Victoria Budson, left, chairwoman of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, meets with Kimberly Flynn at the end of the Unsung Heroines Program. Photo by Ken Yuszkus of the Salem News.

The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women honored Kimberly Flynn as an Unsung Heroine for her work advocating for safer working conditions for social workers and other direct service workers, according to this article in The Salem News.

Flynn’s daughter, social worker Stephanie Moulton, was allegedly murdered in January 2011 by one of her clients, who was arrested. The client had a history of mental illness.

Flynn said she is glad the Massachusetts Senate state budget proposal calls for $100,000 in funding for an annual Stephanie Moulton Safety Symposium. The event would be attended by all social workers and direct service workers in the state and would be used to educate them about  best safety practices, policies and risk management.

“I am here to accept the award, but I’m actually here on my daughter’s behalf; she’s the unsung hero here,” Flynn said after the ceremony.

NASW’s Center for Workforce Studies and the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University at Albany did a survey that found that four out of 10 social workers face personal safety issues on the job. To learn more about that study, click here. NASW is also committed to improving social worker safety. To learn more click here. And the National Association of Social Workers Massachusetts Chapter Committee for the Study and Prevention of Violence against Social Workers created a general guideline to improve safety. To read the guide click here.

Julie de Azevedo Hanks

Some therapists are so sick of clients whining they are using tough love to get people to stop complaining and take action to solve their problems, according to this article in the Wall Street Journal.

One of the therapists the newspaper interviewed was National Association of Social Workers member Julie de Acevedo Hanks, MSW, LCSW, who runs a practice in Salt Lake City.

“A lot of whiners don’t know they whine,” Hanks said.  “I want them to ask themselves, ‘Would I want to hang out with this person?’”

Hanks encourages clients not to dwell on issues they whine about a lot, such as their mother or their ex. She has even recorded some sessions on audio so clients can hear how much they whine.

Hanks says whining often masks a deeper emotion, such as fear. For instance, a person may whine about their boss because they fear their career has stalled.

“Whining is just a powerless complaint,” she said. “Understand this and you can get to the root of what is wrong.”

Hanks was nominated for a 2012 National Association of Social Workers Media Award for best website. To visit her website click here. And to learn more about how social workers help clients overcome mental and emotional hurdles visit NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Mind and Spirit website by clicking here.

Hedda Bolgar, a subject in Laurie Schur's film, is 102 and continues to be a practicing psychoanalyst. Photo courtesy of The Beauty of Aging website.

There are already many documentaries that examine the pitfalls of aging, including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

However social worker and documentary film director and producer Laurie Schur decided to do a film that looked at the positive side of growing old.

“I was trying to talk to people who had good attitudes and were doing well in life as they aged even if they had challenges,” said Schur, 67, MSW has been a psychotherapist for more than 30 years.

Schur’s work resulted in “Greedy for Life,” a 35-minute film about Lavada Campbell, 88, and Shirley Windward, 93.

Campbell was still active in church and dance class into her 80s and bragged about maintaining a healthy sex life with her husband. Windward survived a coma and continued to maintain a relationship with her husband, who is also ailing, and enjoy hobbies such as ceramics.

Both women are engaged in creative outlets and have a network of relationships with people of all ages.

Laurie Schur

Schur, who lives in Santa Monica, Calif., is now trying to raise money to complete an hour-long film called “The  Beauty of Aging.”  That films includes the stories of Campbell, Windward and other women aged 80 and older who continue to live life to its fullest.

The oldest living woman in the project, Hedda Bolgar, is aged 102 and still practicing psychoanalyst.

Schur has done speaking engagements  using parts of the films to illustrate examples of aging well. She has presented at the Los Angeles Jewish Home for Aging, The American Society on Aging Conference, the American Association of Service Coordinators conferences, Kaiser Permanente and women’s salons.

Genetics probably contribute to only 25 to 30 percent of a person’s lifespan, Schur said. Other factors that help people live longer are their lifestyle and how engaged they are in daily activities. She said “Greedy for Life” and the excerpts from the still unfinished “The Beauty of Aging” help educate people that growing older doesn’t always have to be a bad thing.

“People say they feel less frightened about getting old,” Schur says about the reaction she gets after audiences see her films.

