Children read books donated by Read Seed. Photo by Mark Dolejs of the Herald-Sun.

Cheers to the Herald-Sun newspaper in Durham, NC for this article on former social worker and sociology instructor Adelaide Banks.

Banks created the Read Seed program in 2001 to bring books to low-income children in her area.  “I found that many young children did not own books,” she said. “They were also not doing very well in school.”

Despite its meagre budget Read Seed is expected to give out 15,000 books this year, more than double the number donated in 2006.

The only issue we have is the article identified Banks as a former social worker. Many in this profession say once a social worker, always a social worker.

To learn more about how social workers help young people visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Schools and Communities Web pages by clicking here.

Richard Barth. Photo by Peter Howard.

National Association of Social Workers member Richard Barth’s research has helped lawmakers improve child welfare, according to this article in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Barth, dean and a professor of social work at the University of Maryland at Baltimore, this year earned the distinguished-achievement award from the Society for Social Work and Research.

His research helped persuade Congress to pass legislation to remove barriers that prevent parents from adopting children from another race. Barth’s work on homelessness among former foster children also influenced legislation to extend financial support to children who are not ready to leave home at 18.

Barth and his wife, who is also a social worker, adopted two children. His experiences in the child welfare system on a personal level helped shape his career and research.

“Being a client as well as a professor is both humbling and identifies areas where you realize there are major gaps,” Barth said.

To learn more about how social workers such as Richard Barth help children visit NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care Web page by clicking here.

Jourdan specializes in finding the right families to adopt children and become foster parents. She practices what she preaches. Jourdan and husband have adopted three children — 20-year-old Cynthia, Julian, aged six, and Julian’s two-year cousin Adrian.

“If you have any sort of concern or question or problem going on, and she has any way of figuring out information for you, she will go and keep hunting until she can hand you something that will help,” said Jenny Vial, a friend of Jourdan who also adopted a child.

To learn more about how social workers such as Jourdan participate in the adoption process and help foster children, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Adoptions and Foster Care Web page by clicking here.

Julie Hanks

Social worker Julie Hanks, MSW, LCSW, emailed SocialWorkersSpeak.org to let us know she is scoring impressive media hits.

Hanks, owner and clinical director of Wasatch Family Therapy in Cottonwood Heights, UT, was quoted in this E! Online article about whether Suri Cruise, four-year-old daughter of actor Tom Cruise and wife Katie Holmes, was spoiled because her parents bought her a pricey iPad.

And MSN’s “Mom’s Homeroom” tapped Hanks as an expert to talk about bullying in this article. “To often parents fail to hear their child’s painful experience because they jump quickly to try and soothe their child’s hurt feelings,” she said.

Julie, we are sure other social workers would love your advice on getting media placements!

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and Bunny Nicholson.

Cheers to Iowa’s Le Mars Daily Sentinel for this article  on social worker and Iowa native Margaret “Bunny” Nicholson, MSW.

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter recently honored Nicholson for helping abused and neglected children and advocating for child safety in Colorado and around the nation.

 Nicholson and National Association of Social Workers member Cassie Spencer, LCSW, created Nicholson & Associates in Denver in 1983 to provide training and consultation in child welfare.

“The work I have done in improving the lives of children and families and this recognition by Gov. Ritter allows all of us to celebrate the lives of children and the many people and organizations which have allowed me to help children have a better life,” Nicholson said during an April 29 award ceremony.

To learn more about how social workers such as Nicholson help consumers visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Kids & Families Web site by clicking here.

The study examined 2,500 mothers, asking them how frequently they spanked their child and how hostile their children were. The study discovered that children spanked often at age three were more likely to be more hostile at age five.

The study has ties to social work. One of the co-authors is Shawna J. Lee, assistant professor at the School of Social Work at Wayne State University.

You can find the study online by clicking here. Or you can read a Tulane University press release on the study by clicking here.

The National Association of Social Workers has said the “weight of evidence” repeatedly shows physical punishment of children is not as effective as other means of behavior management.  According to NASW policy: 

“The use of physical force against people, especially children, is antithetical to the best values of a democratic society and of the social work profession. Thus, NASW opposes the use of physical punishment in homes, schools, and all other institutions, both public and private, where children are cared for and educated.” 

Mary Larscheid. Photo courtesy of Albert Lea Tribune.

Cheers to the Albert Lea Tribune in Minnesota for this article on National Association of Social Workers member Mary Larscheid, PhD.

