NASW in the News
The following are examples of NASW-MA appearing in the news over the years in regards to our legislative priorities:
2010
- Legislative Victory for Social Workers: House Bill 4681, An Act to Improve Emergency Access to Mental Health Services Passes (READ ARTICLE)
- Letter to the Editor – Boston Globe: “Social Workers’ Skills Authority Demeaned” (READ ARTICLE)
2009
- Letter to the Editor – Boston Globe: “Much To Do, Few Resources” (READ ARTICLE)
2008
- Social Workers Boosting Expertise on Money Woes (READ ARTICLE)
- Social Workers Respond to Governor Sarah Palin’s Attack on Community Organizers (READ ARTICLE)
2007
- MSPCC and NASW Respond to ICE Raid in New Bedford Resulting in Trauma to Children (READ ARTICLE)
- State's Top Officials Offer Supportive Words To Social Workers (READ ARTICLE)
2006
September 2010
FOCUS Newsletter
Legislative Victory for Social Workers:
House Bill 4681, An Act to Improve Emergency Access to Mental Health Services Passes
By Rebekah Gewirtz, Director of Government Relations and Political Action, NASW MA Chapter
On August 9, 2010 Governor Deval Patrick signed into law House Bill 4681, An Act to Improve Emergency Access to Mental Health Services. This important bill gives LICSWs in Massachusetts the legal tool they need to assess clients for their immediate danger to themselves or to others, and to fulfill their professional responsibility in the most dire and acute clinical situations.
Currently, LICSWs are completing Section 12s (also known as “pink papers”?or assessments of dangerousness) and then potentially putting themselves, their client, and the public at risk while they scramble to find another professional, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist, to sign off on the assessment. In some cases, the person signing off on the assessment has never seen the client, and in other cases the signer, such as a police officer, may have no formal mental health training. In the worst cases, the time it takes for a social worker to find another professional to sign off can make the difference between life and death for the patient or others. Passage of this bill puts LICSWs on the same standing as other independent clinicians like psychologists by authorizing them to sign Section 12s.
It’s important to note that a Section 12 is not an involuntary commitment. A Section 12 is a commitment request that authorizes an involuntary transport to a hospital where the client is immediately evaluated by a physician to determine if he or she needs to be committed to an inpatient facility for no more than 72 hours. Only the evaluating physician can make the commitment determination.
Social workers are mandated reporters and bound by the Duty to Warn. Yet, before the passage of this bill, they did not have that legal authority. Indeed, clients depend on social workers to keep them safe and to fulfill their duties such as the duty to protect, but without Section 12 authority social workers were not fully able to meet that responsibility.
As a real life example, the man who went on a homicidal rampage at Virginia Tech had been in the care of a social worker. She recommended inpatient treatment but was not able to sign off on a transport to the hospital where he could have been further evaluated, and as a result he received outpatient treatment. After the tragedy, Virginia changed its laws to allow social workers to sign section 12s.
Passage of this bill marks just one of the many successes of the 2009-2010 legislative session, including four other NASW MA Chapter priorities that became law or were included in the budget as a result of the Chapter’s advocacy efforts or working in coalition with other groups.
Thanks to all the NASW members who advocated for this bill and called their legislators when they got the request from the Chapter. To join your colleagues in the NASW MA Chapter’s legislative advocacy initiatives! Your participation makes our efforts successful!
July 2010
Letter to the Editor: The Boston Globe – Diagnosing PTSD
Social Workers’ Skills Authority Demeaned
The July 17 letter "Diagnosing PTSD" misrepresented the field of social work. The writer demeans the skills of clinical social workers by saying that they are not “federally recognized’’ for rendering psychological evaluations. The writer has cited a tiny section in the federal regulation that applies only to assessing veterans for their eligibility for compensation and pension issues. Professional clinical social workers have the training, expertise, and legal authority in Massachusetts, almost all other states, and through federal health plans to assess and treat mental illness. In fact, professional social workers provide more than 60 percent of outpatient mental health services in the country.
Thank you for the opportunity to address myths and inaccuracies associated with our profession.
Carol J. Trust, LICSW
Executive Director, Massachusetts Chapter, National Association of Social Workers
November 9, 2009
Letter to the Editor: The Boston Globe – The Crises at DCF
Much To Do, Few Resources
Social workers in child welfare have always been available scapegoats, seen as taking kids away when they shouldn’t, or not taking them away when they should.
What is closer to reality is that society expects social workers to take care of the most complex social and familial problems of our culture. Our charge is to care for the poor, the homeless, the troubled, and the neglected. However, we are not given adequate tools and resources to do the job.
