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One of the goals of the National Association of Social Workers is to heighten awareness of what social workers do on a day-to-day basis. As NASW approaches the 2005 launch of our national public education campaign, the Association continues to educate the public, media, business, and legislative sectors about the essential role these highly trained professionals play in all communities.
Social workers apply social
work knowledge, values, and techniques they acquire during their
education and formal training in the following
areas of practice:
- Helping people obtain tangible services;
- Counseling and psychotherapy with individuals, families, and groups;
- Helping communities or groups provide or improve social and health services; and
- Participating in policy-making processes.
The practice of social work also requires knowledge of human development and behavior; of social, economic, and cultural institutions; and of the interaction of all these factors.
To improve social work practice and, in turn, have a significant impact on those served by professional social workers, NASW's Program, Policy, and Practice (PP&P) specialists worked with leadership units to develop/revise standards of practice in genetics, long-term care, adolescent health, and private practice.
PP&P staff
also created 20 practice updates to keep NASW members current on
social work practice issues, and, in conjunction
with various other NASW departments, published the following
brochures:
- Social Work and International Development: A Global Role
for Social Workers
- Youth Bullying...: How Social Workers Can Help
- Your New Career
in Social Work: You've Got the Power!
(All of the above
are available from NASW Press at www.naswpress.org)
PP&P staff
also participated in the following advisory/expert panels to advocate
for the inclusion of the social work perspective
in standards setting processes:
- National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
- American Medical Association Relative Value Update Committee (AMA RVUC)
- The Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission (RAC)
- Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)
- Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)
FEDERALLY FUNDED GRANTS AND PROJECTS
In conjunction with the NASW Foundation, staff from NASW's Program, Policy & Practice department administered the following federally funded grants and projects during 2002-2003:
- Seventh year of the Partners in Program Planning for Adolescent
Health (PIPPAH) cooperative agreement with the Human Resources
Services Administration's (HRSA) Bureau of Maternal and Child
Health
- Fourth year of the Practice Research Network (PRN) project,
funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)
- Second year of the third HIV/AIDS Spectrum project contract
with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's
(SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services
- Second year of the American Society on Aging's Caregiver Training
Grant
- First year of the Child Trauma project contract with the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- First year of a Project on Death in America grant, for developing
and disseminating social work end of life standards
PP&P staff also implemented a one-year project, funded through the NASW Foundation, with the HRSA Bureau of Maternal and Child Health, extending NASW's leadership in emergency room mental health services.
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