Message from NASW-DE Executive Director John Shuford

Our next chapter Board meeting will be November 10 [next Thursday] in the Price Building at DSU beginning at 6:30. All members are welcome to come to see what we are doing and what we have in the plans.

Social workers have a very important role to play should we have a disaster in Delaware or the region. Many social workers would like to assist, but cannot unless they are registered with Red Cross Disaster Response. I will be meeting with the Red Cross Disaster Response Coordinator later this month to explore how we can have more social workers and other mental health professionals qualified.

Our next test prep will be November 19 in Dover at DSU in the Bank of America building. We need a few more to register, so if you are interested, sign up now.

MHA’s 10th Annual  Community Mental Health Conference Keynote speaker will be Dr. Bertice Berry, a native of Wilmington, Delaware. Dr. Berry is a sociologist, educator, author, lecturer, entertainer and comedian, who has appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, and more recently ABC’s “20/20”.  She is also the best-selling author of an inspirational memoir, I’m On My Way, But Your Foot Is On My Head. Sessions on: ADHD, Suicide Intervention, Ex-Offenders and Mental Health, Preventing Trauma in Youth, Abuse – Awareness to Action,  Engaging Fathers, and much more. Scholarships are available. Flier

There is a lot of political talk about Social Security being broke. Stephen Gorin, New Hampshire NASW Executive Director makes a strong point that this is simply not true. “The gap between what Social Security pays out and what it takes in is more than offset by interest on the funds the program loans the government. According to the Social Security trustees, when these interest payments are factored in, Social Security is actually in surplus and will be until 2022.” Full article

Rockford Center is holding its free Fall Lecture series beginning November 10 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am, with Dr. Lani Nelson-Zlupko presenting on “Stop, Drop & Roll: Raising Our Kids Without Losing Ourselves,” The topic will cover current research on stressors of parenthood, including anxiety, depression, divorce, abuse and neglect, as well as less severe outcomes including isolation, withdrawal, diminished sense of satisfaction with life.  See their ad below.

There are some very interesting articles on Native American children and LGBT families with children as well as various Occupy Movements below.                                                                                
                                                                                                          John

“Protecting Children, Strengthening Families” Mini Conference

Sponsored by Delaware State University’s Department of Social Work November 10, 2011, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

This mini conference will feature speakers from the Child Welfare Information Gateway, which provides access to timely, practical resources that help child welfare, adoption, and related professionals protect children and strengthen families. A service of the Children’s Bureau of DHHS, Information Gateway covers a wide range of child welfare topics, including child abuse prevention, family preservation, foster care, domestic and inter country adoption, and much more. For more information.

Free Flu Shots Offered

The state is offering free flu shots in all three counties.

Rosehill Community Center in New Castle              
Dec 1  5:30pm to 8pm
ages 9 years and up

Greater Wil. DMV [Rt 13 North just heading out of New Castle to Wilmington]
Nov 10  8am to 11:30am
ages 9 years and up

Kent County Carlisle Fire Co in Milford             
Nov 9    2:00 – 7:00 
ages 9 years and up

Sussex County Blades Fire Co in Seaford             
Nov 16  2:00 – 7:00 
ages 9 years and up

Sussex County Greenwood Fire Co                      
Nov 30  2:00 – 7:00 
ages 9 years and up

Ages 6 months and older: Families who are not able to attend any of the clinics noted above or who have children between the ages of 6 months and 9 years old) can make an appointment to have their flu shots at the Hudson State Service Center in Newark, 501 Ogletown Road (near to Newark Toyota, US Post Office and McDonald's). To make their appointments they should call 302-283-7587.

The NASW National Government Relations Update

The most recent Update is now available, with information on the Social Work Caucus. Click here.

From NASW National...

Many of you have contacted the national office requesting information about changes in HIPAA software for clinical social workers beginning January 1, 2012. Here's a link to a new practice perspective addressing those changes, Clinical Social Workers Be Aware: Version 5010 is Coming.

Domestic Violence Economic Resource List Available

The Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence client Economic Resource List is a very valuable resource for clinicians and clients.

Legacy Fellowship Opportunity

An 18 month (January 2012 – June 2013) fellowship opportunity is now available through Legacy (http://www.legacyforhealth.org/65.aspx). Legacy is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. This fellowship opportunity is a development program for young adults between the ages of 18 and 24. The fellowship combines leadership training, mentorship, technical assistance and community engagement to advance the efforts of local tobacco control. Throughout the program, fellows will get to visit different parts of the country, learn from nationally recognized leaders, receive technical support for local projects and network with other youth activists from around the nation. The fellowship is open to young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 with a strong commitment to activism and public health.

