Haitian children. Photo courtesy of the Andora Project.

Cheers to PBS for this article and TV segment on Rachel Pierre, a Haitian-born social worker who was educated in the United States but decided to set up an organization to help children in her native country.

Haiti has no child welfare system and unattached children are at risk of being sent abroad by child traffickers.

Some Haitian parents who cannot provide for their offspring also send their children to other families where they do light housework in exchange for an education.

However some children in these “restavek” arrangements end up abused or neglected by host families.

The Haitian earthquake a year ago prompted Pierre to make her program a reality. She quit her child welfare job with Washington, D.C. and founded the Andora Project, an organization that uses collaborations and programs to build a social work system in Haiti.

The U.S. State Department has already used Andora Project recommendations in its human trafficking report.

To learn more about how social workers get involved in international affairs visit the National Association of Social Workers’ International Social Work web site by clicking here.And to learn how social workers help vulnerable children visit NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Kids and Families web site by clicking here.

Nancy Miller. Screenshot courtesy of NY1.

Cheers to NY1, a 24-hour New York City news program, for this news segment and online article on the city’s first senior citizen center for the blind and visually impaired.

The center in Chelsea, which is run by VISIONS, offers equipment and services specifically for this population, including computers with braille keyboards.

Nancy Miller, secretary of the National Association of Social Workers New York City’s board, said she hopes eventually all senior citizens will have equipment and services to handle elderly people who live with disabilities.

“Our hope is 25 years from now, we will have this center, but blind seniors will be able to go to all the centers in the city because those centers will be universally accessible, regardless of what the disability is,” said Miller, who is CEO and executive director of VISIONS.

The city also plans to open a senior center for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in February.

To learn more about how social workers help the elderly visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Seniors and Aging Website by clicking here.

Experts estimate there are 14,000 homeless people in the Garden State, up from 13,000 in 2009.

To learn more about the services social workers provide clients from all walks of life, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Website by clicking here.

Brewer has already recommended adding more investigators and training and overhauling the hot line for abuse complaints. She has also proposed increasing the CPS budget by $3.7 million.

Johns Hopkins University and the University of Minnesota are helping the agency create the screening tool.

Ten to 20 percent of the nation’s children are exposed to domestic violence, according to researchers. Information social workers gather through the questionnaire could be used in court to help judges decide whether families need counseling or other treatment.

“There is no specific protocol, and particularly for the really young kids, on how you assess the level of domestic violence,” said Kathleen King, a supervisor with Child Protective Services. “Social workers now get bits and pieces of that information, but it’s not all pulled together.”

Social workers help young people overcome life’s hurdles. To learn more visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Kids & Families Website by clicking here.

"Gen Silent" follow the problems faced by aging LGBT people as they seek care. Photo courtesy of official Website.

Lawrence Johnson cared for his ailing partner Alexandre Rheume for years but the burden became too much.

Still the decision to put Rheume in a nursing home after the interracial couple had lived together for 38 years was heartbreaking for Johnson, who worried his partner would get inferior care because he is gay.

In fact, the staff at some facilities had made Johnson feel uncomfortable when he held Rheume’s hand or fed him. 

“It’s bad enough that you have to put someone in a nursing home,” said Johnson, who in his early 60s is more than 20 years younger than Rheume. “Then to compound the fact there may be prejudices, and the person going into the nursing home might not be treated as well — not in overt ways, but all these subtle things that let you know you’re not wanted.”

Documentary producer and director Stu Maddox and his team looked at the plight of aging LGBT people in their film, “Gen Silent.” The film follows a year in the life of Johnson, Rheume and other aging LGBT people in the Boston area.

Some had been active in the gay community for years but decided to go back into the closet in old age to avoid discrimination or bullying from caregivers or other nursing home residents.

Stu Maddox

Maddox, whose work has appeared on Showtime, BBC and The Learning Channel, said social workers were some of the first to be aware of this dilemma. In fact, “Gen Silent” won the Audience Choice Award at the Council on Social Work Education Gero-Ed Film Festival in 2010 (to read more about that click here).

“We feel like social workers are not only catching up to this but can also make the change for the better, probably more than any other group,” Maddox said.

WATCH “GEN SILENT” THIS WEEKEND!

The makers of “Gen Silent” are offering a special promotion to allow social workers to watch the film for free online this weekend. To learn more click here. You can also learn more about the film and get information on arranging private viewings by visiting the official Website by clicking here.

Social workers are committed to equal treatment for all, including LGBT individuals. To learn more visit the National Association of Social Workers’ Diversity & Equity Website by clicking here. And to find out more about how social workers help the elderly, visit NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Seniors and Aging Website by clicking here.

Although most work behind the scenes with little recognition, professional social workers are increasingly showcased in the media with the help of reporters, columnists, bloggers and television producers, film and documentary writers and directors.