To learn more about Schur’s films “Greedy for Life” and the “The Beauty of Aging, click here. And to learn more about how social workers help older people and their families live more fulfilling lives visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Seniors and Aging website by clicking here.

Joe Rodriguez-Chapman (top) watches his children play with social worker John Fuher (center). Fuher helped the family get into a furnished apartment after living for months in hotels. Photo courtesy of the Grand Forks Herald.

Cheers to the Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota for this article about John Fuher, a Grand Forks Valley Middle School social worker who is dedicated to helping homeless families find permanent places to live.

Instead of just working with housing authorities to find vacant apartments Fuher emails hundreds of other school system employees to get furniture, bedding, dishes and other goods that families need to get started in their new homes.

He also enlists middle school students to collect donations.

“We filled that apartment with a Christmas tree, lights, a microwave — everything, down to the dustpan,” Fuher said of one family he helped. “We gave them absolutely everything. When we finished, the family was overwhelmed — they were crying, hugging.”

To learn more about how social workers help children and families in need visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Kids and Families website by clicking here.

Such training was previously done by the Department of Social and Health Services.

“It wasn’t that training was bad in Washington. We could just do much more,” said National Association of Social Workers member Edwina “Eddie” Uehara, who is dean of UW’s School of Social Work. “This alliance permanently brings together the experience of the Children’s Administration, the UW and Eastern Washington University. This will provide cutting-edge, competency-based, evidence-based training. There is so much at stake here.”

To learn more about the social work workforce and social work professional training and development visit the National Association of Social Workers’ Center for Workforce Studies by clicking here.

Carla Gonzalez. Photo by Joe Pier and courtesy of Facebook.

Social worker Carla Gonzalez was crowned Ms. America International in April in Anaheim, Calif., according to this press release.

Ms. American International is a special title given at the Ms. America pageant. Model, actress, and corporate spokesperson Nicole Rash was crowned Ms. America 2012.

The Ms. America pageant  is for women 26 years of age and up who are single, divorced or married. The pageant was created to, among other things, empower women across the nation, celebrate their accomplishments, and encourage involvement in community service.

Gonzalez earned her masters degree in social work from the University of Oklahoma and has been an employee of the Oklahoma Department of Health for more than 20 years.

Gonzalez is a motivational speaker and travels to schools throughout the state giving educational presentations on anti-Bullying, Internet Safety and teen dating violence.

She has served on various boards and committees, including the Single Parenting Network Organization, Human Trafficking Task Force, Oklahoma Coalition against Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault Advisory Committee and Violence against Women and Girls Subcommittee.

Charlie Sheen

Troubled actor Charlie Sheen will portray an anger management therapist  — not a social worker — in his upcoming FX series Anger Management, Lionsgate Television spokesman Leah Krantzler said.

That decision especially pleases National Association of Social Workers (NASW) member George Anderson, MSW, who was a technical adviser to the 1993 film Anger Management on which the Sheen series is loosely based.

Anderson, who lives in Los Angeles, was the first global provider of anger management training, workbooks, videos, DVDs and interactive CDs. He also is a member of the NASW Communications Network Advisory Committee, which helps educate the public about social workers and increase awareness of the profession.

“It would have made us look bad,” Anderson said about casting Sheen as a social worker.

Sheen’s problems with drugs and alcohol have been widely publicized. Those issues prompted CBS and Warner Bros. last year to remove Sheen from the popular sitcom Two and a Half Men.

Sheen has also criticized organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous and claimed he has cured himself, actions that may discourage others from seeking professional addiction counseling and treatment, said David Houke, LMSW, clinical director at Burning Tree Lodge in Elgin, TX.

Burning Tree Lodge provides services to people who have appeared on the A&E series Intervention, which follows people battling various addictions.

Anger Management will premiere June 28. Sheen will portray Charlie Goodson, a former basketball player who becomes an anger management therapist after dealing with his own anger issues.

According to news reports 10 episodes have been filmed and FX will decide whether to film 90 additional episodes based on ratings.

Last year news reports said Charlie Goodson would be a social worker who helps clients overcome anger issues. However Krantzler said in July 2011 that no decision had been made on whether Goodson would be a member of the helping profession.

George Anderson

Comments posted online and on Facebook last year indicated many social workers were upset Sheen could portray a social worker.

“Social workers deserve a respected person to tell their story,” Kevin A. Campbell posted on SocialWorkersSpeak.org.