The deadline for application is Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 4:30 pm EST.  To apply, click here. For questions or more information, please contact Legacy's Youth Activism team via email yap@legacyforhealth.org or phone 202-454-5568.

Medicare Open Enrollment Has Begun

The Affordable Care Act gives seniors with Medicare cheaper prescription drugs, free preventive services, and lower costs With more benefits, better choices and lower costs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is encouraging people with Medicare and their families to begin reviewing drug and health plan coverage options for 2012.

The Medicare Open Enrollment Period has been expanded to last seven weeks and will end on December 7. This will give seniors and people with disabilities more time to compare and find the best plan that meets their unique needs. Across the country, HHS officials will hold 150 events in the days leading up to Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period to inform and educate people with Medicare. For more information.

Men Can Stop Rape Offers CEs

Men Can Stop Rape is happy to announce that social workers can now receive seven (7) NASW continuing education units for attending Men Can Stop Rape’s “Engaging Men for Social Workers” comprehensive training on working with boys and men to prevent violence against women. The first training is right around the corner, November 16-18 in Washington, DC. Register now!

“Engaging Men for Social Workers Training” is a brand-new offering from Men Can Stop Rape, a national leader in working with men and boys of all ages to play a pro-active role in ending violence against women. The training speaks to the contexts in which social workers operate, the many potential ways they can engage men and boys, and is applicable for community practice, clinical social work and much more. The training teaches through exploration of theory, interactive group exercises, role-playing, and multi-media presentations. More

NIH Releases Clinician's Guide for Screening Underage Drinkers

Capital School District is pleased to announce well renowned speaker, Kevin Smallwood, who represents “Stand for the Silent”.  Mr. Smallwood will share his tragic personal story about his own 11 year old son who took his life as a result of being bullied.  Along with our District Bullying Policies we feel this is a timely presentation for all our families.  William Henry Middle School and Central Middle School will have assemblies for all students on November 18, 2011.  A parent program will be offered at 6:30pm the same evening (see back for the schedule). More

Helping Domestic Violence Victims Gain Financial Independence

Helping domestic violence victims gain financial independence is integral to CCCS’s mission.  We provide free help by phone or in our local offices.  During credit counseling sessions, our certified counselors can help victims assess where they stand financially, set up a budget, and explore personalized saving and spending strategies. Victims come away armed with concrete information, advice, and resources that give them a financial foothold so that they’re less vulnerable to returning to danger and abuse. More

Certified Prevention Specialist Information Session - Nov. 15

The upcoming Certified Prevention Specialist Information session to be held on Tuesday, November 15th from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm at the Delaware National Guard Readiness Center in Smyrna (103 Artisan Drive, Smyrna DE 19977).

This information session is being sponsored by the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and the Delaware Certification Board. Contact Erica Melman at Erica.Melman@state.de.us by November 8th if you wish to attend.

The CPS classification is for the professional who facilitates and promotes positive grown in self, special populations (i.e. groups at risk for developing drug, alcohol, or gambling problems), and the community at large. This professional uses specific knowledge and skills to design, implement, and evaluate programs aimed at precluding or reducing problems caused by addiction. Flier

News from DE and Beyond...

Click on the article                        title for link

Web therapy reaches out to patients near and far
Buck Black, a licensed clinical social worker with the Heartland Clinic, has a session with a patient via Skype in his office, in Lafayette. / By Brent Drinkut/Journal & Courier • Are you looking for ways to improve anger, stress or relationships?

Neb. coalition files petition to force state action on treatment ...
Terry Werner, who heads the Nebraska chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, says the rule already exists in the code of ethics that governs each profession in the group.

Occupy camps don't create social ills, they showcase them
But rather than seeing the squalor that has been highlighted by city officials and the media, I saw it as a place of real possibilities, particularly from my perspective as a social worker

Incentives And Cultural Bias Fuel Foster System
It was a social worker from the Department of Social Services. She said her daughter Erin Yellow Robe was going to be arrested for drugs. Howe couldn't believe it. She had never seen any sign of drugs or any other problems. And then the social worker changed Howe's life. She said she was coming to take Howe's grandchildren away.

Tribes Question Foster Group's Power And Influence
"They make a living off of our children," says Juanita Sherick, the tribal social worker on South Dakota's Pine Ridge reservation. She says the state pushes aggressively in her cases to place kids in Children's Home who, she says, should be placed with their grandmothers, aunts and uncles — family members who are often desperate to take them in.

Native Survivors Of Foster Care Return Home
Years later, he was told by a state worker that his mother drank too much. But he doesn't recall any bad memories. He knows she loved him. When he closed his eyes, he could see it in her face. He says he doesn't understand why he wasn't sent to live with one of his relatives. He had hundreds of them. Instead he was sent to a white foster home.

