Message from NASW-DE Executive Director John Shuford

At our annual Social Work month celebration, we will be honoring the Social Worker and Social Work Agency of the Year. We need your input/suggestions for nominees. Please see the attached flier. Our celebration is March 22 at the Duncan Center in Dover. Our annual meeting is from 5:00 to 6:00 and the celebration is from 6:00 to 9:00. As I said in the last issue, there will be nice giveaways. So, y’all come.

Our website is progressing well. The online courses are listed under Continuing Education. That link is to the New Jersey chapter’s website, so the wording is about NJ. We will soon change that so that it describes continuing education for NJ and Delaware. All courses on the website, however, are approved by the Delaware chapter. We currently have no job postings listed, because there have been no requests. When openings are requested, they will appear. We will soon be announcing onsite [face to face] continuing education offerings in Delaware. We hope to get the site fully functioning within a couple of months.

There was a significant Op Ed in the News Journal on January 10, by Newt Gingrich. He and other conservative leaders are launching their “Right on Crime Campaign” to lead the way for prison reform. Conservatives, in the past, have taken the “Tough on Crime” approach and not been open to rehabilitation. Hopefully, conservatives can now lead the way to prison reform. Many legislators have not addressed the issue of prison reform for fear of being seen as “soft on crime.” Maybe legislators on both sides of the aisle can come together for some meaningful change.

                                                                                                    John

Pierson Speaks on Borderline Personality Disorder

Dr. Judy Pierson, Clinical Psychologist and Bereavement Counselor for Delaware Hospice, spoke to a full house of 65 guests at January’s Lunch Bunch lecture series on “Stop Walking on Eggshells: when someone in your life has borderline Personality Disorder.” Read more.

Drug Free Community (DFC) Funds Available

From Erica Melman of DHSS: The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) released the 2011 DFC RFA today (Tuesday, January 18, 2011) at noon. This RFA is for Drug Free Community (DFC) funds. For more information: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/DFC/.

Also from Erica Melman:
Become an advocate of support and assistance for the children of alcoholics. "An estimated 25 percent of all children in the United States (about 27.8 million) are affected by or exposed to a family alcohol problem." This information was forwarded to Erica by SAMHSA regarding Children of Alcoholics week, which is observed February 13 - 19, 2011. Read more on how you can get involved in your community.

Prevention Basics: Substance Abuse Prevention Workshop - Feb 23/24

This one day workshop is designed to offer a first step introduction to the principles, models, and theory of modern substance abuse prevention. At the end of the workshop participants will be able to:

• Define substance abuse prevention;
• Describe the framework and theories that inform effective substance abuse
prevention;
• Identify the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention’s six prevention strategies, population targeting methods and planning matrixes; and
• Apply new knowledge to a case study relevant to the content of the workshop.

The training will take place at the following two times/locations:
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 (8:30 am – 4:30 pm), Delaware Technical and Community College, Terry Campus, Corporate Training Office, Conference Room 400A, 100 Campus Drive, Dover, DE 19904
Or
Thursday, February 24, 2011 (8:30 am – 4:30 pm), Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, Springer Building- Classrooms 1 & 2, 1901 N. DuPont Highway, New Castle, DE 19720

If you have any questions or are interested in attending, please RSVP to Erica Melman at 302-255-9428 or Erica.Melman@state.de.us by Wednesday, February 16, 2011.

NASW Opposes Repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH
Executive Director, National Association of Social Workers

Dear Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi:

On behalf of the National Association of Social Workers, (NASW) and our 145,000 members, I am writing to express social workers' strong opposition to legislation that would repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Social workers strongly support the new law because it makes vital improvements to health care access, quality and services for millions of Americans with health and behavioral needs. We ask you to strongly support implementation of the new law as vital to advance the health and behavioral needs of our nation. MORE

Illinois Expands Options for Uninsured Residents with
Pre-existing Medical Conditions

Illinois has expanded insurance options for people with pre-existing medical conditions, advancing the state's efforts to implement national health reforms passed last year. The Illinois Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan, called IPXP, this month began offering comprehensive insurance with a $1,000 deductible to residents who have been uninsured for at least six months. A deductible is the amount someone pays out of pocket before insurance coverage kicks in. Previously, only a $2,000 deductible plan was available. MORE

Online CE Institute

Click here or on the image above. The Online CE Institute offers you a variety of alternative learning formats for your continuing education credits, including:

• Audio workshops; available for download (“CEtoGo”) or streaming on your PC (“Online Seminar”)
• Pre-taped video presentations  (coming soon)
• Live on-line seminars (webinars/teleconferences) (coming soon)
  
  

All programs found on this website are certified for any state that accepts NASW approved courses, for those dually licensed in other states, such as Delaware, Pennsylvania, , Florida, and others.

Now Available Online! Early Bird Registration for the NASW-NJ 2011 Annual Conference & Exhibition

Early Bird Registration for the 2011 NASW-NJ Annual Conference in now available. Click here or visit the NASW-NJ Web homepage at www.naswnj.org.

The NASW-NJ Annual Conference and Exhibition, the Meeting of the Profession, will be held on May 1-3, 2011 at the Trump Taj Majal in Atlantic City.