However others were willing to give the series a chance. “Charlie Sheen is an actor. Get over it. I look forward to checking it out. Sounds funny,” Steve Carr said.

Making Sheen an anger management therapist gave the series a way to avoid opposition from social workers, Anderson said. In fact, Anderson said public outcry from social workers may have prompted Anger Management producers and writers to not make the role a social worker.

Some social workers do train to become anger management therapists but not all anger management therapists are social workers, Anderson said.

In fact, Anderson said no social work school offers anger management training although it is a fast growing field.

Social workers do help clients overcome anger issues. To learn more read an article on anger management at the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” consumer website by clicking here.

Froma Benerofe. Illustration courtesy of the Wall Street Journal.

Cheers to the Wall Street Journal for this article on National Association of Social Workers member Froma Benerofe, 69, who says her Jewish faith and Jewish ethics have enhanced her role as a social worker.

“I could connect with anybody with a spiritual background, Catholic, Muslim or anyone. I could connect with them on spiritual beliefs,” Benerofe said.

Benerofe and her husband made a $1 million gift in support of scholarships to Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work a few years ago.

Benerofe entered the social work profession later in life. Despite being a social worker for 30 years Benerofe says many people still do not appreciate the profession.

Social work students and professionals are people with a lot of integrity, she said.

Joseph "BJ" Sewells. Photo courtesy of the Tuscaloosa News.

Joseph “BJ” Sewell was paralyzed from the neck down  at age 13 when a gun a friend was playing with went off, according to this article in Alabama’s Tuscaloosa News.

Instead of feeling sorry for himself Sewell became more determined. He regained feeling in his body and was able to walk with assistance after six months.

He also realized  he needed a new career path since professional football and basketball were now out of the question. So he decided to go into social work to try to help others overcome unfavorable odds.

The once D student earned two bachelor’s degrees in social work and human development and family studies. He will now pursue a master’s degree in social work at the University of Alabama.

“In social work, one of the main things you’re supposed to do is advocate for those who can’t speak for themselves,” he said. “Being an adolescent when I was shot, I got to see a lot of kids doing a lot of things that are going to lead them down destructive paths.”

Cheers to the Tuscaloosa News for bringing us Joseph’s story.

Social workers seek equal treatment for all. To learn more visit the National Association of Social Workers’ Diversity and Equity website by clicking here. Social workers also help people living with disabilities. To learn more visit NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Disabilities website by clicking here.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at news conference to announce Medicare fraud arrests. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.

The Associated Press and other news outlets today reported federal authorities have charged 107 people in seven cities with filing fraudulent Medicare claims totaling $452 million.

This is the highest dollar amount ever recorded in any single Medicare bust, according to this AP article.

Doctors, nurses and at least one social worker have been arrested.

Some of the facilities involved in the busts provided mental healthcare, healthcare and other services to some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations in Miami, Los Angeles, Houston, Detroit, Chicago, Tampa, Fla., and Baton Rouge, La.

The National Association of Social Workers issued this statement in response to the charges:

NASW Applauds Obama Administration Efforts to

Eliminate Medicare and Medicaid Fraud

 Washington, D.C. (May 3, 2012) The National Association of Social Workers vigorously supports the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Justice Department in their efforts to eliminate Medicare and Medicaid fraud.  News reports of arrests made on Wednesday of more than 100 people in seven cities for $450 million in alleged fraudulent billing is disturbing on many levels. The Association is concerned that any social worker may be involved in these cases.  To date, one clinical social worker has been named.

The social work profession’s Code of Ethics is clear that professional social workers “should not participate in, condone, or be associated with dishonesty, fraud, or deception.” In addition, the Code prohibits social workers from taking unfair advantage of any professional relationship or exploiting others to further their personal or business interests. NASW imposes professional sanctions on social workers who engage in criminal behavior. If a social worker is found guilty of a felony their NASW membership is summarily revoked. NASW also terminates membership of social workers whose licenses have been revoked by a state social work licensing board.

Social workers are critical providers of mental health and psychotherapy services in every community. They assist millions of people by developing and implementing multi-level interventions that serve individuals, families, and communities. The illegal behavior of any professional who claims to serve people in need, but then uses those resources for personal gain, is unacceptable.

