Child Welfare Policy & News

Our nation is grappling with a mental health crisis that was worsened by social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. One factor contributing to rising levels of depression and anxiety is social media. In fact, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a warning in May about the ill effects social media may be having on our nation’s youth, making them more vulnerable to anxiety and depression. Social workers, including those who work in our nation’s schools, account for one of the largest groups of mental health service providers in the United States. School social workers are poised to offer advice to parents, students, and the news media on how families can help their children avoid the pitfalls of social media.

A report from the American Psychological Association and ecoAmerica documents how environmental events linked to climate changecan trigger or exacerbate mental health issues for kids and teens.

As gun violence erupts on American streets and in schools, churches and homes, social workers are among the first responders and are still there, years later, supporting victims’ family members and communities.

In the 1960s and 1970s, about one-third of Native American children were taken into the child welfare system, and 85 percent of their placements were outside their families and communities. This practice led to activism and the passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978. It recognizes that cultural continuity is in the child’s best interest and mandates cultural preferences

The mental health bill (Advancing and Improving Access to Mental Health, H.R. 2035/S. 870) that the U.S Senate Finance Committee has released reminds me of the interface between child welfare and mental health, and of the children for whom access to mental health services has been out of reach.

On Feb. 9, 2023, Yahoo posted a headline “Missouri Republicans vote to allow children to carry guns.” But according to NASW-Missouri Executive Director Cassie E. Brown, who clarified what really happened, both the headline and the story were wrong.