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ANNUAL LEADERSHIP
MEETING – JULY 2003
Chapter presidents, executives, and board members traveled to Washington,
D.C. to meet with national staff leaders to discuss the state of
the Association, exchange strategies for social work advocacy, and
participate in training seminars at the Annual Leadership Meeting.
 The
Plenary Session included a state-of-the-Association address by Executive
Director Elizabeth J. Clark, during which she discussed NASW's increasing
membership (an anomaly for membership organizations during a slow
economy); the highlights of Social Work Summit II; memoranda of
understanding signed with four organizations (Canadian Association
of Social Workers, School Social Workers of America, Association
for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, and the National
Network for Social Work Managers); the Association's continuing
work in developing and maintaining standards of social work practice
in several specialty areas; and the launch of the new NASW Web site
design.
 ALM
this year also included keynote speaker Naomi Haines Griffith, social
worker and author of Red Clay and Vinegar; featured speakers
Charles Curie, NASW member and administrator of the federal Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Jill Manske, director
of social work service with the Veterans Health Administration,
and Julia M. Watkins, new executive director of the Council on Social
Work Education; and a welcome address from newly sworn-in NASW President
Gary Bailey, who stated, "Social justice is the soul of social
work. It's what makes us different from other professions, and is
the cornerstone of our Association."
 ALM
was also the venue for the national NASW and NASW Foundation awards;
presentation of the Chapter Executive Director of the Year award;
and the Gilman-Wells Award for a chapter staff member demonstrating
excellence in a particular area.
DELEGATE
ASSEMBLY – AUGUST 2002
Delegate Assembly (DA) is the representative decision making
body through which the Association’s members set broad organizational
policy, establish program priorities, and develop a collective stance
on public and professional issues.
The 2002 DA adopted amendments
to NASW’s bylaws that will have an impact on future Delegate
Assemblies, the Board of Directors, and the Committee on Inquiry.
Additionally, the Assembly adopted several new policy statements,
including:
- Capital Punishment and the Death Penalty
- Crime Victim Assistance
- Invest in Adolescent Health
- Rural Social Work
- School Violence
- Sovereignty and Health of Indigenous People
These statements were
included in the January 2003 edition of Social Work Speaks, available
from NASW Press. Abstracts of NASW's policy statements are available
online at www.socialworkers.org/resources/abstracts/default.asp
The DA also adopted resolutions
on a variety of topics that reflect and express the will or intent
of the Assembly regarding emerging issues. The 2002 DA created changes
for the future that will allow for the Association's—and the
profession's—continued growth and advancement.
SOCIAL
WORK SUMMIT II – DECEMBER 2002
For two days in December 2002, more than 68 leaders representing
42 national social work organizations participated in Social Work
Summit II, which focused on:
“Building a positive
image and greater influence for the social work profession through
social work advocacy, practice, education, and research.”
From the many issues
discussed, three organizing themes emerged:
- The need to clearly define the profession and demonstrate the
economic value of professional social workers to society and employers;
- The need to strategically communicate to the public, media,
legislators, and employers the importance of social work practice
to society; and
- The need to build and nurture and effective inter-organizational
coalition that promotes shared priorities and mobilizes the organizations’
collective memberships into action around common issues and concerns.
As participants exchanged ideas and experiences,
obtained resources for their organizations, and identified a proactive
agenda for strengthening the profession, the Summit generated a
renewed sense of partnership and collaboration among key social
work groups. |