Among social workers, only those licensed at the clinical level may be approved for Medicare reimbursement of psychotherapy services.  According to recently updated figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 650,000 professionally trained social workers in the United States, including 200,000 licensed clinical social workers.  Social workers who operate or administer a practice that serves Medicaid and Medicare clients need to be fully versed in the rules for these public programs and aware of their obligations to clients as well as to the public trust.

NASW is proud that social workers in recent years have acted as whistleblowers and assisted in exposing the fraudulent schemes of employers.  NASW is confident that the current administration’s heightened enforcement efforts will help ensure that vulnerable citizens, including the elderly, HIV patients and persons with mental illness or disabilities, receive appropriate care provided by these essential government programs.

Additional Resources:

• NASW Code of Ethics
• NASW Procedures for Professional Review
• NASW Mental Health Statement

Helen Hamlin. Photo courtesy of the New York Daily News.

Cheers to the New York Daily News for including National Association of Social Workers Pioneer Helen Hamlin in this article about seniors who continue to remain active into their 80s and beyond.

Hamlin, 89, is the International Federation on Ageing’s representative to the United Nations and she sits on the board of six organizations. She also regularly visits museums, continues to travel around the world, and drives, although only during the day.

Her advice? Stay busy, take care of yourself, and press your doctors for answers you need.

“I am a very lucky lady,” said Hamlin, MSW, ACSW. “I would love to live to 115.”

Helen Hamlin continues to advocate for the rights of the elderly and women. To learn more about how social workers help the elderly and their families overcome the hurdles of growing older visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Seniors and Aging website by clicking here.

Washington D.C. Council member Tommy Wells. Wells was a social worker for the D.C. foster care system.

Two Washington D.C. council members got into a heated, profanity-laced exchange more than two months ago so the body is trying to behave more politely.

But the no-cursing truce collapsed on Tuesday during a breakfast meeting, thanks to a social worker, according to this article in the Washington Examiner. During that meeting Councilman Jack Evans questioned the need for significant spending on social services.

This angered social worker and council member Tommy Wells, who shot back, “Why do you throw that (expletive) out, Jack?”

Wells went on to defend social service spending, saying as a result there are fewer children in foster care.

Before long, other council members started cursing and insulting each other, too.

“I did hear one or two people (use) a little bit of profanity, and of course I asked them to refrain from any profanity,” Council Chairman Kwame Brown said. “It’s always heated when you have a budget and you have different opinions on how to spend money when there’s no money.”

Chris Weedy and her husband Jimmy Creech are featured in the short film, "My Marriage is Not Threatened by Gay Marriage in NC." Screenshot from film.

National Association of Social Workers member Thomas “Tab” Ballis and Andy Meyers have created a short film to protest a controversial North Carolina ballot initiative that would discriminate against gay people, according to this article on Huffington Post.

Gay marriage is already banned in North Carolina but the initiative would rewrite the state Constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman.

The film from Meyers and Ballis features Chris Weedy and her husband Jimmy Creech, a heterosexual couple who believe their marriage is not threatened by the right of gay people to marry.

Weedy, who is also a social worker, even started a Facebook page where hundreds of heterosexual couples have protested the ballot initiative.

“I consider this constitutional amendment to be a malicious act of violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, against their inherent dignity and humanity,” Creech said.

Meyers is a member of Working Films, a company that combines documentary filming with community organizing and activism. Ballis is a licensed clinical social worker and licensed clinical addictions specialist who also makes documentary films through Family Tree Productions.

Voting has already begun on the ballot initiative and a voting results will be announced on May 8.

The National Association of Social Workers North Carolina Chapter has already come out against the ballot initiative. To read more about that click here.

Social workers are dedicated to equal treatment for all, including LGBT people. To learn more visit the National Association of Social Workers’ Diversity and Equity website by clicking here.

Michael Matthews around the time he was sexually assaulted in the military. Photo courtesy of "Invisible War" documentary.

Michael Matthews suffered from depression for years and had attempted suicide five times before he went to counseling at the Veterans Administration to try to uncover the source of his turmoil.

His wife, medical and psychiatric social worker Geri Lynn Weinstein Matthews, had worked with traumatized firefighters in New York City in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. But even she was surprised by what her husband of 26 years revealed after a therapy session.

