Message from NASW-DE Executive Director John Shuford

Congratulations to the Social Work Department students at Delaware State University – they made the Social Work Month Shout Out event at Biden Train Station a big success. The students who participated were: Audwin Odom, Robert Riddler, Nanci Woodson, Dave Frye, Irma Hernandez-Ortiz, Alice Anyona, Kealy Johnson, Beverly Bond, Jessie Walker, Salena Young and Nicole Outten, along with our President-Elect, Dr. Sheridan Quarless-Kingsberry.  Here are some of them:

The first Licensing Test Prep course is coming up soon, on the 23rd of April at the Claymont Community Center, where the Chapter’s offices are located. If you are interested or know someone who might be interested, the time to act is NOW. We still need more people to register if we are to have enough to do the first course. If we don’t have enough, those registered for the April 23 course will be moved to the next course, which will be held in Wilmington on May 21. After the May 21st course we will be offering one downstate, probably in Dover. For registration information click.

The ROCKFORD Center is having its second lecture in its Spring Lecture Series 2011, April 14th on Antisocial Personality Disorders by Traci Bolander, Psy.D. of Mid-Atlantic Behavioral Health. Click here for flyer. See their ad below and link to their website. It’s free.

This Saturday, April 9th, Delaware State University is holding its People of Color Conference at DSU. NASW is a sponsor of this event and I encourage you to go. Click here for flyer. The purpose of the Conference is for participants to “gain a greater understanding and mutual respect for consumers, family members, and professionals whose aim is to improve mental health services in communities of color.”

Also, the celebrated film, “20 Minutes” by distinguished filmmaker, G. Lloyd Morris, will be featured. This is a powerful depiction of the importance of the first 20 minutes in the life of someone just released from prison. It takes place in Wilmington around H. R. Young Correctional Institution [former Gander Hill]. I highly recommend it for anyone at all interested in recidivism.  You will learn a lot.

Family Promise, a local shelter, is looking for an Executive Director.  Family Promise of Northern New Castle County helps homeless families with children move toward lasting independence by providing a safe place to eat and sleep, intensive case management, life skills training, support, and encouragement.  We do this through a network of congregations that host these families directly in their houses of worship, staffed by caring volunteers who have put their faith into action. Applications need to be in by April 15th. See their announcement.

Of interest to all social workers: House Bill 53 was introduced last month in the General Assembly. The bill would permanently revoke the professional license of any Delaware licensed clinical social worker convicted on a felony sexual offense. The bill also makes failure to report child abuse and neglect, by any LCSW, grounds for discipline by the Board of Professional Regulations and any failure to report if any LCSW or healthcare professional is believed to be guilty of unprofessional conduct or is physically/mentally incapable of practicing.

With little debate, the Delaware Senate on Tuesday approved the most sweeping changes to the state's drug laws since the 1960s. On a 16-4 vote, the Senate authorized giving judges more discretion to stiffen sentences for drug dealers by streamlining criminal charges and eliminating pile-on charges for simple possession of small quantities of illegal drugs. The bill now goes back to the House for a final vote and then to the Governor, who says he will sign it.  This is a huge step in lowering our prison population. MORE.

From the Office of National Drug Control Policy:

We wanted to highlight two items for you:

First, check out Director Kerlikowske’s Op-Ed, “How Reducing Drug Use and its Consequences Can Help America Win the Future,” in the Huffington Post.

Second, we wanted to announce some exciting news on ONDCP’s efforts to reduce drugged driving: This week Director Kerlikowske co-led a US Delegation attending the United Nations' Commission on Narcotic Drugs meeting in Vienna, Austria. At the Commission, Director Kerlikowske and the US Delegation introduced a historic resolution that calls for the international community to work together to prevent drugged driving. Today, the Commission officially adopted this resolution as a sign that the international community recognizes the importance of addressing this issue.

NASW-NJ Conference!