This year NASW wants to recognize media professionals who help raise awareness about social work services in communities and critical social issues.

NASW invites you to nominate newspaper articles, newspaper columns, magazine stories, websites, blogs, radio segments, television news programs, network and cable TV shows, commercial films and documentaries that you think best portrayed the social work profession in 2011.

Nominations will be accepted online from January 1 – 31, 2012. NASW members will be asked to vote on the finalists during Social Work Month in March.

Submit as many separate entries as you wish. The winners of the 2012 NASW Media Awards will be announced in April.

If you have questions about nominations or voting please contact Greg Wright at gwright@naswdc.org.  Thanks for your support!

TO MAKE NOMINATIONS CLICK HERE!

Graham Danzer

There are many stereotypes about girls who grow up in the inner city.

However social worker Graham Danzer broke through these misconceptions when he began working with young women from the inner city. He found the girls had feelings and experiences that could give valuable lessons to other social workers, policymakers and the general public.

So Danzer decided to write “My Girls: A Story of Survival and Togetherness in the Inner City,” which is available on NASW Press (click here to learn more).

SocialWorkersSpeak.org talked to Danzer about the book:

Q: Why did you decide to become a social worker and where did you study?

Danzer: I became a social worker because I wanted to influence social policy. I received my masters degree in social work San Francisco State University, completed a three-year doctoral level certificate program in clinical social work at The Sanville Institute, and am currently pursuing a PsyD through California School for Professional Psychology – Alliant University.

Q: How did you come to work with inner city youth, particularly the group of young women in “My Girls”?

Danzer: I came to work with inner city youth through my experience of being one. When I was the same age as the girls who are the subject of my book, I got into some trouble and was involuntarily referred to a couple of different community-based programs not far from where the girls grew up. One program I was in was a non-public school in which there was strict discipline and coordination with juvenile justice providers. I resented the stricter boundaries and direction, though I graduated from that school, transferred back into a public school, received B’s, got into sports, and dated a cheerleader at a private school. In short, that program threw me a life raft, and that life raft showed me that change is possible. After being accepted to social work school some years later, I interviewed for an internship that was not far from where I grew up and I was thrilled to have the chance to give back to a community so close to home and close to the heart. I remember there being a lot of young women, like the girls in the story, who were loud, energetic, defensive, and sometimes chaotic, though only to mask and externalize dying on the inside; which I got to know in my own adolescence by talking to girls who were going through it. I particularly felt this intuition about the young African-American women I knew when I was a teenager. I guess you could say this lead to the development of a soft spot for them. 

Q: What prompted you to write the book?

Danzer: What inspired me to write this book was my experience of bearing witness to what the girls in the story were up against. I found the totality of their suffering to be overwhelming and their stories to be moving. In the end, I just needed to tell someone.

Q: What is it that you came to admire most about the young women in the book? Do you think some of them have good futures despite the hardships they face?

Danzer: What I admired the most about the girls was that they each had their own individual way of keeping their heads up through dark times. They had every excuse to complain and play the victim and yet didn’t. In a way, they could be role models for us all.

Book Cover

Q: What do you hope this book will teach other social workers and policymakers?

 Danzer: The main thing I hope to inform social workers and policymakers about is that, in my experience, these girls suffer immensely and are at-risk for having major problems down the road, including substance abuse, school failure, and criminal justice involvement. These are problems that will affect at-risk teenagers as individuals and are also problems that the larger society will have to deal with, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. My hope was that the girls’ stories would raise awareness of what is really happening in their lives and what little we can do to help that may go a long way. In essence, many hardened teenagers survive by depending on themselves and each other and it will take a lot of persistence and reassurance for them to trust us enough to let us in. My experience was that this happened to a degree with me and the girls, though I had to be very persistent, visible, and involved in the surrounding community. Ultimately, we in the helping professions will need to find the resolve to go get them, particularly the girls that are the hardest to reach. 

Q: Is this a book the general public would enjoy reading and learn from?

Danzer: The public would appreciate the straightforward, raw emotion and action of this story. There is no rhetoric, no happy ending, no censorship – just the truth. My hope is that my readers will feel this inside when they read and get a little sense of what these girls are up against and maybe even consider responding a little more gently and sensitively to young and suffering African American women in the future. In particular, I have attempted to show that their acting out behavior may suggest that we find a way to take care of them as if they are physically sick rather than scolding them as if they are choosing to behave badly. As demonstrated in the text, this did not lead to a happy ending as is typical in big screen movies. However, competent adult responses to children’s behavior may leave at-risk girls with a positive experience of mental health professionals, which may help them be open to intervention in the future when they might be in need of more help. Furthermore, this positive experience is likely to be shared with their peers and others in the community, as will help social policy and reconstruction efforts operate within the community rather than as outsiders.