Larscheid was surprised when her doctoral thesis on anger among children was noticed and published by Lambert Academic Publishing. Click here to buy the book on Amazon.com.

Larscheid has been a school social worker for 15  years. She decided to study anger because it is a big issue for children.

“One of the symptoms of depression in children is anger,” she said.

To learn more about how social workers such as Larscheid help children in schools visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Schools and Communities Web page by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of momlogic.com

If you want your child to do better in math you might want to open up a savings account for them, according to recent study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work.

Children with savings accounts score on average almost nine percent higher in math that those who do not, the study said. The study was published in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues.

Click here to read the abstract.

Sue Kazmierczak. Photo courtesy of WCIA-3 News.

We thank WCIA-3 News in Illinois for their “Angels Among Us” profile of social worker Sue Kazmierczak.

Kasmierczak, who is affectionately known as “Mrs. K,” works at the Pathways School for children with behavioral problems in Rantoul. Parents, school administrators and teachers praise her for constantly researching new ways to help the children learn.

“She has gone beyond and above helping outside the school,” said Polly Hoffman, who has two children at the Pathways. “She was there for me. If it wasn’t for her I don’t think I would have made it through alot of these times.”

Unfortunately “Mrs. K” is expected to lose her job at the end of the year due to state budget cuts. She plans to look for another social work position. “”It makes me really sad because I’ve worked with these kids for three years. It’s a little frustrating. But what can you do? ” she said.

To learn more about how social workers help children visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Kids & Families” Web page by clicking here.

“Social workers are often among the first to respond to disasters both nationally and abroad,” says Elizabeth Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH, executive director of NASW. “The people of Haiti need our help now more than ever, and we are committed to providing any assistance we can to one of the world’s poorest countries during this terrible tragedy.”

To learn more about NASW’s earthquake response and how you can help click here.
Here’s a round-up of social work news related to the earthquake. Please send us more tips:

Ex-Pasco resident bringing hope to Haiti
The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA)
“(Social worker) Brittany Hilker knew from the time she was a kid growing up in Pasco that she wanted to help people in need. So after graduating last year from Eastern Washington University, the 25-year-old moved to Haiti where she found an outlet for her generous spirit — the Hope for Haiti Children’s Center.”

Not Too Soon for Mental Health Care in Port-au-Prince
Huffington Post
“Naomi Levitz, a social worker on our team, has worked closely with Mabo for several years and when we arrive, she is quickly surrounded by a swarm of joyous children.”

Quake Victims Starving
Decatur Daily
“Leslie Loyd struggled to find words to describe what she saw in Haiti two months after a devastating earthquake. ‘It looks like the Apocalypse, really,’ she said. Loyd earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Auburn in 2009 and expects to graduate next year from University of Alabama at Birmingham with a degree in international public health, focusing on long-term hunger relief and development.”

Older Adult Specialists Travel to Haiti to Provide Needed Care to Vulnerable Nursing Home Residents
Newswise
“Two months after the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, the needs of older adults in the region remain an urgent priority. Dr. Martin Gorbien, a geriatrician, and Lauren Kessler, a licensed clinical social worker, both from Rush University Medical Center, will be among the first older adult specialists to travel to Haiti to provide care at make-shift nursing homes.”

Haiti’s Excluded
The Nation
“Ruth Derilus had seen her share of tragedy. A 33-year-old iron-willed social worker trained by Haiti’s Papay Peasant Movement, she twice helped organize relief efforts when massive floods devastated the city of Gonaïves and the surrounding countryside. But nothing would prepare her for the tribulations she would face after the earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince on January 12 of this year.”

SCCPSS School Social Workers Raise Money for Red Cross
WSAV 3  TV (Savannah, Ga. and Hilton Head, SC)
“It was an enthusiastic afternoon Thursday at the Savannah-Chatham County school district’s Bull Street offices.The school social workers hosted a silent auction complete with dinners out, hotel stays, artwork and more. All of the money raised is going to the American Red Cross for the Haiti relief efforts.”

Social workers play detective to reunite families
USA Today
“Social workers and community activists in Haiti are going to orphanages, hospitals, camps and even the medical Navy ship USNS Comfort on the trail of parents of children found alone after last month’s devastating earthquake.”

Annette Vander Ploeg: We were first responders to Haiti’s earthquake
Democracy for New Hampshire
“I, a clinical social worker by profession, assisted the nurse practitioners in numerous ways, scribing, blood pressure, weighing. Not speaking Kreole, communication was through eyes and touch and a few French words. The poverty and hard lives of these people were staggering. Their kindness and strong spirit were inspiring.”

