With regard to the recently posted “eugenics” stories (see example below), please see this Nov. 2011 NASW statement about social work and eugenics:
Social Work and Eugenics
NASW Blogs
“It is essential that social workers and others educate themselves about this history to understand where modern discussions of genetic testing and other advanced technologies might lead.”— Dr. Jeane Anastas, NASW President.

Thousands Sterilized, a State Weighs Restitution
New York Times
A social worker wrote that he and his parents were of “rather low mentality.” Mr. Holt was sent to a state home for people with mental and emotional problems. In 1968, when he was ready to get out and start life as an adult, the Eugenics Board of North Carolina ruled that he should first have a vasectomy.

Judge: Social Workers Could’ve Saved Boy Who Starved To Death
KMGH Denver
DENVER — The wrongful-death lawsuit against two social workers involved in Chandler Grafner’s case will go forward. A judge this week dismissed the defendants’ request to dismiss the case. The 7-year-old weighed only 31 pounds when he died of dehydration and starvation in 2007, the Denver coroner said.

Denver agency defends 2 social workers sued over 7-year-old boy’s starvation death
The Republic
DENVER — The Denver Department of Human Services is defending two social workers who are being sued over the death of a 7-year-old boy who starved to death, rejecting accusations they could have prevented the boy’s death.

Social worker escapes attacker during Northland home visit
Kansas City Star
Teri Zenner, a Johnson County social worker, was killed in 2004 while visiting a client at his home. Her widower helped push Kansas to require safety training for all new social workers, and her employer, the Johnson County Mental Health Center, adopted several strategies to improve worker safety.

States Hungry for Revenue Leave Billions in U.S. Food Assistance on Table
Bloomberg
By Jennifer Oldham – Thu Dec 08 05:01:00 GMT 2011 Kethia Dorelus, left, a social worker with the Cooperative Feeding Program talks with Cordahlia Ammons, a food stamps recipient, as she tries to sign up her son, Zach Ammons, for the program in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Majority of jailed women face mental issues
PhysOrg.com
“You could tell she didn’t need to be in jail, but she kept getting picked up,” said DeHart, a professor in USC’s College of Social Work. “The jails are overburdened and they aren’t equipped to handle people with mental illness.

Degree offers chance to help others
Weatherford Democrat
In its fourth year at the college, the program focuses on the fields of social work, human services and substance abuse, and it has seen a continuous increase in participants each year since its inception. “The total number of students in the first year was probably around 10 or 11,” Joe Reed, instructor and program director, said. “From there, we grew a little each year and now, in our fourth year, we have around 38 students.”

Dan Haugen: ‘My Passion For The Community Is What Drives Me’
Patch.com
By Caitlin Burgess “I had a real affinity for the underdog, a real passion for doing something meaningful on behalf of people that needed support,” Dan Haugen recalled as he told Richfield Patch how he made the choice to study social work.

Social Work Students Spearhead Donation Drive To Help Aging Foster Kids
NBC Montana
University of Montana social work students are spearheading a donation drive to help foster kids when they move out on their own. They’re collecting everything from bedsheets to coffee pots and toasters. Unless they’re still in high school, state financial care ends when foster kids turn 18. Seventy young men and women will leave the system in Montana this year.

Current crop of California college grads can’t find jobs they want
Sacramento Bee
So does Janlee Wong, director of the California Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Social workers, like teachers, were hit hard by government budget cuts.

Three women jointly receive Nobel Peace Prize
CNN
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Leymah Gbowee, a social worker and peace campaigner from the same country, shared the prize with Tawakkul Karman, an activist and journalist who this year played a key opposition role in Yemen.

Packet Thank You Letters for Dec. 12
Hilton Head Island Packet
I am writing to sing the praises for John Smith, the social worker at Hilton Head Island High School. Smith has helped numerous teens and families throughout their high school years, but he has been especially supportive since the latest car accident.