NASW Press offers a variety of publications of interest to social workers, including books, journals, brochures and NASW News. To learn more click here. And to find out more about how social workers such as Danzer help young people overcome life’s hurdles visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Kids & Families Website by clicking here.

Call Richmond and sister Rebecca Schaper. Photo courtesy of "A Sister's Call" Website.

Call Richmond disappeared in 1977 and his sister Rebecca Schaper did not hear from him for 20 years. Then Call suddenly reappeared, homeless and suffering from severe paranoid schizophrenia.

Schaper’s husband Jim and two daughters were at first hesitant to let this gray bearded, scruffy, bear of a man even visit their Atlanta home, afraid his mental illness could drive him to violence.

But Schaper decided to do everything she could to get Call on the path to recovery. Their journey is recorded in her soon-to-be-released documentary “A Sister’s Call.”

Schaper, 57, a photographer, learned to use a digital camcorder so she could record her interactions with Call, 60, who lived a few hours away in Greenville, S.C.

The film is brutally honest, never sugarcoating the sexual abuse, suicide and mental illness that plagued the seemingly idyllic middle class Greenville home where Call and Rebecca grew up in the 1960s and 70s.

The film is a rollercoaster ride. Up until the last minute viewers are left wondering whether Call will find balance in his life or sink deeper into mental illness.

“I can’t explain it,” Schaper said. “I had this overwhelming feeling that I needed to do a documentary. It was a leap of faith. And Call feels like this film is his purpose, too.”

The film shows the travails people who have mental illness and their caregivers experience. Call had problems finding the right mix of medications as well as housing. At one point in the film Schaper’s daughters questioned why she was giving so much attention to her brother and not immediate family.

“I was really hurt,”Schaper said. “But how can you turn away from a brother or sister who needs help? How can you turn your back?”

The film also demonstrates the help social workers provide. At one point a frustrated and almost burned out Schaper turns to a social worker named Cathy to help her and Call navigate the social service system so he could get the help he needed.

In "A Sister's Call" Call Richmond had trouble finding the right mix of medication to control his mental illness. Photo courtesy of "A Sister's Call" Website.

Other social workers and caseworkers who were not filmed were also helpful, Schaper said. In fact, Schaper said social workers are able to arrange the best care possible when they work as a team with people with mental illnesses, their family or caregivers.

“There were a couple of them — they were great,” Schaper said. “I’m telling you they were a godsend.”

Schaper and her production team plan to finalize “A Sisters Call” before Christmas. They have submitted the film to more than 60 film festivals around the country and also are trying to get as many community screenings as possible.

Schaper hopes the film will prompt the public to become more open about mental illness.

“People who have issues in their family and are open and want to learn more will gravitate to this film,” she said. “I wanted to help stop the stigma. Fear is the lack of knowledge.”

To learn more about Schaper’s film visit the official Website of “A Sister’s Call” by clicking here. And to learn how social workers help people struggling with mental illness visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts here” Mind and Spirit Website by clicking here.

Richard Dawahare

Cheers to Kentucky attorney Richard Dawahare for urging the state to hire more social workers in his column in the Lexington Courier-Journal.

Dawahare said part of the reason Kentucky has an absymal child fatality rate is that social workers have caseloads almost twice the recommended federal standard of 18 to 20 per worker. Dawahare said there is no way overstressed workers can protect all the children in their care.

“Social workers are Kentucky’s front line soldiers in the war against child abuse and neglect,” he wrote. “The vast majority of them are tireless servants to their calling.”

Dawahare’s column comes at a time when social workers are not getting good press in the state.

A judge recently ruled that caseworkers failed to properly protect Amythz Dye, a 9-year-old who was beaten to death by her 18-year-old adopted brother. However, news headlines mistakenly said the caseworkers were trained and licensed social workers.

Gov. Steve Beshear also ordered the release of records of children who were killed or almost killed due to abuse or neglect, an action that has raised concern among social workers.

To learn more about how social workers protect children visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Kids & Families Website by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Bee Media.

Contrary to popular belief, suicide is a problem that can occur even among elementary school-aged children, according to a new Temple University study.

University researchers surveyed more than 400 school social workers. Researchers found most suicide threats, hospitalizations, attempts and deaths happen among high school students.

However, the problem is also very apparent in elementary schools.

Forty percent of social workers in elementary schools said they had known of a suicide attempt that resulted in a hospitalization while seven percent said the suicidal child died.

“What’s true is that adolescents are more likely to make attempts, but kids at the elementary school level are making suicide attempts, and some of them are being hospitalized for suicidal behavior,” National Association of Social Workers and Temple University assistant social work professor Jonathan Singer said.

You can read a news report about the study on the WHYY Website by clicking here.

