s Special Victims Unit of social workers kicked in. …

Tutt Withdraws From Race For Covington Commissioner
Kentucky Post – Covington, KY
Steve Tutt, MSW, LSW, Executive Director of Camelot Community Care, a non-profit mental health provider in Cincinnati, has decided not to seek a seat on the …

Social Work in the News – March 12, 2008

Guiding veterans with experience won the hard way
Boston Globe – United States
Not only is he a veteran and someone with “tremendous people skills,” but “he also has a master’s in social work,” Kezer said. …

McConnell Center News: Center celebrates National Social Work Month
Foster’s Daily Democrat – Dover,NH,USA
Social Work Month provides an opportunity for others to see the vital role that social workers have in our society. Social Workers are employed in many …

Spring in your step: Daylight-saving time helps cure winter blues
Standard Speaker – Hazleton, PA
Hazleton native Jim Durso, a licensed clinical social worker and board-certified diplomat, knows about SAD. “It generally happens with the change of the …

Carole Lutness Recieves Robbyn Pannitch Award
KHTS Radio – Santa Clarita, CA
… was awarded the Robbyn Panitich Memorial Award at the annual Department of Mental Health Professional Social Workers luncheon on Wednesday, March 5. …

Marjorie MacDonald recognized for dedication to the field of …
Cape Breton Post – Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada
The award was presented by the Nova Scotia Association of Social Workers, as part of an extension of its annual Social Worker Week, occurring each March. …

NASW Code of Ethics, Spanish Version Now Available

Codigo de Etica de la Asociación Nacional de Trabajadores Sociales

The NASW Code of Ethics is a set of standards for the professional conduct of social workers. All NASW members must affirm their commitment to abide by the Code of Ethics. It is essential for schools of social work and for in-service training for agencies. Now available in English/Spanish language.

You can order bulk orders of the NASW Code of Ethics from NASW Press.
English Version | Spanish Version

Preámbulo

La misión principal de la profesión de trabajador social es la de elevar el bienestar humano y ayudar a satisfacer las necesidades básicas humanas, con atención en particular a las necesidades y potenciación de la persona que es vulnerable, oprimida y que vive en la pobreza. Una característica histórica y que define la profesión del trabajo social es el enfoque de la profesión en el bienestar individual sobre un contexto social y en el bienestar de la sociedad. Es fundamental para el trabajo social la atención a las fuerzas del entorno que crean, contribuyen a, y solucionan los problemas de la vida…

Social Work in the News – March 5, 2008

News Source: Google News

ACLU Challenges Unlawful Strip Search Over Ibuprofen Allegation In …
ACLU (press release) – New York, NY
In addition, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and Rutherford Institute, an international nonprofit civil liberties organization, …

College with Confidence
The Star-Ledger – NJ.com – Newark, NJ
by Maureen P. Tillman, LCSW What makes transitioning to college such a great experience for some students and so overwhelming for others? …

Inspiration found in program
Daily Iberian – New Iberia, LA
BY MARY CATHARINE MARTIN March is Social Worker Month, and if anyone is looking for evidence as to the good social workers do, all they have to do is ask …

Confronting grief
Dailyrecord.com – Parsippany, NJ
Jennifer Gozlan is a licensed clinical social worker with the Hospice at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway, a nonprofit hospice that has served …

Decision time: Experts say teen should make final choice on college
Jackson Sun – Jackson, TN
Licensed clinical social worker Sarah Hamil said parents should allow their child to pick their own college. Choosing a college is already difficult and …