Soon after enlisting in the Air Force at age 19 Michael Matthews had been knocked unconscious by other male servicemen, raped and sodomized. And he had kept that secret for 30 years.

“I was trying to go through every scenario except for what it was,” Geri Lynn. “We sat on the bed and he cried. And I said, ‘Whatever it is you are getting help with the VA and whatever it is we will work it out.”

Geri Lynn, who is a National Association of Social Workers member, encouraged Michael to help other men who had undergone similar trauma. By networking on Facebook and in other places she was able to get an appearance for her husband in the award-winning 2012 documentary “Invisible War,” which is mostly about the rape of female soldiers.

Now the Matthews, who are from New York City but live in Albuquerque, N.M., have teamed up with filmmaker Michael Miller to make “Justice Denied,” a documentary solely about Military Sexual Trauma (MST) among male soldiers. Geri Lynn is executive producer of the project.

“I want men to find their voice,” Michael Matthews said. “That is what this movie is all about.”

Sexual assaults and rape in the Armed Services are more common than you think. In 2011 there were 19,000 reported rapes of soldiers by other soldiers, according to the Department of Defense. Less than one percent of the alleged rapists are convicted of the crime.

Geri Lynn Weinstein Matthews. Photo courtesy of Facebook.

However, what is less known is that many of these assaults are male-on-male,  said Geri Lyn, MSW, LICSW.

Many male and female soldiers who are raped keep the incidents secret in fear they will blamed for the incident. Commanding officers also decide whether a rape will be investigated, Michael Matthews said.

If a commanding officer decides a service member lied about an attack that soldier could face a court martial for perjury and get booted out of the military, he said.

“The devastation in my life was pretty severe,” he said. “I didn’t realize what was causing all my problems. I went 30 years without telling a single soul.”

The Matthews and Miller have posted an excerpt of “Justice Denied” on indiegogo.com, a website that lets organizations raise money for various causes, including documentary films. As of May 1 the film had only raised $250, well short of the $28,000 the filmmakers say they need to complete the project.

To visit their fundraising page and watch the trailer click here.

Miller said he plans to interview about half a dozen other male MST victims as well as experts in the field.

Once done Miller said he hopes the movie will educate others about this mostly hidden problem, encourage more soldiers who experienced MST to come forward and get help, and rally support around  legislation to address this issue.

For instance, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) has introduced a bill that would require the military to create a tribunal of military and civilian specialists to investigate and if needed prosecute reports of MST. The tribunal would take the decision away from commanding officers who may be biased against the victim.

To read more about Speier’s legislation click here.

“Hopefully the victim will be before a group of people and it will be more equitable and fair,” Geri Lynn said.

Social workers often help soldiers overcome mental illnesses and other challenges. To learn more visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Veterans Affairs website by clicking here.

Ashley Davis Bush

How can you manage stress? You could exercise. Or you could take expensive trips to the spa or a pricey vacation.

However, National Association of Social Workers member Ashley Davis Bush, MSW, LCSW, wrote in this blog in Huffington Post that being grateful can be the cheapest and surest way to relieve stress.

For instance Bush, a New Hampshire psychotherapist, says when you wake up in the morning lay in your bed with one hand on your upper chest and the other on your belly. Think of three things in life that make you smile. Breathe in gratitude and let it fill you, she said.

And when you do the sometimes stressful task of paying bills think of the services the bills provide, like heating and cooling for your home. And really, aren’t you happy to have a cellphone?

Q: Social workers, what inexpensive things do you do to relieve stress?

Life can be stressful but a social worker can help you cope. To learn more visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Stress Management website by clicking here.

Dan Rather

Dan Rather Reports will air a segment on adoption on HDNet on May 1 at 8  p.m. Eastern that may unfairly depict social workers.

The investigation, entitled “Adopted or Abducted,” will look at women who claim they were coerced into giving their children up for adoptions in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Social workers allegedly helped with some of these adoptions.

These women claim they were counseled not to keep their children and that adoption was the only option necessary.

“The counseling was, ‘You can’t keep your baby. You’d be selfish if you kept your baby,’” one woman in Nebraska said. “That’s what the counseling was. It was brainwashing.”

It’s likely that many people identified in this news report as “social workers” are not educated, licensed or trained social work professionals.” In fact, many states still allow misrepresentation of the social work profession despite accepted licensure laws and a nationally accredited educational system.