Video: Illinois Tax Increases

Illinois enacts tax increases to cut a $15 billion deficit causing a raging debate across the state. MORE

Antibullying Program Reduces Gossip on School Playgrounds

Elementary school students who participated in a three-month anti-bullying program in Seattle schools showed a 72 percent decrease in malicious gossip.

The study, led by the University of Washington, is the first to show that the widely used Steps to Respect bullying prevention program can curb children's gossip, an element of playground culture often seen as harmless but capable of causing real harm. "Gossip is an element of bullying, and it can lead to physical bullying," says Karin Frey, a research associate professor of educational psychology. "Kids will tell you that gossip is just as painful as physical bullying." MORE

HIV/AIDS Spectrum Project – Training of Trainers Opportunities – Applications Due 2/17/11

The NASW HIV/AIDS Spectrum Project will be holding a Training of Trainers (TOT) in April 2011. Successful applicants must have advanced skills and knowledge in HIV/AIDS prevention, assessment, and care and treatment.

Selected applicants will participate in a three-day TOT in Washington, DC, expenses to be covered through a contract with Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/Center for Mental Health Services (SAMHSA/CMHS).

Once trained, participants will be required to continue the education cycle by providing workshops and outreach in their own communities. Applications must be in by February 17, 2011.

To apply, click here and follow the instructions. To learn more about the HIV/AIDS Spectrum: Mental Health Training and Education of Social Workers Project, click here. Execs may contact Evelyn Tomaszewski with questions at etomaszewski@naswdc.org.

NASW Luncheon Series - Health Care Reform

Stephen Gorin, PhD, MSW - Executive Director of NASW-NH will be doing a Lunchtime Series webinar at the end of the month on healthcare. For those wanting more details visit NASW’s website and click on the Lunchtime series icon.

Health Care Reform and Beyond: Limits and Possibilities of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)

Monday, January 31, 2011 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST Credit Hours: 1 CEU(s)

The enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) in March 2010 marked a turning point in social welfare history in the United States. This webinar will examine the background to and development of the PPACA and consider its limits and possibilities. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of how social workers might advocate for policies that move beyond the PPACA and further address the structural roots of health status and inequalities.

Help NASW Celebrate Black History – Submit a Profile on www.HelpStartsHere.org
by January 28 (TODAY!)

February is Black History Month and to celebrate it NASW is inviting its African American members to publish a personal profile on its consumer Web site www.HelpStartsHere.org. All African American social workers are eligible to participate. NASW membership is not required.

Anyone wishing to participate this year should send his or her response to the questions below to Theresa Spinner at tspinner@naswdc.org. Theresa will send submitters a draft of their profiles for their review and approval and before posting it www.HelpStartsHere.org and upload it onto the site.

• Who are you, where do you work, and what is your area of expertise?
• Why did you choose social work as your profession?
• What is your proudest professional achievement?

Also, submitters should include an electronic photo of themselves, if possible. Submissions should be sent to Ms. Spinner by Friday, January 28, 2011. They will be published on the site on Tuesday, February 1, 2011.

Sons of Divorce Fare Worse Than Daughters

A new study reports that men whose parents divorced before they were 18 are two to three times as likely to seriously consider taking their own lives as men whose parents were not divorced by that age. Women whose parents divorced by age 18 were not affected as significantly. They, too, thought about suicide more often than other women, but the thoughts were explained by other traumatic experiences they'd had, like childhood abuse. MORE

News from DE and Beyond...

Allegations of elementary school sexting
A letter went home with students on Friday after they were briefed by police officers and school social workers.

Parenting experts weigh in on 'Tiger Mother'
"There's a good take-home message here," said Dorian Traube, an assistant professor at USC's School of Social Work. "Chua has very clear expectations of her kids — what activities they'll engage with, who they engage with. Any parenting book you pick up will tell you that's the way to raise happy, secure children. What's controversial is her methods."

Children of the incarcerated are often an invisible population
“This is a huge social issue that deserves much more attention,” said Stacey Burgess, a social worker from Tulsa.

Mental health workers offer tips on beating burn-out
Overwhelmed workers, especially those in the field of social work, need to set clear boundaries for themselves, Stansbury said.

What School Turnaround Really Takes
Turnaround teams include a school coach, a social worker, and a classroom coach--the focus is systems, services, and skills. They "work with school staff to develop the systems, resources, and knowledge and skills to address the broad and intense set of needs presented by students and staff, all in the service of creating a positive school culture and a vibrant learning community dedicated to high achievement and healthy development." The three year intervention costs about $200,000 annually with philanthropic, school and district support.

Community Justice Program launched in Brooklyn
EmpireStateNews.net
The Community Justice Program, which pairs Medgar Evers' strong academic programs in social work and related disciplines with District Attorney Charles J. Hynes’ nationally recognized re-entry and diversion programs, includes an array of initiatives, internships and courses that create opportunities for students and the formerly incarcerated.

Gabe Zimmerman lived to serve the public
Zimmerman, 30, will be celebrated at a public memorial this morning, organized by the local branch of the Arizona State University School of Social Work.

Social work community honors Zimmerman
Zimmerman was very well known in the social work community, not just as a co-worker, but as a leader. Craig LeCroy helped organize the event in Zimmerman's honor.

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