The path to social work was not an obvious one at first for NASW-Iowa Executive Director Denise Rathman. While working at Planned Parenthood of Mid-Iowa as a family planning assistant, she realized that legislation and policy did not always match the reality of what people were going through and how they behaved. She says she wanted a position that combined psychology with political science, and she explained this to a colleague. “At the time, this co-worker happened to be in social work school and she said, ‘You’re talking about social work,’” Rathman says. “She brought a social policy textbook in, and...

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Protect Our Kids: Eliminating Child Maltreatment Deaths Participation at public hearings to develop a national strategy to eliminate child maltreatment deaths has exceeded expectations, said NASW member Michael Petit, president of Every Child Matters Education Fund. Petit and social worker Marilyn Bruguier Zimmerman, director of the National Native Children’s Trauma Center, serve on the 12-member Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities, which was created by the bipartisan Protect Our Kids Act in 2012. A multitude of stakeholders in child welfare have appeared before the commission to report their challenges, succes...

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The NASW South Carolina chapter announced its support for Sen. Vincent Sheheen in South Carolina’s gubernatorial race, according to an article in ColaDaily.com. NASW member Marjorie Hammock spoke on behalf of the chapter during the announcement, saying that Sheheen supports and respects the social work profession. “As social workers, it’s our job to protect children, families and South Carolina’s most vulnerable citizens,” Hammock says in the article. “For South Carolina to be a place of just, equitable communities we need an honest governor who supports and respects our work. That’s why we back Vin...

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The NASW Foundation has selected eight new Social Work Pioneers® who it says serve as role models for future generations of social workers. Pioneers’ contributions are reflected in every aspect of the profession — such as the establishment of social policies and human services programs, according to the Foundation. They are also, of course, social workers themselves. The Foundation’s Pioneer program honors those social workers who have participated in evolving and enriching the profession. The eight new Pioneers are Kathleen Ell, Marilyn Flynn, Sol Gothard, Martha Kendall Holmes, Jessie Donaldson Hodder, Julia Norlin,...

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Social workers rolled up their collective sleeves and joined in making a difference when President Lyndon Johnson declared the War on Poverty 50 years ago. Interviews with social workers targeting poverty alleviation today make it clear that just as society evolves, so do the challenges of poverty. However, they say giving up is not an option. The widening gap It is imperative that the social work profession seeks system-level approaches to alleviating poverty, said Michal Grinstein-Weiss, a national and international expert in social and economic mobility and an associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis at the George Warre...

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As president of NASW, I have many opportunities to engage with members from across our association. One way I get to do this is when I chair national board meetings. These meetings, which are an important part of our association’s governance structure, bring our elected representatives from across the country together to discuss, deliberate and act on issues of significance to the profession, our members, and ultimately our clients. As a social worker, I know how important it is to be an active listener, and this professional skill is critical in our lively, informative and impactful examination of issues relevant to NASW’s su...

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NASW had a special representative at the Voice Awards in Los Angeles on Aug. 13 — Hayden Byerly, teen actor on “The Fosters” on ABC Family. Actor Hayden Byerly, left, with past NASW President Suzanne Dworak-Peck at the SAMHSA Voice Awards in Los Angeles Byerly, 13, portrays Jude Jacob on the drama series, which is now in its second season. Jude is a foster child who fled an abusive home and is eventually adopted by the Fosters, a lesbian couple. Byerly gave NASW a special shout-out during the award ceremony, which was held at UCLA’s Royce Hall. “I would like to thank the National Association of S...

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The United Network for Organ Sharing honored social worker Barbara Lee, of Greenville, N.C., with the 2014 National Donor Memorial Award for Excellence in recognition of her work as a donation champion for more than two decades. Lee has served as a social worker at Vidant Medical Center Transplant Services for more than 20 years and as an active volunteer at Carolina Donor Services for more than 10 years, according to a statement released by UNOS. One of Lee’s first volunteer efforts was serving as a chaperone for Team North Carolina when it went to Salt Lake City for the 1996 U.S. Transplant Games, UNOS said. It was a rather modest b...

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Florida Gov. Rick Scott passed legislation in June that establishes a preference for hiring social workers as child protective investigators. According to the bill (SB 1666), the Florida Institute for Child Welfare — comprising the state’s public and private university schools of social work — will advise the state on child welfare policy, social work education and child welfare worker training. “(It’s) such vindication to all the hard work NASW-Florida put in to get SB 1666 passed into law,” said NASW-Florida Legislative Chairman David Brown. “Great moment for us, our members, and most importantly ...

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The NASW Political Action for Candidate Election board of trustees has been reviewing and endorsing federal candidates for the Nov. 4 midterm elections. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 34 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate will be contested. As a political action committee, PACE endorses and can choose to financially contribute to candidates from any party who support NASW’s policy agenda. At press time, the board planned to finalize its list of more than 160 endorsements in the most highly contested races. Brian Dautch, senior political action associate at NASW, researches and reviews potential candidates for...

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