Helping Haiti Heal
Student Life: Washington University in St. Louis
“While in Haiti conducting research, Washington University Assistant Professor of Social Work Lora Iannotti was caught in the earthquake that left an estimated 200,000 people dead…”

Local nonprofit strives to nourish infants of Haiti
The St. Louis American
“Two days before the Jan. 12 earthquake killed more than 200,000 people, Lora Iannotti, Ph.D., nutrition and public health expert from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University, traveled to Port-au-Prince and Leogane, Haiti, to collaborate with Meds and Food for Kids on research regarding undernutrition and disease prevention in young children.”

Agency needs caseworkers who speak Creole
The Tampa Tribune
“Do you speak Creole? Have a background in social work? If so, Lutheran Services Florida desperately needs you – as either an employee or a volunteer.”

Bringing Hope, and Help, to a Battered Land
The Boston College Chronicle
“Alison Quinn, a student in the Graduate School of Social Work and Connell School of Nursing joint degree program, is preparing to put her skills to work in a place where they are sorely needed. On Feb. 21, she will head off to Haiti with Circle of Hope www.circleofhopeonline.org, an organization of doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses and medical staff that regularly goes to Leogane, a city outside of Port au Prince.”

Professor tells story of traveling with Haitian Orphans
The Pitt News
“Edward Sites, a professor in Pitt’s School of Social Work (and National Association of Social Workers member), was growing weary. He had not eaten or slept since departing from Pittsburgh hours ago. His energy faded as he unloaded and arranged medical supplies for nearly five hours. He was waiting for politicians to convince the Haitian government to allow Americans Jamie and Ali McMutrie and their colleagues to take 54 orphans into the United States.”

Local efforts spur more Haiti relief
Traverse City Record-Eagle (Michigan)
“A Haiti benefit concert is scheduled for Feb. 17 at Kilkenny’s. The concert is sponsored by Phi Alpha, a social work honors society student group through Ferris State University, and Kilkenny’s Irish Pub.”

Social worker helps relief staff handle the emotional trauma of Haiti
The Baltimore Sun
“Contino, a clinical social worker, was dispatched to Haiti to address the emotional trauma of the Baltimore-based (Catholic Relief Agency’s) large staff, which includes 300 Haitians and a core group of expatriates.”

In Disaster, Tensions Ease Between an Island’s Rivals
New York Times
“Like almost anyone from Hispaniola, the island uncomfortably shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Paloma Rivera is acutely aware that the two nations distrust each other, complain about each other and cite grievances about each other going back well over a century. Yet here she was, a Dominican, clearing garbage and digging latrines in a slum in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, to help survivors of the earthquake find a place to pitch their tents.’Maybe this earthquake, even with its tragedies, can do some good by making us a little less distant from each other,’ said Ms. Rivera, 24, a social worker who joined thousands of other Dominicans in loading emergency food and medicine into their vehicles and driving here.”

Dunlap native aids Haiti
PJStar.com (Illinois)
“When Dunlap resident Kelly Scott joined Meds and Food for Kids as an intern, she did not expect her first project to be Haiti’s post-earthquake relief efforts. Scott is pursuing a dual master’s degree in business administration and social work at Washington University in St. Louis.”

Area Students Pitch In for Haiti
Louisburg Herald (Kansas)
“The student council at Louisburg High School is collecting money this week to be donated, and Sara McIntire, social worker at BES and Rockville Elementary School, came up with a plan of her own. Working through Heart to Heart International, a non-profit organization based in Olathe, McIntire is collecting care kits to be sent to Haiti. Families construct the kits themselves and package them in a one-gallon plastic storage bag, along with $1 for shipping.”

In Miami’s Little Haiti, nothing to do but work, wait, hope, pray
Los Angeles Times
“At the Haitian Relief Information Center hastily set up in the heart of Little Haiti, county social worker Shirley Sieger was, in theory, there to help …”

Local woman worries over Haitian friends as aid efforts take form
Las Cruces Sun-News
“… are in Port-au-Prince,” said Burke, who works at the Gospel Rescue Mission in Las Cruces and recently earned her master’s degree in social work. …”

Mass. student on trip to Haiti
Nashua Telegraph
“The Telegram & Gazette of Worcester reports that Gengel is a 19-year-old sophomore majoring in social work. Comments from unverified accounts will be …”

Haitian Orphans Expected Tonight in Pittsburgh
Philly.com
“A plane carrying a medical team left Pittsburgh for Haiti today, and it is expected to return tonight with a group of orphans from a facility run by two sisters from western Pennsylvania…The flight also includes Ed Sites, of the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, along with a pediatric nurse and a physician assistant from Excela Health Systems based in Westmoreland County.”