Singer developed a Website with the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program that he hopes will be a virtual support community for people who have been affected by suicide. To learn more click here. And to find out how social workers try to prevent suicide visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Suicide Prevention Website by clicking here.

Candace Wicks and her donated automobile. Photo courtesy of the Northfield News.

Cheers to the Northfield News in Minnesota for this article about a car donation program that helps needy people regain independence. 

Sharon Vangsness, a social worker for the Community Action Center of Northfield’s Community Action Auto Recycling program, is involved in the initiative. Vangsness is also a National Association of Social Workers member.

One of the people Vangsness helped is Candace Wicks, 25,who had developed back problems from her job unloading trucks. Vangsness arranged for Wicks to get a donated 1991 black Chevrolet Cavalier. That car has allowed Wicks to travel outside of town to take less strenuous work and get to physical therapy appointments.

“She was there,” Wicks said of Vangsness.

To learn more about how social wokers help people from all walks of life visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” consumer Website by clicking here.

Many of these women were poor and frequently they were minorities. The news reports also mentioned the involvement of social workers in these activities.

National Association of Social Workers President Jeane Anastas wrote in the NASW blog about social work involvement in the eugenics movement and how the profession can educate itself to avoid such problematic areas in the future.

“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,” Anastas wrote.

To read the full blog click here.

Cary Dolego. Photo courtesy of the Associated Press.

Ukrainian social workers rescued an American who came to the former Soviet Republic to marry a woman who never showed up to meet him in the town of Chernivtsi, according to this Washington Post article.

Cary Dolego, who was once a write-in candidate for Arizona governor, traveled to the Ukraine for an engineering research project and to look for a wife. He traveled to Chernivtsi in hopes of marrying a woman he met online named Yulia but she never showed up for a planned meeting.

Dolego ran out of money and ended up homeless, hungry and suffering from pneumonia when social workers found him. The U.S. Embassy loaned Dolego money to return home but Dolego said he plans to return to the Ukraine to continue his search for love.

Scene from Occupy DC camp in Washington, D.C. The movement has spread to cities around the world.

Social workers have been called in to assist homeless people who are taking part in the Occupy Los Angeles protest surrounding City Hall, according to this article in the San Jose Mercury News.

The Occupy movement that has spread across the globe protests policies that favor the rich. However, the presence of homeless people who may have mental illness or a drug addiction has caused disruption at Occupy Los Angeles.

“It’s created disorder in the encampment,” said organizer Clark Davis. “It’s sort of weakened our stance.”

To learn more about how social workers help the homeless transition to independent living check out an article on the homeless at the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” consumer Website by clicking here.

Image courtesy of National Center for Fathering.

Not hugging your sons may damage them pyschologically, National Association of Social Workers member Barbara Murray-Lane said in this article in Connecticut’s Hartford Courant.

“It’s a cultural phenomenon,” said Murray-Lane, MSW, LCSW, who works at the Chester Wellness Center. “Parents feel that if they show too much affection to their son, they’ll pay for it somehow.”

Murray-Lane suggested following the lead of your child. If he feels comfortable getting hugged by you, you should be comfortable with it, too.

Social workers often help young people develop and overcome life’s hurdles. To learn more visit NASW’s “Help Starts Here” Kids & Families Website by clicking here.

Debbie Peagler (center) and defense team lawyer Joshua Saffran and lawyer and social worker Nadia Costa. Photo courtesy of Life Sentence Films LLC.

Debbie Peagler thought Oliver Wilson was the Prince Charming of Compton, Calif.

But Wilson soon turned abusive, isolating Peagler from family and friends, viciously beating her, and pushing the young mother into a life of prostitution.

Peagler repeatedly called police but got no help. So her family turned to neighborhood gang members to scare Wilson way but these men ended up murdering Wilson. And Peagler’s nightmare worsened when she was sentenced to 25 years to life for being complicit in the crime.

The documentary “Crime After Crime,” which airs on the Oprah Winfrey Network Nov. 3 at 9 p.m. Eastern, follows the efforts of lawyer Joshua Safran  and lawyer and social worker Nadia Costa to free Peagler using new evidence and a recently passed California law that allows the effects of domestic violence to be factored into criminal proceedings.

Oliver Wilson. Photo courtesy of Life Sentence Films LLC.

Social workers often help victims of domestic violence. So OWN asked a group of social workers to review “Crime After Crime.”

Our review panelists are: Michelle Blank, a licensed clinical social worker for the Oklahoma Muscogee (Creek) Nation Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse Services; Hiedi Konsol, MSW, LISW-S, a healthcare and mental health social worker in Niles, Ohio; Tanya DePeiza, MSW, LSW, a Chicago social worker who works with senior citizens and formerly incarcerated women through her non-profit Women In Progress Inc.; Richard Lange, LMSW, of Wichita, Kansas, a social service coordinator in the Federal Residential Re-Entry Center for Mirror Inc.; and Jeanine Jones, MSW, assistant professor of social work at Western New Mexico University in Silver City.