The current dispute between our ally - Service Employees International Union Local 509, the union that represents child welfare workers at the Department of Children and Families - and agency commissioner Angelo McClain, who is a doctoral-level social worker with one of the state’s toughest jobs, is a case in point. DCF social workers respond to reports of suspected abuse and neglect. They need training and support to do that job. McClain needs to supply comprehensive, timely, and superior training support to his staff so they get it right. And he needs resources to do this.
We know that both the social workers at DCF and the commissioner are committed to serving the Commonwealth’s vulnerable children and families. We support them, entirely, in the challenging work before them.
Sincerely,
Phyllis W. King, LICSW
Massachusetts Chapter, National Association of Social Workers
Carol J. Trust, LICSW
Executive Director, Massachusetts Chapter, National Association of Social Workers
November 9, 2008
Associated Press
Social Workers Boosting Expertise on Money Woes
By David Crary, AP National Writer
NEW YORK—Against the backdrop of the economic meltdown, a movement is building within the ranks of America's social workers to make their profession more adept at helping clients overcome financial woes.
Since they emerged on the scene in the late 19th century, social workers traditionally have sought to improve the lot of the poor. But in the contemporary era of rampant foreclosures, credit card debt, and ever-evolving scams that prey on the economically vulnerable, few social work schools offer specialized financial training to their students, leaving them collectively unprepared.
Change is under way, however.
The University of Maryland's School of Social Work recently embraced the concept of "financial social work," offering workshops and mini-courses for students and people already working in the field. Professor Dick Cook, who runs the school's outreach service in Baltimore, said a primary goal is to help clients think more broadly about how to build assets.
In St. Louis, social work professors have organized a "think tank" to brainstorm on how social work schools can better prepare their students to assist clients with financial decisions.
In Ashville, N.C., social worker Reeta Wolfsohn is offering an online certificate course in financial social work that has extended into 20 states. The Social Services Department in North Carolina's Wilson County last fall hired a "financial coach" who had taken Wolfsohn's course.
"Before, we'd do a two-hour training session for clients and pat ourselves on the back," said Wilson County's self-sufficiency program manager, Susan Parker. "But we were just giving them information. No one was helping them one-on-one to change behavior."
The new approach, she said, "is not about providing safety nets to families. It's about teaching them to be their own safety net."
Among the beneficiaries is Sharon Mercer, 41, a single mother of nine children ranging in age from 4 to 17. She was jobless, destitute and reluctant to turn to the county for help out of fear that her children would be taken from her, but the response surprised her.
"It wasn't about just giving me a check -- it was about building my confidence," she said in a telephone interview. "I said, 'No, I can't.' They said, 'Yes, you can.'"
Mercer was urged to take a volunteer job at first, embraced it, and subsequently has progressed to a full-time, paid job with Wilson County's maintenance department.
"The most important thing for her was having someone there on a consistent basis, holding her accountable," said Frances Hendricks, the recently hired financial coach. "We're trying to get to the root of people's behaviors, get them to see why they're spending the way they're spending."
A key part of the new approach is convincing clients to talk candidly about sensitive, embarrassing aspects of their financial problems.
In Baltimore, University of Maryland social work graduate Robin McKinney has applied that concept as director of the Maryland Cash Campaign. The campaign tries to steer low-income clients away from predatory lenders, provide free tax preparation services and ensure they collect their full allotment of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
"A lot of financial education is focused on numbers, but financial decision-making is very emotional when you have to choose between eating or keeping a roof over your head," said McKinney. "Who better than a social worker to help with that emotional side of money?"
McKinney recounted her dealings with a single mother of seven who amassed $60,000 in credit card debt. Under McKinney's empathetic probing, the woman revealed that many of her purchases were intended to please her children.
"She felt she had to buy things to be a good mom," McKinney said. "But after we talked for a while, she said, 'Wait a minute. I'm not being a good mom if I'm going to pass on debt and poverty to my children.'"
Even with the dearth of finance-oriented training in social work schools, social workers have helped develop numerous financial-awareness and asset-building programs in recent years.
Michael Sherraden, a social work professor at Washington University in St. Louis, devised the concept of Individual Development Accounts, which help low-income families build assets to reach long-term goals such buying a home. Many social service agencies have launched so-called financial literacy courses.
For example, New York City's Administration for Children's Services recently started a program for youths aging out of foster care that teaches basic financial skills and enables them to open savings accounts. The Children's Aid Society, a New York-based nonprofit, offers workshops to struggling families on dealing with banks, confronting credit problems and avoiding scams.
