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NASW executive director AngeloAngeloMcClain McClain is the author:
Social workers have the skills to help cure opioid crisis
The Sacramento Bee
Opioids are ravaging our nation, but the opioid crisis is just one symptom of a broader epidemic of social problems. People who live with depression or anxiety are twice as likely to struggle with substance abuse – and Americans are showing more signs of depression than they have in decades. To address our nation’s drug abuse crisis, we must address the social problems fueling it. Law enforcement alone can’t do that. Neither can the medical community.

State high court upholds post-prison rules for sex offenders
SFGate
Daniel Willick, an attorney who represented the California Psychiatric Association and the National Association of Social Workers, said the organizations believe the court went too far by requiring therapists to reveal an offender’s private information. They had argued that disclosure should be limited to whether the offender cooperated with the therapy and was making progress. “My clients are concerned that the complete waiver of confidentiality for disclosure by a therapist to a probation officer and polygraph examiner will destroy the effectiveness of the therapy,” Willick said.

“How We Ended Up Here”: How America’s Public School Crisis Started, and What Chance (and You) Are Doing to Help
Complex
Earlier this month, Chance the Rapper met with Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and challenged him to “do your job” and adequately fund Chicago’s public schools (Chance subsequently put his own money up, making a $1 million donation to Chicago schools). After the meeting, Chance challenged the media, and Complex in particular, to “give a comprehensive history of how we got here.”… There’s a strong case to be made—everywhere—that even funding every American school and every student equally would not be “adequate,” given the hurdles that poor students have to overcome, many of which are also the fruit of segregation. Commentary on the Chicago Teachers’ Union’s current four-year contract agreement, reached in October 2016, is notable for how it emphasizes teacher and student “quality of life” support as the most important union victories: the first enforceable limit on the size of classes in 20 years, $7 million earmarked to hire teachers’ assistants in kindergarten-through-second-grade classes with more than 32 students, the removal of administrative duties from counselors, clinicians and special education teachers so they can focus on students’ needs, and significant funding earmarked for after-school programs, counseling, social work, psychiatric services, and medical clinics at the neediest schools. Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Sharkey told DNAinfo that the “biggest loss” involved the limit on the number of students assigned to Chicago Public Schools social workers—right now Chicago’s ratio is five times the limit the National Association of Social Workers recommends.

Sarah Sugatt is a member:
Sandplay Therapy
seacoastonline.com (NH)
Sandplay Therapy is a hands-on form of psychological treatment for those affected by trauma and other mental health issues who are willing to play in sand with miniature objects to access profound healing. “Sandplay Therapy uses sand and miniatures to encourage exploration and play in a non-verbal way that seems to reach a very deep level of the psyche, what (psychiatrist) Carl Jung would call the archetypal level of the psyche. And in going deep, even young children find a more stable ground,” said Sarah S. Sugatt, a licensed clinical social worker who has been facilitating Sandplay Therapy for children and adults in Exeter since 1993.

 

Social Work Month & World Social Work Day:

National Social Work Month
Daily Times (Portsmouth, OH)
I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to all social workers for the amazing things they do every day. Social workers are highly educated, trained and licensed professionals who help people overcome some of life’s most difficult challenges. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) presents this year’s theme: “Social Workers Stand Up!” And the message conveys a deep understanding of what social workers do.

Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Celebrates World Social Work Day
Social Work Helper
Today is World Social Work Day, a time to honor social workers and recognize the contributions they bring to society.  As social workers play an instrumental role in the health and improved quality of life of individuals with dementia, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) is offering a special discount, throughout the month of March, on its “AFA’s Partner’s in Care: Supporting Individuals with Dementia” training DVD. “This month is an opportunity to put a spotlight on the profession as we recognize the more than 600,000 social workers across the country,” said Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr., AFA’s president and chief executive officer.

Nipissing University celebrating World Social Work Day
MyNorthBayNow (OT)
A presentation at Nipissing University on Building a Better Canada for all Children and Youth is happening today to celebrate World Social Work Day. The lecture features the Chief Executive Officer at the Child Welfare League of Canada, Gordon Phaneuf. It will explore some of the key trends and developments in Social Work in Canada.

Social Work Month Recognized
Westmoreland News (VA)
Social workers are hard to define. To help people understand social workers, the month of March has been designated National Social Work month. According to the National Association of Social Workers, these workers stand up for millions of people every day. They work with people who are experiencing illnesses and mental health issues, children and families in need. This year, Westmoreland County Public Schools, salutes the efforts of Jacquelynne Maupin, the first WMLCPS social worker.

CASA of Titus, Camp, and Morris Counties celebrates National Social Work Month
Mt. Pleasant Tribune (TX)
As part of March’s National Social Work Month celebration, CASA of Titus, Camp, and Morris Counties recognizes and appreciates those who devote their lives to bettering the lives of others. Social workers strive to build a stronger community for all people, and CASA is a proud partner in the effort to secure a brighter future for children in the foster care system. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates®) programs collaborate with the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), Child Protective Services (CPS) and other key advocates in the child welfare system to ensure that children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect are placed in safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible.

If Everyone Thought Like a Social Worker
Youth Today
As any seasoned social worker can tell you, advocacy for the disenfranchised and vulnerable populations we serve often falls short of translating to actual revolution. Our unending activism only sometimes results in the allowance of reasonable accommodations, policy changes and the promotion of social justice and equality. In this way, social work often feels like how my father claimed to walk to school as a child — uphill both ways. Yet social work exists almost solely to persist in the face of adversity, perpetuated by the resiliency of the individuals it serves. Social workers always know that our valiant efforts at advocacy may be stymied and our voices drowned in the systemic sea, but our energies continue on relentlessly.

[Video] Activists work to bring awareness to social injustice in their communities
WWLP.com (MA)
More than 750 social workers rallied on the State House steps on Tuesday, fighting for social and economic justice in their communities across Massachusetts. The state’s National Association of Social Workers chapter lobbied at the State House. They focused on immigration enforcement, birth control access and criminal justice. Activists said that many low-income residents in urban communities, like Springfield, don’t have their basic needs met. Northampston Social Worker Sara Schieffelin said, “People need to have a foundation of safety, of food, of shelter, of clothing to be able to do anything else.”

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