Dear Social Work Colleagues,  

 

Hello! Welcome to Issue #139 of the Social Work E-News! Thank you for subscribing to receive this e-mail newsletter, which is brought to you by the publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine, SocialWorker.com, SocialWorkJobBank.com, and other social work publications.

 

Congratulations to all new social work graduates!  You are embarking on a very rewarding profession, and I wish you all the best!

 

June marks the observance of PTSD Awareness Month; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month; Men’s Health Month; Home Safety Month; National Cancer Survivors Day (June 3); World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15); National HIV Testing Day (June 27); Polycystic Kidney Disease Awareness Week (June 17- 23); and more.

 

Coming in July: Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, World Hepatitis Day, and more.

 

I have been working on a project that I am very excited about…it is called RIDING THE MUTUAL AID BUS AND OTHER ADVENTURES IN GROUP WORK. This is the group work book that I am co-editing with Jennifer Clements, and it is part of the Days in the Lives of Social Workers series of books. If you would like more information about this book when it comes out, let me know. It will be available later this year!

 

Also, I will be attending, exhibiting, and presenting at the NASW Restoring Hope conference in Washington, DC, next month. If you are going to the conference, please stop my booth in the exhibit hall!

 

In case you missed it…. The Spring 2012 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is available NOW! Highlights of the Spring issue include: what is an ethical dilemma, professional development in the face of conflict, passing the licensing exam, a school social work group for high school students in non-traditional families, first impressions of social work, reflections of a child welfare social worker, lessons from Hull House, interview with Jonathan Singer of the Social Work Podcast, poetry, book reviews, and more!

 

You can download this issue (and others) of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine in PDF format FREE at http://www.socialworker.com/home/menu/Downloads/. Please allow time for the download to complete.

 

Individual articles from this issue are also available on our Web site in Web format. Just go to http://www.socialworker.com and start reading!

 

IT'S ALSO IN PRINT! Don't forget--THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is available in a print edition. Most issues from 2009 to the present are available now at http://newsocialworker.magcloud.com. You can purchase them individually, or purchase all four issues from 2010 or 2011 in one perfect-bound volume. The 2011 volume is now also available at http://amzn.to/KFDkgE at a new LOWER price!

 

You can also go to http://www.socialworker.com/home/menu/Subscribe/ and subscribe (free) to receive an e-mail reminder and table of contents of each issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine when it is available. If you are a subscriber to the E-News (which you are reading now!), this does NOT mean that you are automatically subscribed to THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine. They are two different publications! Subscribe to both to get the most advantage.

 

The Social Work E-News has 28,700+ subscribers, and thousands of social workers (and people interested in social work) visit our Web sites. If you like our Web sites, The New Social Worker, and the Social Work E-News, please help us spread the word by using the "Share" button on the right side of this newsletter to share the newsletter with your friends and contacts. Tell your friends, students, or colleagues to visit us at http://www.socialworker.com, where they can download a free PDF copy of the magazine, become one of our 14,600+ fans on Facebook, participate in discussions, and lots more.

 

Until next time,

Linda Grobman, ACSW, LSW

Publisher/Editor

THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER®

 

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by Sonya O. Hunte, MSW

 

 

Natosha walked into her supervisor’s office on her first day back from Child Welfare Foundations training and was told that she was inheriting twenty cases. Panic started to set in. She immediately ran to her desk to rummage through the cases in an attempt to make telephone contact with each caretaker of the child(ren) listed on her new caseload. Anxiety started to take over. After all, Natosha had heard some horror stories about children dying or becoming seriously injured while a child welfare agency was involved with the family. Natosha began to manage her caseload from a crisis stance instead of taking the time to strategically approach the work. Kimberly, a veteran social worker and staff mentor, observed Natosha’s frustration over the following weeks in trying to visit children, call collateral contacts, attend court hearings, and return phone calls. Kimberly offered Natosha several tips for successful case management.

1. Review each case that is inherited and write a summary paragraph.

The summary should include the date the child(ren) were last seen by a social worker, any recommendations given by a professional, any services placed in the home or for a particular household member, the family’s response to service intervention, and any court action or other pertinent information. This will help in developing a strategy for serving the family and serve as a quick review for each case.