Here is their conversation:

Q: On a scale of one to five stars what would you give “Crime After Crime” and why?

Lange: I give it five stars.

Konsol: My movie rating is four out of five stars. I found the movie to be an interesting and honest portrayal of the life and experiences of Debbie Peagler.  It allowed the viewer the opportunity to see Debbie in a variety of roles as a teenager, a young woman, a woman victimized by domestic violence, and a woman surviving through the consequences of her life decisions.

DePeiza: I would rate the movie a five because of the grave issues that were faced by Ms. Peagler and the larger issues that were brought to attention of the public regarding the criminal justice system, the penal system, and the challenges that many domestic abuse victims face in both of these systems.

Jones: I would also give it five stars.   It dealt with a common social problem and illustrated that without advocacy victims remain in the victim status.  Following the case of one woman made the documentary engaging, as well as, educational. 

Blank: With five stars being the best, I give “Crime After Crime” five stars. I was on an emotional roller coaster watching this movie – from sadness to anger to disbelief to joy to shock. It was difficult to watch all of the legal injustices Debbie Peagler had to tolerate and the time it took to finally get her out of prison is a travesty. While Debbie Peagler admits to her wrongdoing, the cover-up by the district attorney’s office, the blind eye of the courts, and the time she actually spent in prison, far exceeded the “letter of the law.” I don’t take any of this lightly – my mother was murdered in 1974 when I was 16 years old. I have almost 40 college credits towards a criminal justice degree and I completed a police academy. Since law enforcement in my mom’s case seemed to be involved in a cover-up and no one was really trying to solve her case, I decided to get the training myself with hopes of bringing her killers to justice. I had to come to a very sad realization that there seemed to be no justice in our criminal justice system. I left the criminal justice field and became a social worker more than 25 years ago. Although my mother’s murder remains unsolved 37 years later, I do know I make a positive difference in some people’s lives as a social worker. Victims of domestic violence are already in a prison. Sometimes they get to a breaking point and get out of one prison only to go into a different one. This movie depicts the hell a victim of domestic violence lives in, whether that be the individual’s own home or one operated by the state.

Debbie Peagler leads the prison gospel choir at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla. Photo courtesy of Life Sentence Films LLC.

Q: I am assuming you all would agree Debbie Peagler’s behavior was typical of a domestic abuse victim. Am I correct?

Blank: Yes it was typical.

Lange: Yes I agree it was typical. Having worked with victims of domestic violence her behavior was very characteristic of a victim. One of the profound comments Debbie made was, she just wanted the abuse to stop.

DePeiza: I have to agree with Michelle and Richard. I believe that her behavior was typical of an abuse victim. At the time of her abuse (the late 1970s) there were little to no resources to assist her and her family with safety that were effective.  Domestic violence laws were not strongly in place to offer assistance.  Coming from a family where several members had been abused for several years seemed to also affect both her choices and her response to abuse.

Jones: Her early adult behavior was most characteristic of a domestic violence victim.  She feared for her life, did not know how to leave and was under the perpetrator’s control emotionally, psychologically and physically. The inner strength she gained while in prison speaks well of her character and the hope that she gained from her attorneys.

Konsol: I think that Debbie’s behavior is not a typical response to the victimization caused by domestic violence, but it was real for her and the only solution that she could envision to survive. I think that it was a drastic response to her situation, but when placed in desperate circumstances it does reflect the basic human drive that we all have to survive.

 Q: Do you think this film will further educate the public and criminal justice officials about the plight of domestic abuse victims? Or is there no need for additional changes in laws and regulations regarding domestic abuse victims because there has been more awareness about this issue in the years since Peagler was incarcerated?

 Jones: Yes, if they are only willing to listen it could set aside some stereotypes.  I was not aware of the California domestic violence law and was pleased to learn of it.  One would hope that other states would follow the lead.  Too often victims become punished as perpetrators when they attempt to protect themselves.  Public awareness is a positive movement but without legal and policy changes the negative behaviors will continue to repeat themselves.

DePeiza: I strongly believe that this film can further educate the public and criminal justice officials.  As the rate of women’s incarceration continues to rise, one can conclude that although awareness has increased there are still laws that need to be put in place to help provide protection for women who are domestically abused.  Additionally, the issues that surround incarcerated women and their families, along with the impact placed on communities when they do return home, need to continue to be addressed.  The issue of domestic abuse and the effects on the family can never have too much exposure.

Lange: The film did an excellent job at showing the need to educate the public along with the criminal justice officials about domestic violence and the victims. There is need for further regulations regarding domestic violence issues. Granted there has been a lot of awareness of domestic violence abuse over the last 20 years but I believe we have only scratched the tip of the iceberg.

