Social worker counsels fellow soldiers in Afghanistan
9NEWS.com
WASHINGTON – When an Iowa man decided he wanted to serve his country he enlisted in the armed forces, but his story is a bit different. Dan Grinstead was in his 60s during his first deployment to Afghanistan. His job was to help soldiers cope during combat. A social worker for 35 years, he decided to serve his country in the way he knew best, in the area of mental health. “I just couldn’t imagine myself sitting down talking with soldiers in anything other than a uniform,” he said after signing up.

Program helps make transition from foster more successful
MiamiHerald.com
Casa Valentina now has a licensed clinical social worker and case manager on staff, and provides a host of support services to its residents, many of whom have never learned the life skills they need to live on their own. “When a new girl moves in, we help her pick out linens and hygiene products, help her get a bank account, show her how to use public transportation, take her to the grocery store,” Executive Director Chelesa Wilkerson said. “We offer incredibly intensive services.”

A Local Life: Lael Stegall, adventurer-activist who helped found Emily’s List, dies at 70
The Washington Post
At a midnight political rally at Colby in the fall of 1960, she heard then-Sen. John F. Kennedy (D-Mass.) describe his plans for a Peace Corps should he be elected president, and she vowed then and there to become part of it. After receiving a master’s degree in social work at the University of Chicago in 1964, she joined the nascent Peace Corps and served for two years in Turkey.

Improving Child Welfare Programs
Reporter-News
David Cory, education chair of the Texas Council of Child Welfare Boards, was employed for more than 20 years in Child Protective Services agencies in Abilene. He believes child protective services in Texas are underfunded.

Occupy LA to bring social workers to aid homeless
San Jose Mercury News
By CHRISTINA HOAG AP LOS ANGELES—Social workers will be visiting the Occupy Los Angeles camp this week in an effort to provide services to the influx of homeless people who have moved into the tent village surrounding City Hall.

Calming Schools With a Broader Approach to Troubled Students
New York Times
For schools in tough neighborhoods where many principals say they can barely see their teachers’ work through the fog of students’ extreme behavior, Turnaround offers a whole-child model that requires the hiring of social workers and the training of teachers in how to respond to outbursts in ways other than sending children to the principal’s office.

College offers training in counseling veterans
Chicago Tribune
By Michelle Manchir, Chicago Tribune reporter Chris Johnston, a former Marine who counsels veterans enrolled at College of DuPage, believes social workers need specialized training to help vets — especially those who return from a war zone.

Adults have the duty to report and prevent child abuse
Times Leader
In every case of child sexual abuse that I know, some adult knew something was not right long before a call was made. Step up and do what is right, send a message that you will not tolerate child abuse in your community.—Jenna Mehnert is executive director of the National Association of Social Workers — Pennsylvania Chapter.

Sex Crimes Against Boys Often Go Unreported Because of Queasiness Among Males
ABCNews
Frederic G. Reamer, a professor of social work from Rhode Island College, said that the male-dominated culture at Penn State, comparable to that of the Catholic Church, may make it harder to report these crimes.

Peter LaBarbera scapegoating gay men for the Penn State tragedy
LGBTQ Nation
To whit, there is no link between homosexuality and pedophilia. None whatsoever. And this is backed by the American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Academy of Child Psychiatrists and the Child Welfare League of America.