National Association of Social Workers

Social Work in Entertainment

New TV series earns B rating

By Greg Wright, News contributor

What’s new at SocialWorkersSpeak.org, the website that lets social workers follow and influence how they are portrayed in media?

Pop icon Jennifer Lopez has created a new ABC Family series called “The Fosters,” which features a lesbian couple raising a mix of biological, adopted and foster children. The series, which premiered on June 3, will also feature a social worker named Bill (actor Geoffrey Rivas).

Social workers who got a sneak peek of the June 3 pilot said the show was entertaining and dramatic, although some of the social work related plot points were inaccurate. For instance, social workers said it is unlikely a child would be introduced for the first time to a prospective foster parent in a juvenile jail parking lot. Still, they gave the show a solid B rating.

“Inaccuracies notwithstanding, I still think ‘The Fosters’ is a tremendous teaching tool,” said NASW Senior Practice Associate Stacy Collins, MSW.

For more on “The Fosters:” www.socialworkersspeak.org

Meanwhile social worker Geri Lynn Matthews, MSW, LICSW, has gone behind the camera to highlight the plight of males in the military who are victims of sexual assault and rape. Matthew’s husband, Michael, was raped when he was 19 years old and entering the Air Force.

He kept the incident secret for decades but it took a heavy toll on his mental health. Michael Matthews suffered from depression and tried to commit suicide six times.

Matthews co-directed and produced “Justice Denied” along with director and co-producer Michael Miller. During the documentary they interviewed 13 male assault victims from around the nation.

Matthews and Miller hope the film will spur regulatory and legislative changes to make it easier to prosecute perpetrators in the military.

“We want people to see this as a human rights issue,” she said.

“Justice Denied” premiered June 8 at the Albuquerque Film and Media Experience in Albuquerque, N. M., at the KiMo Theatre. For more on the film: click here.

From July 2013 NASW News. © 2013 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved. NASW News articles may be copied for personal use, but proper notice of copyright and credit to the NASW News must appear on all copies made. This permission does not apply to reproduction for advertising, promotion, resale, or other commercial purposes.