Report details inequities for kids of gay parents
The other groups are the liberal Center for American Progress and the Movement Advancement Project, a gay-rights think tank. Among other participants in the project were the National Association of Social Workers and the Child Welfare League of America.

Report: 2 Million Children Living In LGBT Households Face Legal ...
Today, a coalition of LGBT organizations in partnership with social welfare and child advocacy groups released the most comprehensive report to date analyzing how public policies impact children with LGBT parents.

Why Kids with Same-Sex Parents Need Legal Protections
A coalition of child-welfare groups released a report on Tuesday showing that children of gay and lesbian parents in the U.S. face serious disadvantages not experienced by their opposite-sex-parented peers.

Report: 2 millions kids ‘collateral damage’ of laws against LGBT people
A groundbreaking new report released Tuesday reveals that nearly two million children have become collateral damage of decades of ideology, laws and policies designed to marginalize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans.

The Geography of Inequality
As social science research over the past three decades confirms, children of same-sex parents are as healthy and well-adjusted as those raised by opposite-sex parents.

Making Public Policy Work for All Households
Public discussion about American families often assumes the nation is largely made up of married heterosexual couples raising their biological children. Yet less than a quarter of all U.S. households fall into this category.

10 Things Social Workers Have In Common With The Occupy Wall Street Protests
A lot has been going on three blocks from the NASW-NYC office at Zuccotti Park, located at Liberty Street between Broadway and Church Street, since the middle of September.  At its core it is an encampment of protesters but has also become a destination for support demonstrations, including a recent 10,000 person march of union members, community groups and ordinary New Yorkers.

Occupy Wall Street is growing
From coast to coast, the vast majority of Idahoans can be encouraged that our fellow Americans are rising up. Finally, the “little guy” is being heard. • Delmar Stone is the executive director for the Idaho Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

Emotional Support Dog: A New Leash on Life
Tara Moser is the owner of, and a therapist at, Delta Family Counseling in Cape Coral and includes emotional support dogs in play therapy with children, if the child chooses.

Private prison health-care industry grows as states cut costs
Mel Wilson, assistant director of Officer Workforce Studies at the National Association of Social Workers, says he is aware of “a lot of gaps in services” in for-profit private health care in prisons, especially for inmates with chronic conditions like HIV. Prisoners with HIV were found to die of the disease at twice the rate than that of the general population, according to HIV Symptoms, an information site on HIV.

Profiles in 'occupation': Retired Saginaw Township social worker wants Occupy ...
By Justin L. Engel | The Saginaw News The Saginaw News today, in an attempt to better understand a growing national movement, will profile several participants of a Occupy Wall Street-inspired rally outside a Kochville Township Bank of America branch.

Occupy LA: Portrait of a protest
The teacher, the social worker, the activist, the student –– just some of the protesters furious at Wall Street who have taken over the grassy area around City Hall in downtown Los Angeles and public streets and parks in other major cities around the world.

Local View: Supercommittee must protect kids
Becky Gould is the Executive Director of Nebraska Appleseed, and writes on behalf of the Nebraska Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, Voices for Children Nebraska, and NAMI Nebraska - all co-sponsors of the Step Up for Kids rally.

Real-life inspiration for 'Oranges and Sunshine'
We have six social workers in the UK and we have social workers in Australia. I used to do it on my own for years. But I never thought I had a choice. I didn't spend hours thinking, Do I want to do this?

 'Oranges And Sunshine,' But Both Of Them Lies
by Jeannette Catsoulis Covert Operations: A British social worker (Emily Watson) discovers a centuries-old shame: the forcible, secret deportation of children to Australia. If anyone could be expected to stake out the angels' side of a social issue, it would be a son of Ken Loach, so it's no surprise that Jim Loach's first feature tackles one of the biggest social scandals of the past century. Oranges and Sunshine, based on the 1994 book Empty Cradles by Nottingham social worker Margaret Humphreys, deals with the fallout from the forced — and largely secret — migration of English children to Australia beginning in the 17th century and lasting, astonishingly, until the 1970s.

New blog puts focus on Appalachia
In launching a social work program at the university, which is located in the heart of Appalachia, Lewis discovered that few of her students knew much about the region and its people. "As a part of the social work program, I created a course on Appalachian studies," said Lewis, who grew up in Nicholson and Cumming.

Classified  

FREE CEUs - Raising Our Kids Without Losing Ourselves
Dr. Lani Nelson-Zlupko
11/10/2011 900am-1100am
Will become familiar with current research on stressors of parenthood, including anxiety, depression, divorce, abuse and neglect.
2.0 contact hours.
Call (302) 892-4267 to RSVP. This lecture is free of charge.
Rockford Center 100 Rockford Drive, Newark, DE 19713