Haiti Relief effort group shifts into high gear
New Haven Register
“Mary Lou Ryder-Larkin, who works full-time in the pediatric emergency department of Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx section of New York, is medical director of Haiti Marycare, a group that since 1994 has delivered medical, educational and humanitarian relief to the poorest people of Haiti. The group was founded in 1994 by New Haven resident Sherman Cassidy Malone…These days, Malone, a licensed clinical social worker with a specialty in post-traumatic stress disorders and clinical director of the New Haven Family Alliance, is quick to answer the telephone in hopes of news, but often the connection disappears.”

Elation turns to anxiety for one Mass. family
Boston.com
“A Rutland couple’s relief and celebration that their daughter had been located alive in Haiti turned to shock and disbelief last night when they learned that a mistake had been made and she was still missing…Britney Gengel is studying social work, relatives said.”

Haiti Children Orphaned After Quake
WAAYTV.com
“Social workers say Haiti has always had a large number of children needing to be adopted, but after last week’s earthquake the number of orphaned children has surged.”

Quake’s tremors felt close to home
The Boston Globe
“It was an amazing thing for them to do, to embrace us like this,’’ said Exilhomme, a 33-year-old social worker who is president of A Better Tomorrow International Charities Inc., a social service agency for the Boston-area Haitian Community.

Haiti Orphan Adoption: Ensuring a Successful Transition
PR Web
“Haiti adoption interest has spiked after the disastrous earthquake and aftershocks in Haiti. In response to the crisis, you are invited to listen in on this discussion regarding the orphans being adopted out of this country. Heather T. Forbes, LCSW and Dr. Ronald Federici discuss the dynamics in transitioning these children from disaster to safety and security.”

Photo of Haitian earthquake refugees courtesy of CNN.

Photo courtesy of the Washington Examiner.

Jeers to the Washington Examiner for running “Smacking your kid is good for him,” an article that disses the credibility of social workers.

The article cites a recent study from Michigan’s Calvin College, a Christian liberal arts institution, that says children who received corporal punishment performed better in school and were more likely to go to college and do volunteer work. 

Writer Thomas McAdam then goes on to say Dr. Benjamin Spock, psychologists and social workers in the last half of the 20th century unwisely advised parents to stop using corporal punishment altogether. He said these groups made that  recommendation without “valid scientific research.”

That is wrong. According to the National Association of Social Workers the “weight of evidence” has repeatedly shown physical punishment of children is not as effective as other means of behavior management. 

According to NASW policy: 

“The use of physical force against people, especially children, is antithetical to the best values of a democratic society and of the social work profession. Thus, NASW opposes the use of physical punishment in homes, schools, and all other institutions, both public and private, where children are cared for and educated.” 

Lauren Shapiro, director of Brooklyn Family Defense Project.

Cheers to WYNC Radio in New York City for their story on the Brooklyn Family Defense Project, a team of social workers and lawyers who help parents accused of neglect and abuse regain custody of their children.

Many news articles focus on the role of social workers in removing children from homes. This one highlights the often unnoticed role of social workers in reuniting families and strengthening them.

For more on how social workers help families, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Kids & Families Web page.

Mark Nester and singer Kristin Kribs. Photo by Christie Bleck.

Cheers to the Lansing Journal for this article on social worker Mark Nester. Nester, who works for Waverly Community Schools in Michigan’s Delta Township,  recorded a CD of songs that teach children lessons on manners, managing friends and other social skills.

Nester took two years to record a CD, which includes the songs “The Problem Solving Song,” “Children, Like A Garden” and “Differences.” The CD is sold locally.

“They’re designed to help kids, parents and teachers think out some of our difficult moments,” Nester said.

Tareese and Tyree Seabrooks. Photo by Sharon McCaffrey.

We like this New York Times article by Sharon McCaffrey about a  New Jersey program that helps children build emotional and social skills. McCaffrey, who is training to be a social worker, is raising money for the Family Connection PrePARE iniative. She talked to Tareese Seabrooks, a mother  who said the program helped her bond more with her son Tyree after her newborn infant and mother died.