2. Staff each case with an immediate supervisor for an outside view and directive measures.

Utilize the supervisor as an agency and policy expert. Follow all suggestions and directives.

3. Ensure that all critical issues are managed by the family.

If the family is not capable of moving to autonomy, utilize in-home services to ensure that they are headed in that direction.

4. Be concise but descriptive in writing about the visit with the family.

The person reading your notes should be able to envision what was observed. This will allow the supervisor to give better supervision in that he or she will be able to capture solid information about the family. For example, if a child had a bruise, the shape, color, size, location, and story behind the mark/bruise should be documented.

 

 

Read the rest of this article at:

 

 

Articles from the Spring 2012 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER include:

 

 

 

…and more!

 

Are you or someone you know applying to social work graduate school? The Social Work Graduate School Applicant’s Handbook is now available in Kindle format and print format! Order it from Amazon here for the Kindle edition or here for the print edition.

 

Check out all of our social work and nonprofit books, social work greeting cards, social work buttons, and more. All of our books and products are available through our secure online store at: http://shop.whitehatcommunications.com

 

Receive a $5 discount when you spend $25 or more, now through June 30, 2012, by using coupon code 5OFF4JUNE when you check out at our online store.

 

You can also download our catalog in PDF format at:

 

Find jobs for new grads and experienced social work practitioners at http://www.socialworkjobbank.com, THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER’s online job board and career center. Post your confidential résumé at http://jobs.socialworkjobbank.com/c/resumes/resumes.cfm?site_id=122

 

If you or your agency are hiring social workers, don’t forget to post your jobs on SocialWorkJobBank.com. Please check the SocialWorkJobBank “products/pricing” page at http://jobs.socialworkjobbank.com/r/jobs/post/index.cfm?site_id=122 for job posting options and SPECIAL offers.  Our audience of professional social workers is active and engaged in the job search, receiving more than 480,000 e-mail job alerts last year and actively applying to open positions. Your jobs will gain additional exposure to our social networks on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  Also, please note that SocialWorkJobBank.com is part of the Nonprofit Job Board Network. You can post your job to SocialWorkJobBank and get exposure on other network sites for a reasonable additional fee.

 

Job seeker services are FREE—including searching current job openings, posting your confidential résumé/profile, and receiving e-mail job alerts. Please let employers know that you saw their listings in the SOCIAL WORK E-NEWS and at SocialWorkJobBank.com.

 

There are 1,089 jobs currently posted on SocialWorkJobBank.com. Check it out today.

 

Despite the 2010 passage of the Elder Justice Act, policy experts have found that combating widespread abuse of seniors is still not a top priority for care providers and governments alike. As many as one in 10 people age 60 and over are affected by this problem, according to the newest Public Policy & Aging Report (PPAR) from the National Academy on an Aging Society, the policy institute of The Gerontological Society of America. U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) and U.S. Representative Peter King (R-NY), who have been heavily involved in legislation to address elder abuse, contributed introductory statements for the issue.

Elder abuse encompasses mistreatment, neglect, and exploitation of a physical, psychological, or sexual nature. The Elder Justice Act was signed into law as part of 2010’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, yet it has received no appropriations to date.

PPAR article author Marie-Therese Connolly, JD, a 2011 recipient of a MacArthur Foundation fellowship, presents an extensive analysis of the numerous agencies with responsibility for addressing elder abuse but whose efforts continue to lack adequate coordination and direction. She currently is the director of the nonprofit Life Long Justice, a senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and is a consulting expert on the federal government’s Elder Justice Roadmap Project.

“The human and economic toll exacted by elder abuse is vast, cruel, and costly,” said Connolly. “It’s an issue where real federal leadership and a modest investment of resources — by Congress, the Administration, and private funders — could have a profound impact, mitigating the suffering of millions of people and saving billions of dollars.”