Crime After Crime Director Yoav Potash. Photo courtesy of Life Sentence Films LLC.

Blank: This film will further educate some of the public and criminal justice officials while others will turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the staggering number of domestic abuse victims. Some won’t notice that the “victims” include not only the individuals being abused but also children in the home, coworkers, employers, neighbors, doctors, nurses, therapists, the court system, communities, and states. In my opinion, most governments still live in the Dark Ages when it pertains to laws and regulations regarding domestic abuse victims.

Konsol: I think “Crime After Crime”  will help to continue to educate about the challenges faced by victims of domestic violence. However there is still much to be done to change the systems that have been created to help victims. There has been increased awareness in the overall need to address domestic violence issues over the past several years, but despite awareness, domestic violence continues to plague our society. Awareness and education have made the issue one that is more widely recognized as a problem in society, but there still remains a stigma and an attitude of apathy when an individual is personally affected by the problem. Lack of responsiveness by law enforcement and social service agencies, legal proceedings that re-victimize the victim and an overarching attitude that the victim is responsible for her circumstances still permeate the culture today.

Q: Have you noticed that more law enforcement agencies, prisons and jails are using social workers to help domestic abuse victims? Or does more work need to be done in this area?

Jones: I see little use of social workers by law enforcement with the occasional presentation to law enforcement officers of the dynamics of the problem or volunteer advocates.  Social work intervention could help lessen the number of repeat victims of domestic violence if social workers were an integral part of the law enforcement system.

Debbie Peagler's family rallies for her release from prison. Scene from "Crime After Crime."

DePeiza: I believe that social workers help to bring more awareness to the agencies mentioned in this question. However, with budget cuts and constraints along with massive case loads, effective change and advocacy are not always implemented.  Law enforcement agencies, prisons, jails, and lawmakers should have continued partnerships with social workers so that advocacy and empowerment can be provided for victims, their families, and when possible, the abusers.  Though crimes warrant the appropriate punishment, this society is too “penal” focused and often fails to see other factors that contribute to what lands them in prison.  With a definitive yes, more work needs to be done in this area.

Lange: My practice is in the criminal justice system arena. Working in the criminal justice area overall there is an absence of social workers across the board. Social workers can have a greater impact within the criminal justice area due to our understanding of social justice, dignity and worth of the person, and importance of human relationships. When a person is sent to prison these core values are taken away from the individual.  

Konsol: Social workers recently have become more involved in the judicial system and with services that advocate for the victim and treat the perpetrator. However, there is still much work to be done in this area. From a professional perspective, I have experienced there are very few social workers that have been afforded the opportunity to work in the area of domestic violence due to the lack of training, personnel, financial resources and overall supports for these types of services. There are more animal shelters than domestic violence shelters in most states. Those states that do have shelter services for victims of domestic violence often have very little resources to address the non-traditional victim, offering little to nothing to victims of domestic violence who are in same sex relationships and even more specifically men who are affected by the issue of domestic violence. For change to occur, changing society’s view domestic violence must occur. Domestic violence should be viewed for what it is, a crime of violence and not a crime of gender.

Blank: In some geographic areas, one can see that law enforcement agencies, prisons, and jails are using social workers to help domestic abuse victims. However, in rural areas like where I live and work the number of trained and qualified social workers is minimal, caseloads are high, resources are stretched or non-existent, and sadly states are starting to do away with programs and laws that help domestic abuse victims due to budget constraints. Once again, our society seems to be leaning more towards seeing people only as numbers and/or dollar signs. Work will always be needed in this area. Times are hard and people are getting more stressed, overwhelmed, irritable and desperate. Unfortunately, when this happens, abusers tend to see those around them as convenient punching bags. We MUST continue making people aware of the plight of domestic abuse victims. Otherwise, many victims will remain victims, some will resort to using and abusing drugs and alcohol while others will abuse their children, join gangs, resort to crime or like Debbie Peagler in “Crime After Crime” end up behind bars in a prison because they finally had enough and fought back only to be victimized again.

SocialWorkersSpeak.org interviewed “Crime After Crime” director Yoav Potash about the film and role lawyer and social worker Nadia Costa played in the film. To read article click here. And to learn more about how social workers help domestic violence victims visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Domestic Violence Webpage by clicking here.

Image from Crisis Call 211.

The Gantz brothers have a passion for bringing gritty, moving and often provocative documentaries to the small screen.

Joe and Harry Gantz produced HBO’s Emmy Award-winning series “Taxicab Confessions” and Showtime’s “Sexual Healing,” a sex therapy show featuring National Association of Social Workers member Laura Berman, DSW.