The NASW - New Jersey Chapter’s Annual Conference is fast approaching. This conference offers us a GREAT opportunity to relax, recharge, reinvest AND earn more than 20 hours of continuing education credits! And great opportunities for networking and recreation!

Please print & mail your registration form - http://tinyurl.com/NASWNJConferenceRegistration -  to Kendra Hayes, NASW-NJ, 30 Silverline Drive, Suite 3, North Brunswick, NJ 08902 or fax to 732-296-8074.

Registrations can be faxed (with credit card) to 732-296-8074  by April 16th or mailed (with check) and postmarked by April 10th in order to reach the NASW-NJ Office on time. Any registrations received after this time will be held and attendees will have to register on-site in person.

NASW-NJ Live From Atlantic City

CEU Workshops Broadcast LIVE
to your home or work computer!

Click the image above to view an important message from Dr. Michael LaSala. NASW-NJ is pleased to offer a webcast of Dr. LaSala's new workshop "Coming Out Coming Home: Helping Families Adjust
to a Gay or Lesbian Child" - LIVE from the 2011 NASW-NJ Annual Conference!  

Unable to attend the NASW-NJ Conference in person this year? For the first time ever, NASW-NJ is pleased to announce a limited number of conference workshops will be webcast LIVE from our Annual Conference in Atlantic City.

Click on this link to see the selection of workshops then register to participate on the new NASW-NJ ONLINE CE INSTITUTE: http://www.naswnj.org/associations/5560/files/NW Webcasts.pdf

Go to www.naswnj.org and click on the “Online CEU Institute” banner to register.

Test Prep Coming!

We are about to begin our continuing education program as part of the collaboration with the New Jersey chapter. Our first two courses will be LCSW Test-Prep Courses on April 23 and May 21. The cost will be $110 for NASW members and $130 for non-members.

The first course will be the 23rd of April at the Claymont Community Center, where the Chapter’s offices are located. If we don’t have enough, those registered for the April 23 course will be moved to the next course, which will be held in Wilmington on May 21. After the May 21st course we will be offering one downstate, probably in Dover. For registration information click here.

PS: Those who have taken this course state that it is excellent!

Why We Dash: Nanci Woodson [NASW Delaware MSW Student of the Year]

On April 17, look for Nanci Woodson, a two-time kidney transplant recipient, as she walks with her classmates from Delaware State University.

Even though she has organized a team at the Dash for the past three years, Nanci's transplant journey began in 1983 when, as a high school senior, she was told her kidneys were failing. The next few years brought hospitalizations, medical therapies, and eventually a kidney transplant.

In 1994, her sister, Robin Ferguson (left below), generously donated her kidney giving Nanci (right below) a second chance at life. Robin's kidney gave Nanci ten additional years of life before her body rejected the transplanted organ.

She was then placed on the national transplant waiting list for three and a half years and underwent grueling dialysis treatments. She received her second transplant from a deceased donor in 2007. Nanci is thankful every day for her organ donor and their family who, at a tremendous loss, decided to donate life.

Nanci does the Dash to raise awareness about the cause that saved her life. According to Nanci, "with the number of people dying daily waiting for a life-saving organ, it is more important than ever before to register as an organ and tissue donor."

New Practice Perspective - Domestic Violence and Women of Color

Click here to link to a new NASW Practice Perspective. Though domestic violence, also called intimate partner violence, is not limited to any one socioeconomic, ethnic, racial, or religious group, the burden of exposure for racial minorities to domestic violence is reported to be significantly high. Women of color experience domestic violence at disproportionately high rates.

Even between racial and ethnic groups of African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians/Alaskan Americans, Asians and Pacific Islander women, there is considerable variation in the rates of domestic violence. For social workers, providing culturally competent services that address the needs and safety of abused women of color is an essential component to understanding and speaking to this problem. Contact Rita Webb at rwebb@naswdc.org.