She also found that the mistreatment of the senior population can cause a cascade of consequences with implications for the health and economic security of victim, family, community, and nation. Connolly demonstrated that elder abuse has been shown to increase rates of mortality, injury, and disease, as well as a four-fold increase in nursing home admissions.

Other authors focus on data showing that elder abuse remains seriously under-addressed by public policy, as well as a recommended agenda for future research, education, training, and advocacy.

“We are humbled by the collective work of many pioneers and dedicated community, state, and federal organizations to combat the issues of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation — all with the synergistic purposes to improve health and aging, to give voice to those victims who could not, and to protect an extremely vulnerable population from the egregious human right violations,” said XinQi Dong, MD, MPH, a Rush University Medical Center professor who was instrumental in organizing this publication.

 

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President Obama on LGBT Pride Month--http://youtu.be/k1ryjd2oRIQ

TN School District Agrees To Respect Students’ Rights To Free Speech--http://splcenter.org/get-informed/news/tennessee-school-district-agrees-to-respect-students-rights-to-free-speech

National Center for PTSD--http://www.ptsd.va.gov/index.asp

National Military Family Association--http://www.militaryfamily.org/publications/enewsletters/military-family-topics/june-is-ptsd-awareness-month.html

 

 

 

Applied Research Center (ARC) has just released “Millennials, Activism, and Race,” a report on the motivations of young activists. ARC spoke directly with millennials about their experiences, frustrations, and ideals pertaining to social change.

 

Through nine focus groups in five cities, engaged Millennials shared their vision for a society that overcomes individualism. Young activists were largely inspired to work for social justice through their personal experiences, family, and friends. Other findings include: 

The report builds on last year’s report "'Don’t Call Them Post-Racial': Millennials' Attitudes on Race, Racism, and Key Systems in Our Society." Learn more about both reports at arc.org/millennials.

 

 

 

 

I am seeking articles for upcoming issues of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine. I am especially interested in articles in the following categories:

 

·         social work ethics

·         field placement

·         practice specialties

·         news of innovative social work practice

·         technology

·         what every new social worker needs to know about…

·         other topics of interest to social work students, new graduates, and seasoned professionals

 

Our style is conversational and educational, and articles typically run 1,500-2,000 for feature articles (considerably shorter for news items). 

 

I also welcome submissions of poetry, photographs, illustrations, artwork, and other creative work depicting social work and related topics.

 

Please contact Linda Grobman, editor/publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER, at: lindagrobman@socialworker.com

 

 

 

 

Here are several recent stories that may be of interest to social workers:

 

1)    Judge Uses Social Work To Help Kids: http://newsok.com/judge-uses-social-work-to-help-kids/article/3683064

2)    Sandusky’s Alleged Victims Could Have a Grueling Time at the Trial: http://www.businessinsider.com/shame-and-intimidation-could-rife-among-sandusky-accusers-social-worker-2012-6

3)    Child Protection Bureaucracy in England is Cut: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-18410197

 

4)    NASW’s HIV/AIDS Spectrum Project Supports the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: http://www.thebody.com/content/67472/nasws-hivaids-spectrum-project-supports-the-nation.html

5)    NH Social Workers Partner With Furniture Store: http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2012/06/12/nh_social_workers_partner_with_furniture_store/ 

 

…and more!

 

 

In addition to the free PDF and Web versions of the magazine, the magazine is available in PRINT at http://newsocialworker.magcloud.com!  Order it today!

 

Our online discussion forum/message board is a place for open discussion of a variety of social work-related issues. Join in our discussion at http://www.socialworker.com (click on the “Forum” link).

 

 

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The Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics is a free, online, peer-reviewed journal published by the publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER. It is published twice a year, in full text, online at: http://www.socialworker.com/jswve

 

The Spring 2012 edition is available online now at:

 

Go to the journal Web site at http://www.socialworker.com/jswve to read this and other available issues. You can also sign up for a free subscription, and you will be notified by e-mail when each issue is available online.

 

Get continuing education credit for reading selected articles from the Journal of Social Work Values & Ethics. Several new courses are now available.  See http://www.socialworker.com/jswve/content/view/57/52/ for details.

 

 

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