Now the Cincinnati natives are raising funds for their next project, “Crisis Call 211.” The documentary, which they hope to release before the 2012 elections, will turn the camera on Portland, Ore. residents who call the 211 line to get a variety of social services, including emergency shelter, groceries from food banks, help paying utilities, or medical or mental healthcare.

Officials at the Portland 211 line said some social workers with bachelors degrees answer calls while they have hired social workers with masters degrees to supervise the call lines.

With the United States still in the grip of the Great Recession demand for these services is growing although states and the federal government are cutting the budget for such programs. The Gantz brothers hope their film will put a spotlight this dilemma.

“There hasn’t been that much that shows the plight of the poor and the formerly middle class that are struggling so much these days to survive,” said Joe, 56. “That is what we are trying to do.”

Harry (left) and Joe Gantz. Photo courtesy of Zimbio.com.

Social workers “are already on the front lines trying to do more with less,” Harry, 53, said. “Part of it will be highlighting their frustrations with having to serve millions more people but with billions of dollars less.”

The United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta originally launched 211 service in 1997. About 260 million Americans, or 86 percent of the U.S. population, had access to 211 calling centers as of October 2011, according to United Way and the Alliance for Information and Referral Systems. United Way continues to run many local 211 services, which can also get support through state or federal funding or other nonprofit organizations.

The Gantz brothers want social workers to help raise funding for their film and also do local screenings once the documentary is complete. To learn more and to watch a trailer of the film click here. You can also follow them on Facebook by clicking here.

Margaret Humphreys. Photo courtesy of the Guardian.

Acclaimed British social worker Margaret Humphreys and movie director Jim Loach are confident his film “Oranges and Sunshine” will educate the public about the invaluable services social workers provide, elevate the stature of the sometimes maligned profession, and motivate more social workers to become politically active.

“I hope so,” Humphreys told SocialWorkersSpeak.org after a special Oct. 17 showing of the movie at the Academy Theater at Lighthouse International that was sponsored by Cohen Media Group. “Of course the message is that social workers should be part of the political process and bring about change. I hope this film inspires that.”

“We thought social workers are always getting it in the neck,” Loach said. “We need to see social workers from their perspective.”

Margaret Humphreys and Jim Loach at the Oct. 17 special screening in New York city.

Actress Emily Watson portrays Humphreys in the film, which  played in Great Britain earlier this year and premieres in theaters across the United States beginning Oct. 21.

Humphreys in 1986 discovered Great Britain sent about 130,000 foster children to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the former Rhodesia in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. These children were sent without their parent’s permission and authorities sometimes lied to them, saying their parents did not want them or had died.

Loach, who used Humphreys’ book “Empty Cradles,” her case files and interviews to make the film, said there were various reasons the children were deported. Some are rooted in the cultural, racial and political climate of mid 20^th century Great Britain, he said.

Authorities at the time believed the children would have a better life abroad because they came from poor, broken homes or had unwed mothers, he said. Australia also wanted to increase its “white stock,” and welcomed the British children, he said.

Another reason was cost, Loach said. A boat ticket to Australia was far cheaper than keeping the children in foster care in Great Britain.

The title of the movie was inspired by the lie the children would get plenty of sunshine and oranges for breakfast everyday if they went to the former British colonies. However, the reality was very grim.

Movie Poster.

Most ended up toiling as free laborers for the organizations and religious institutions that took them in. They could not be adopted because their parents still legally had custody. Some were physically and sexually abused. And all suffer trauma from losing their identity and being separated from their birth mothers and families.

The film chronicles Humphreys’ efforts to reconnect these now grown children with their families in Great Britain. The reunion scenes in the film are poignant — one mother gave her now-grown daughter a worn doll and she had kept for her for 40 years.

Humphreys also sacrificed much. Her frequent trips to Australia separated her from her husband and children for long periods, she was stalked and threatened for publicizing abuse and harming the reputations of charitable and religious organizations that housed the children, and it took her years to get the governments of Great Britain and Australia to apologize.

 And Humphreys showed signs of post traumatic stress disorder from listening to the sometimes disturbing accounts from hundreds of former child deportees.”I can’t stop,” actress Emily Watson said at one point in the film. “There is no one else.”

Despite formal government apologies to the children and two investigations in Parliament no one has been prosecuted for sending the children abroad.

Humphreys is continuing to reunite deported children with their families. Just two weeks ago she helped a man from Perth, Australia come to New York to meet his 88-year-old mother.

“I still do the day job — nothing has changed,” she said as a bittersweet smile crossed her face. “And we reunite families all the time.”

Cohen Media Group, the U.S. distributor of “Oranges and Sunshine” is offering social workers special group rates to see the film in selected cities. To learn more click here. And to learn more about how social workers are involved in international affairs and social justice issues visit the National Association of Social Workers’ Human Rights and International Affairs division by clicking here and Peace and Social Justice Website by clicking here.

