Socialworkersspeaks on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterRSS Feed

News Items – March 7, 2014

‘Poverty think tank’ in works at Penn Manor
Lancaster Online
Penn Manor school social workers recently told the school board they would like to form a “poverty think tank” to look at what is working and where students are falling through the cracks. After their presentation Feb. 18, school board president Ken Long said he supports the proposal and will seek volunteers from the board to serve on the think tank. “I don’t know what we would do without the two of them,” Long said of the social workers, Deb Meckley and Joy Meley, who described their day in great detail after the board had requested an update.

How Anti-Poverty Programs Marginalize Fathers
The Atlantic
A number of prominent nonprofit organizations, such as STRIVE International, specialize in helping men like Frandy acquire job skills and get on their feet. In recent years, several foundations, including the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, have launched initiatives targeting young minority men.

Taking a walk in her shoes
Star News
I’m on a mission to end human suffering. It may seem unrealistic, but I’m going to try no matter what gets in my way. I believe it can be done because we all have the capability to be compassionate and empathetic. Actually, I know it can be done because I’ve seen these qualities firsthand from the inspiring staff and volunteers at the Rape Crisis Center of Coastal Horizons Center Inc., where I have been interning since August.

Social workers’ roles in patient care expand under affordable care act
Medical Press
Baker delivered the keynote speech at the graduate school forum, which examined the impact of the landmark health care legislation on the social work profession. National Association of Social Workers CEO Angelo McClain led a panel discussion on the topic with social work leaders.

LSU research team touts success of BRAVE Project
WGMB- Baton Rouge, LA
“It’s one thing to apprehend criminals and to get people off the streets,” mentioned Cecile Guin, Director of the LSU School of Social Work’s Office of Social Service Research and Development, “but where we’ve really got to go with this as a community is to figure out a way to help children become productive citizens and avoid following a pathway into crime.”

Michele Baranaskas: Restore cuts to family education
WV Gazette
If you’re a parent or a child’s caregiver, you’ve probably wished that children would come with instructions. Guess what? We actually have a service in West Virginia that helps families raise young children.

Jay hosts gathering to laud social programs
WV Gazette
Sen. Jay Rockefeller spoke at a roundtable Friday at Christ Church United Methodist in Charleston on the importance of social programs to working people. Sabrina Shrader, an Upward Bound program assistant at Concord University who is working on a master’s degree in social work, spoke about how Head Start helped her as a young child in McDowell County.

NewBridge Services in Pequannock offers help to those suffering from seasonal affective disorder
NorthJersey.com
This winter’s brutal cold and persistent storms have cast a freeze on people’s psyches. “The extreme weather wreaks havoc on people’s routines, and while we can cope with a few interruptions, the relentless conditions can really get to you, causing anxiety, lethargy and sadness – the winter blues,” said L. Michelle Borden, chief operating officer at NewBridge Services Inc. and a licensed clinical social worker. For people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that tends to take hold from fall through spring, the severe weather can exacerbate their symptoms, Borden said.

After Chaotic Years in Foster Care, Social Work Student Finds a Home at Rutgers
Rutgers
Fewer than 3 percent of foster kids nationally go on to college. Despite those odds, Gina Pearson, a senior social work major, has excelled at Rutgers, her first real home. She also gives back to foster children as a speaker. It is a remarkable achievement after a lifetime of more than 30 foster care placements. Pearson has earned all A’s since entering into the social work major, and  was inducted into Phi Alpha Honor Society and received the National Honor Society of Leadership and Success presidential award in recognition of her GPA. She has also thrived socially and has a strong group of friends who feel like family.

Good news for macro practice?
Social Work Helper
There may be good news on the horizon for social workers who appreciate the need for our profession to be more involved with influencing institutions and policies. The Association for Community Organizing and Social Administration’s (ACOSA) Special Commission to Advance Macro Practice in Social Work expects to release a report and proposals this year on ways to strengthen social work macro practice.

When Was Your “Aha!” Social Work Moment?
Social Justice Solutions
For most of you reading this, you probably remember the approximate moment in time when you decided being a Social Worker was your destiny. Mine was Freshman year in high school while sitting in the guidance counselor’s office reading descriptions of possible jobs. I was given a test and then by my scores was given a list of possible jobs for my future interests. Number one on the list was Social Worker. I had finally found a “name” for what I was!

Maine social worker shares struggles of elderly
SFGate
A Maine social worker will testify in front of a U.S. Senate panel about the struggles facing the state’s aging population. Dixie Shaw will travel to the U.S. capital to share her first-hand experience as the director of Hunger and Relief Services for Catholic Charities in Caribou, Maine.

“Mother Mary” by Social Worker Explores Homelessness
Broadway World
The Medulla Review Publishing announces the release of “Mother Mary,” “one of the most socially important novels ever written.” Penned by Clearlake, CA resident and devoted long-time licensed clinical social worker Myra Sherman, “Mother Mary” takes readers on the harrowing journey of an elderly Jewish homeless woman who faces addiction, wrongful accusal, incarceration, treatment, and the difficult process of inner-healing.

Social Workers Emphasize Leadership This Month As Care Partners In Healthcare
Edwardsville Intelligencer
Collaboration and leadership are critical roles for social workers who play instrumental roles in the increasingly complex realm of healthcare, according to the Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care (SSWLHC). During National Social Work Month in March, Allsup, a nationwide provider of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) representation, veterans disability appeal and Medicare plan selection services, joins with the SSWLHC to recognize the important role of social workers in the U.S. healthcare system.

|   Leave A Comment
Tagged as: , , , , ,

Advertisement

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.