To find out more about how social workers help families thrive or deal with grief visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Kids and Families Web page and Grief and Loss Web page.

Susan Parish

The recession  is adding a greater financial burden to some of our nation’s most vulnerable families — those with disabled children.

More than a quarter of low-income families are spending three percent of their total household income on their disabled children’s health care needs, according to a study from social work researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. Read the full story here.

That adds up to about $1,200 a year for a family of four living at the federal poverty level, said Susan Parish, Ph.D., an associate professor at the UNC School of Social Work and lead study investigator. That may not sound like much, but is a big expense for poorer families, she said.

“The current recession makes the situation for families much worse,” said Parish, who is a member of the National Association of Social Workers. ” We must consider what families are forgoing if they are spending such a high proportion of their income on their children.”

Some may be struggling to pay for housing and food, researchers said.

To find out how social workers help people with disabilities visit the NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Disabilities Web page.

Cheers to The State newspaper in South Carolina for its profile of Alma Puente-Ruiz, a social worker who created a program to help immigrants from Latin America and other parts of the world navigate American culture. The article demonstrates how life-changing social work can be. Puente-Ruiz, who immigrated from Mexico, started the program after she noticed local immigrant women and children were mired in poverty and living in run-down trailers.

“I concentrate on how I can help them and get their kids out of these places,” she said. “I don’t discuss politics. I don’t discuss their legal issues.”

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com.

Books often get turned into movies. For instance “Precious,” the much-talked-about  film that features singer Mariah Carey’s as a  social worker, is based on the book “Push” by Sapphire.

Social workers should also pay attention to “As God Commands,” an Italian novel by best-selling author Niccolo Ammaniti. Like “Push,” the book features a social worker.

The novel sold well in Europe and an English version is now available. But from what we read the book may warrant a jeer. The novel’s social worker Beppe Trecca apparently follows the stereotype that social workers come to break up homes and can be easily fooled.

 ”As God Commands” is about Rino Zena, an unemployed, alcoholic skinhead raising 13-year-old son Cristiano. Zeno and Cristiano go to great lengths to convince Trecca their household is not dysfunctional, rushing to clean house and bake bread before visits.

Check out the book and let us know what you think. If we’re wrong we’ll move this entry from a Jeer to a Cheer.

Lynn Hardesty. Photo courtesy of Gazette newspaper.

Cheers to the Maryland Gazette  for a touching article on NASW member Lynn Hardesty MSW, who was honored for her dedication to young cancer patients at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Hardesty was one of two nominees recognized at a 2009 Festival of Heroes benefit event. That event raised $250,000 to help expand cancer programs at the hospital.

“I’ve often felt you see the best of people around here. And it’s not only from the kids, it’s from everybody,” Hardesty said.

For more information about the work social workers do in hospitals and other health care settings, click here to visit the National Association of Social Workers’ Health Web site or go to the NASW “Help Starts Here” Health and Wellness section by clicking here.

Ann Blythe, left, played the ultimate spoiled teenager Veda in the 1945 film "Mildred Pierce" opposite Joan Crawford.

Cheers to the Associated Press for interviewing Connecticut social worker Lisa Butler in its article  on how to handle spoiled, ungrateful teenagers. Butler reportedly launched a Facebook page, UTIMH (Ungrateful Teenager In My House)  to let parents vent. Social Workers Speak! couldn’t find the page but if you do let us know so we can put the link here!

And to find out more about how National Association of Social Workers members help parents go to our Children and Families Web page.

Q: As a social worker, are you seeing more clients who overindulge their children? What are the social ramifications of spoiling children and what are your suggestions to solve this issue? And are TV shows like MTV’s “Cribs” and “My Super Sweet 16″ sending the wrong message teens?

Victoria Johannes, courtesy of the St. Cloud Times.

Kudos to the St. Cloud Times for its story on an innovative approach social workers in some Minnesota counties are using to keep children in homes. Instead of removing mistreated children from homes, social workers develop a plan with the family to keep their offspring safe. Social workers also recruit a network of relatives, friends, neighbors and acquaintances to support the families and ensure they are following the plan.

“We’re seeing that by involving parents and their extended support early in the case that we’re able to allow the family to make the important ongoing decisions for the kids, rather than having judges make decisions for the kids.” — Social Service Supervisor Victoria Johannes

Q: Should social service departments in other parts of the country adopt a similar strategy to reduce the number of children placed in foster care? Please leave your comments below.