“Oranges and Sunshine,” the film about social work heroine Margaret Humphreys, is premiering in U.S. cities over the next three weeks.

Humphreys, who is portrayed by Oscar-nominated actress Emily Watson, discovered Great Britain sent more than 100,000 foster children overseas without permission from parents.

These children were sent to Australia, South Africa and other British Commonwealth nations. Some were forced to work or abused. Others have struggled for years to overcome  trauma and find their birth families.

The film follows Humphreys’ investigation of this practice and quest to get Great Britain and other nations to recognize and help the victims.

Cohen Media Group, the U.S. distributor of the film, wants social workers to see the film and is offering discounted group tickets in selected cities. Here is information on how to get them:

NEW YORK CITY

Theater: AMC Village 7

Address: 766 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 1003

Film Opening: October 21

Group Sales Policy:

Minimum 50, must pay with company check or credit card. Does not have to be a corporation. Must be purchased in bundles of 50, each ticket $7.50. Applicable to all AMC locations in the US.

Contact: 1-800-262-4849, option 3.

Theater:  City Cinema Cinema 123

Address: 1001 3^rd Avenue, New York, NY 10022-1207

Film Opening: October 21

Group Sales Policy: All discount rates at branch manager’s discretion. Minimum 25, mandatory advance purchase. $7 each.

Contact: Rachel Gibson, 212-871-6838

Theater: City Cinema Beekman Theater

Address: 1271 2nd Avenue, 1271 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10021

Film Opening: October 21

Group Sales Policy: Call for details

Contact: Rachel Gibson, 212-871-6838

Hugo Weaving and Emily Watson in scene from "Oranges and Sunshine."

LOS ANGELES

Theater: Laemmle’s Monica 4-plex

Address: 11523 Santa Monica Blvd. West Los Angeles, 90025

Film Opens: October 21

Group Sales Policy: Group of 25-100 people at $6 per ticket. Go online to fill out group request form by clicking here.

Contact: 310-478-3836

Theater: Landmark Center

Address: 10850 West Pico at Westwood Blvd., next door to Barnes & Noble – Enter on Westwood Blvd. or Pico

Film Opens: October 21

Group Sales Policy: Purchase a Goldbook: 25 tickets for $181

Contact: Diane Arnold at DianeA@landmarktheatres.com or call 310-312-2355

BOSTON

Theater: Landmark Kendall Square

Address: 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA 02139-1562

Film Opens: November 4

Group Sales Policy: Purchase a Goldbook — 25 tickets for $181

Contact: Diane Arnold at DianeA@landmarktheatres.com or call 310-312-2355

Margaret Humphreys

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Theater: Landmark Bethesda

Film Opens: October 28

Address: 7235 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814-2951

Group Sales Policy: Purchase a Goldbook — 25 tickets for $181

Contact: Diane Arnold at DianeA@landmarktheatres.com or call 310-312-2355 

CHICAGO

Theater: AMC River East

Film Opens: October 28

Address: 322 East Illinois Street, Chicago, IL 60611

Group Sales Policy: Minimum 50, must pay with company check or credit card. Does not have to be a corporation. Must be purchased in bundles of 50, each ticket $7.50.Applicable to all AMC locations in the United States.

Contact: 1-800-262-4849, option 3

SAN FRANCISCO

Theater: Landmark Embarcadero

Address: One Embarcadero Center, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94111

Film Opens: October 28

Group Sales Policy: Purchase a Goldbook — 25 tickets for $181

Contact: Diane Arnold at DianeA@landmarktheatres.com or call 310-312-2355 

SEATTLE

Theater: Landmark Metro

Address: 4500 9th Avenue N.E., Seattle, WA 98105

Film Opens: October 28

Group Sales Policy: Purchase a Goldbook — 25 tickets for $181 or

Contact: Diane Arnold at DianeA@landmarktheatres.com or call 310-312-2355

PHILADELPHIA

Theater: Landmark Ritz on the Bourse

Address: 400 Ranstead Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Film Opens: October 28

Group Sales Policy: Purchase a Goldbook — 25 tickets for $181

Contact: Diane Arnold at DianeA@landmarktheatres.com or call 310-312-2355DALLAS

Theater: City Cinema Angelika

Address: 5321 East Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX 75206

Film Opens: November 4

Group Sales Policy: Groups of 25 or more are admitted for only $6.00 per person.

Contact: Go online to order tickets by clicking here.  You can also contact the theater at (214) 841-4712

“Oranges and Sunshine” has been shown in theaters in Great Britain. To read a review in The Guardian click here. And to learn more about how social workers get involved in international issues, including child trafficking and immigration, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ Human Rights and International Affairs Department Website by clicking here.