Caitlin Ryan. Photo courtesy of the University at Buffalo School of Social Work.

Caitlin Ryan is a member:
Obama administration report calls for end to conversion therapy
MetroWeekly (DC)
The report was welcomed by LGBT rights advocates for both its conclusions and the resources it seeks to provide to adults who interact with LGBT and questioning youth. President Obama has previously expressed support for allowing states to enact their own laws banning the practice of conversion therapy on minors. “This important new resource discusses appropriate ways to support child and adolescent development and to talk about sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression with young people and their families based on peer-reviewed research, professional guidance and best practices for care of children and adolescents,” said Dr. Caitlin Ryan, director of the Family Acceptance Project, which seeks to reduce physical and mental health risks for LGBT youth, and who helped contribute to the report.

Daniel Hartnett is a member:
A Witness at the Mexican Border
The East Hampton Star (NY)
While many people who work in the schools were enjoying their final days of summer vacation, Daniel Hartnett, a bilingual social worker at the East Hampton Middle School, spent the first days of September helping immigrant women and children detained at the United States-Mexico border. Volunteering with the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project, Mr. Hartnett conducted 13 social emotional evaluations of long-term detainees at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Tex., during the week he was there. “I wrote reports for attorneys to either use immediately or put in a file to use down the line,” Mr. Hartnett said. He had hoped to return, but received notice yesterday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had revoked his visiting privileges.

New York City Will Be Global Leader In Mental Health Fight — First Lady McCray
Black Star News
[The First Lady of New York City Chirlane McCray Spoke at the Annual Leadership Meeting for the National Association of Social Workers NYC Chapter.] “In fact, I have a bit of family news I think all of you should be the first to hear: My daughter, Chiara, has informed us that she wants to become a social worker. Needless to say, Bill and I are both very proud! This past summer, Chiara interned at a health agency to see some of the work you do firsthand, and she absolutely loved it. Every night she came home with stories about how her coworkers connected with a troubled young person or moved heaven and earth to help someone who had nowhere else to turn. Before the internship was over—she was hooked. After she graduates, her plan is to come back to New York—that’s more good news for Bill and me! And she is exploring getting her Masters in Social Work. So, one day in the not-so-distant future, she may be a proud NASW member herself.”

The writer, Marguerite Rosenthal, is a member:
Letters: Bail reform needed
The Boston Globe
As a member of the Mass Bail Fund’s Steering Committee, I participate in making decisions to provide indigent defendants bail of under $500. The money is donated by people like us who feel that the bail system is unfair and needlessly hurts the poor. Nearly all whom we’ve helped have returned to court for their hearings; we use the refunded bail money to help others.

Kara Haynes is a member:
Vermont lawmakers grapple with how to keep social workers safe in wake of shooting death
Associated Press
Kara Haynes, a senior social worker who works second shift taking telephone reports of abused and neglected children for DCF, told the committee that she had served on the labor-management panel since January and that its members had voiced concerns about safety the whole time. “When you’re trying to worry about the safety of children that you’re tasked to look after, your safety falls to the bottom of the totem pole nearly every time,” she said.