Advocating for Clinical Social Workers

The Practice Perspective, Advocating for Clinical Social Workers: Highlights of 2010 (click here) discusses advocacy efforts performed by NASW during 2010 to improve social work practice. Areas of advocacy include reimbursement, Social Security Disability, DSM-V, and quality measures. Contact Mirean Coleman with questions at mcoleman@naswdc.org

Medicare Changes for Clinical Social Workers

Each calendar year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announces Medicare policy changes.  The practice perspective, 2011 Medicare Changes for Clinical Social Workers (click here) discusses 2011 Medicare changes affecting clinical social workers who are Medicare providers. Contact Mirean Coleman with questions at mcoleman@naswdc.org.

Final Report and the Action Brief from the November 2010 Symposium - Supervision: The Safety Net for Front-Line Practice

This information will be useful to chapters in your work related to child welfare workforce issues. The full report begins with an Executive Summary.  Also please note that Section VI, Recommendations for Action includes several examples (bolded and in a different font), that can be helpful to users of the report and provide some guidance on supervisory and service improvements. The Action Brief more succinctly highlights the supervisory challenges and outlines the Recommendations for Action.

The report and action brief are available for downloading from the Social Work Policy Institute's website. The link is http://www.socialworkpolicy.org/news-events/supervision-the-safety-net-for-front-line-child-welfare-practice.html.

The symposium was a collaborative effort between the Social Work Policy Institute and NASW’s Center for Workforce Studies & Social Work Practice.  We also partnered with the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute, a service of the Children’s Bureau, and Casey Family Programs was a contributing partner. The presentations at the symposium were video-taped and are now available for viewing at the website, as well.  SWPI is hoping that these excellent presentations not only will provide important information for the field, but will also be used as a catalyst for enhancing supervisory practices.  The video and report can be useful resources for child welfare agencies, for NASW chapters, for students studying child welfare and for providers of technical assistance and training.  CEUs are available to social workers who view the video through NASW's Continuing Education and Training Center.  

Each day as I read the daily headlines from Child Welfare in the News, distributed by the Child Welfare Information Gateway (www.childwelfare.gov), I am struck by the ongoing staffing and funding challenges that child welfare agencies face, and the continued vulnerability of children, families and workers.  The issues of quality supervision, as well as support for the supervisors are essential. If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact me at  jzlotnik@naswdc.org or contact Roxana Torrico Meruvia, Senior Practice Associate at rtorrico@naswdc.org.

Social Work Workforce in Illinois Nursing Homes

Nearly 60 people participated in-house and virtually in an CEU event presented by the NASW Illinois Chapter Older Adults Shared Interest Group (SIG) on Friday, April 1. The seminar was titled, "The Social Work Workforce in Nursing Homes in Illinois: Challenges and Opportunities." It has been an area of focus for the Older Adults SIG to meet the ever-changing needs of residents in long-term care facilities, especially as younger social workers specializing in elder care enter the job market. MORE

Delaware Prevention and Behavioral Health Forum

Registration is now open for the Delaware Prevention and Behavioral Health Forum being held May 2-3 at the Dover Sheraton. This is a free event.    Please visit www.deprc.com to register today.

Autism's lost generation

Today, 1-in-110 children in the United States is diagnosed with autism. PARADE spoke with several families about the challenges they face as their autistic children grow older. MORE

Grant: Delaware Mentoring Council (DMC)

The DMC “will award up to a total of $220,000 in grants to fund youth mentoring efforts in Delaware’s public schools and site-based after-school programs throughout the community. The maximum award for each grant is $10,000 to qualifying schools or $3,000 to qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.”

Completed applications must be submitted electronically to einnes@delcf.org by 4:30 pm on May 20, 2011.

Call-in information, applications and informational forms are all available on the Delaware Community Foundation’s website at www.delcf.org.

** For More information Contact:  Erin Innes, Director of Community Affairs, Delaware Mentoring Council, 302.504.5265 or einnes@delcf.org

Grant Opportunity: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the Second Chance Act – Juvenile Mentoring Initiative

“The Second Chance Act (P.L. 110-199) authorizes grants to government agencies and nonprofit groups to provide employment assistance, substance abuse treatment, housing, family programming, mentoring, victims' support, and other services to help adult and juvenile ex-offenders to transition successfully from incarceration to the community. OJJDP will provide grants to support mentoring and other transitional services essential to reintegrating juvenile offenders into their communities.”