The National Association of Social Workers is in contact with Dan Rather Reports and plans to respond to the investigative report.

Officials from the North Carolina Psychological Association  and North Carolina Psychiatric Association also spoke out against the measure during a Tuesday press conference, the article said. Meanwhile, Carolina’s Chapter of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists’ board of directors adopted a statement opposing the amendment.

Supporters of the amendment said it would protect the state’s gay marriage ban from changes.

However, opponents said the amendment could have far ranging effects on family law. There is also no evidence  same-sex parents are less capable of raising children, opponents said.

Social workers are dedicated to equal treatment for all, including LGBT people. To learn more visit the National Association of Social Workers’ Diversity and Equity website by clicking here.

Monsieur Lazhar (actor Fellag) standing left and his class. Photo courtesy of Music Box Films.

Music Box Films invites social workers around the country to watch Monsieur Lazhar, an award-winning French Canadian film about a middle school class trying to cope with the suicide of a beloved teacher.

Substitute teacher Bachir Lazhar tries to help the class heal. However, the immigrant from Algeria is dealing with trauma of his own.

The film, which is in French with English subtitles, opened April 13 in the United States. To find out more about the film and where it is playing click here.

SocialWorkersSpeak.org talked with “Monsieur Lazhar” director Phillipe Falardeau. To read that interview click here.

State Rep. Jared C. Brossett, right, D-New Orleans, introduced legislation to allow single people to adopt. A House panel killed his bill. Photo courtesy of The Advocate.

A Louisiana House committee on Tuesday killed legislation that would have allowed unmarried partners to adopt children, according to this article in The Advocate.

Critics of the legislation said the bill would have allowed boyfriends, girlfriends and gay people to adopt. The best indication of a couple’s commitment to adoption is the fact they are married, one critic said.

However Carmen Weisner, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers Louisiana Chapter, said the state’s ban on unmarried partners  adopting children does not reflect reality.

In fact, about one out of three of Louisiana’s 1.1 million families was headed by a single parent in 2010.

Weisner said if a single person adopts a child, an adult they have a relationship with has no legal parental rights under state law. Such a situation can keep a child from having access to healthcare insurance, Social Security benefits or the right to inherit, Weisner said.

Social workers often help children find loving homes through adoption. To learn more visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care website by clicking here. Social workers are also committed to equal treatment for all, including LGBT individuals. Learn more by visiting NASW’s Diversity and Equity website by clicking here.

Foster children featured in "Ask Us Who We Are." Photo courtesy of Kingdom County Productions.

Like many people, Vermont film producer and director Bess O’Brien was aware of foster care but didn’t know much about it.

That is, until a former foster child named Kellie Coakley, 26, saw one of O’Brien’s films and telephoned her a few days later with a proposition.

“Kellie said, ‘You don’t know who I am and I don’t know what your next film will be but it would be great to do a film about foster care because we are so invisible and nobody knows our story,’” O’Brien told SocialWorkersSpeak.org.

That conversation led to O’Brien making “Ask Us Who We Are,” a 2011 documentary that lets Vermont foster children, birth parents, relatives, foster parents and others give first-hand accounts of what the system means to them.

Documentary poster.

Some of the stories from the foster children about coming from homes where they were abused or neglected are harrowing. Others talk about how disorienting it can be to be uprooted from a family they love, despite the problems, and how being in the foster care systems can be stigmatizing.

There are also stories of hope and resiliency. For instance Cindy, a mother who gave her daughter up for adoption, ended up bonding with the adoptive family who welcomed her into their lives. Their positive support has allowed Cindy to maintain a relationship with her daughter and given her the motivation to stay off drugs.

“What a wonderful example of how these things could be done if they are really done well,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien, who runs Kingdom County Productions film company with her husband Jay Craven, has shown the 75-minute film across Vermont. Her company has now developed an educational package around the film and want to show it across the United States.

She hopes the film can be used to educate social workers and others about all facets of the foster care system from the people who must deal with it at the most intimate levels.

“We didn’t want experts,” she said. “We just wanted stories coming from the people who are involved in the foster care system.”

You can watch a trailer of “Ask Us Who We Are” on Youtube by clicking here. To learn more about the film and to arrange a screening for your organization, click here. And to learn how social workers help children in foster care visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care website by clicking here.