Please note, registration with Grants.gov is required prior to application submission.

OJJDP encourages applicants to register several weeks before the application deadline of 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on May 2, 2011.

For more information, please see the contact information listed below:

For technical assistance with submitting an application, call the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 1-800-518-4726 or e-mail support@grants.gov.

For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, contact the Justice Information Center at 1-877-927-5657 or via email to JIC@telesishq.com. The Center is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time. On the solicitation close date, the Center will be open 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

Grants.gov number assigned to this announcement: OJJDP-2011-2934
Release Date: March 2, 2011.

- OJJDP Second Chance Act- FAQ.pdf
- OJJDP Second Chance Act- Juvenile Mentoring Initiative.pdf

Groups Facing Cuts Tailor Right- Leaning Pitch

Groups under attack from congressional Republicans have been trying a new strategy to save their government funding: Pitch to the right. Legal Services Corp., a nonprofit that provides legal assistance to the poor, has been emphasizing that its program exists to carry out the Founding Fathers' desire to create fair courts. "They put 'establish justice' even ahead of 'domestic tranquility' or 'provide for the common defense' " in the preamble to the Constitution, said John Constance, the organization's director of government relations and public affairs. MORE

What Everyone Should Know About Child Abuse

From discussions about "tiger mom" Amy Chua's unorthodox parenting to the revelation that a mother regularly injects her daughter with Botox, debate about what exactly constitutes child abuse continues. But what isn't up for debate is the fact that many children are abused in the U.S. According to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' most recent 2009 numbers, 3.6 million children (pdf) were reported victims of child abuse. In the same year, 1,770 children are estimated to have died from abuse and neglect. MORE

News from DE and Beyond...

click on article title for link

Basic Black Live - Youth Violence: Beyond Crime and Punishment
 (Originally broadcast June 24, 2010)  Last week we looked at youth violence as a structural and criminal justice issue. This week, we return to the topic of youth violence but will explore the issue through the prism of spiritual, mental, community, and public health.

Myths about the homeless
The other way works for some people, but it hasn't worked for the people who are chronically homeless. Meridith Bolster is a licensed clinical social worker at Penobscot Community Health Care's Summer Street Health Center in Bangor.

Center helps leaders learn how to change lives
In a legal system that focuses on crime as an offense against the state - not an individual - the voices of crime victims are frequently unheard, according to Mark Umbreit, founder of the Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking at the University of Minnesota's School of Social Work.

Child welfare workers second-guess stressful jobs
NEW YORK – When child welfare worker Kelly Mares investigates an abuse case, she doesn't know what's going to greet her on the other side of the door. A ferocious dog. Or a gun. Or a meth lab, or angry parents who lash out violently.

New Coping Model Inspires Proactive Change for Survivors of Lost ...
So says Susan A. Berger, LICSW, EdD and the hundreds of bereaved loved ones she's encountered in her career. Susan Berger, founder of the Massachusetts Center for Loss, Bereavement, and Healing , says that the survivors of loss often do not understand their own unique brand of grief; they can be misunderstood and misdiagnosed by therapists as well.

He'll ride bike across country to get men to face depression
But the very morning that Hockert, 71, stepped out of his car behind the St. Anthony Police Department and shot himself in the chest, I was having coffee with Mark Meier, a social worker, businessman and father of three.

Classified    

Join us at the Rockford Center for our 2011 Spring Lecture Series! 
On April 14th, 9AM – 11AM, Traci Bolander, Psy.D.  will present: Antisocial Personality Disorders. Continuing education credits for Nursing and Social Work are available and cost is free. For registration and upcoming lectures - visit www.rockfordcenter.com and click Events. Click here for flyer.