Dick Cook, the University of Maryland professor, said an infusion of financially savvy social workers could be vital as the economy flounders. He said banking services are likely to shrink in low-income neighborhoods, where many poor people patronize check-cashing services that charge burdensome fees.
"By building this new field, we're creating an infrastructure that can be pulled in to help," he said.
C. Warren Moses, chief executive of the Children's Aid Society, said social workers can acquire specific financial expertise on the job, but he also favors incorporating the topic into social work schools' curriculum.
"It would make students realize it's important," he said.
Margaret Sherraden, Michael Sherraden's wife and a social work professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, is playing a lead role in efforts to boost financial education in social work schools. Thus far, she argues, the standard curriculum has "lagged behind" real-world developments and produced students unprepared to meet needs of vulnerable families.
"The growing field of economic empowerment represents an exceptional opportunity for the social work profession," she wrote in proposing a forum on the topic. "Arguably, no other profession is as well positioned as social work to assume leadership."
August 2008
FOCUS Newsletter
Social Workers Respond to Governor Sarah Palin’s Attack on Community Organizers
By Rebekah Gewirtz, Director of Government Relations and Political Action, NASW MA Chapter
WASHINGTON D.C.—The National Association of Social Workers was outraged to hear Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, one of the nation’s vice-presidential candidates, malign in a live international broadcast the work of community organizers.
The social work profession takes great pride in its community organizing roots and lauds the contributions of its members, and other professionals, who commit their careers to helping residents of different communities organize their resources and take social action to improve life for themselves and their families. Small town reformers and urban community organizers have much in common.
The concepts of community organizing, community building and community development undergird the premise of American democracy. As a result of these efforts, institutions and officials often deliver more effective economic growth strategies, as well as mental health, health, and family services for people of all ages.
Community organizing is also the foundation of most successful political campaigns. Meeting fellow Americans in their communities and working with them to find solutions to problems that limit their potential is valuable and necessary work—with significant responsibilities.
The profession of social work was founded on the legacy of outstanding women leaders such as Nobel Laureate Jane Addams, who practiced community organizing in the Settlement Houses she created for the poor and working class immigrants of Chicago. The profession also counts Civil Rights icons such as Dr. Dorothy I. Height among its luminaries. It is fitting that both women are considered two of the most influential people in American history, and are inspirations for many of our country’s finest leaders.
During this election year, NASW encourages both parties to stay focused on issues of substance to the American people. We hope that instead of denigrating the lives and work of huge segments of the population, candidates will demonstrate how their plans for the country will protect and elevate the quality of life for all Americans.
March 2007
FOCUS Newsletter
MSPCC and NASW Respond to ICE Raid in New Bedford Resulting in Trauma to Children
By Rebekah Gewirtz, Director of Government Relations and Political Action, NASW MA Chapter
Boston—The Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s raid on a New Bedford factory which resulted in 350 alleged illegal immigrants detained at Fort Devens unnecessarily traumatized hundreds of children and highlights the need for a purposeful integration of child welfare policy into immigration policy and enforcement strategies.
“Many of the individuals who were detained this week are parents. This raid left hundreds of children abandoned at their schools, day care centers, and other child care placements,” said Marylou Sudders, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. “The disruption in the children’s lives and the wide-spread chaos in Southeastern Massachusetts could have and should have been prevented. Obviously the children have done nothing wrong, but they are suffering because, although this raid was pre-meditated, the well-being of the children was callously overlooked.”
Carol J. Trust, Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers commented, “Protection of children in a situation like this must be a major consideration. Indeed, children are innocent and their well being should be considered preeminently when a plan is put in place to enforce ICE regulations.” Trust continued, “An event like this should never happen again where children are left bewildered, confused, and traumatized. We must do better than that in this state and in this country.”
Federal Immigration Laws warrant careful attention and thoughtful reform. As the debate unfolds, child advocates call upon federal and state officials to make the safety and well-being of children paramount to this discussion and a nonnegotiable element of reform. The isolation of child welfare authorities from the planning and execution of an operation that will have a traumatic impact on the children involved is unconscionable and must not be allowed to happen again. Any future effort on the part of law enforcement to target illegal immigrants must include efforts to ensure that children are cared for and protected.
March 26, 2007
State House News Service
State's Top Officials Offer Supportive Words To Social Workers
By Priscilla Yeon
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON—Top elected officials, recognizing the low wages paid to social workers and the vital roles they play in child protection and welfare cases, expressed interest in appropriating additional funding this year.
At a National Association of Social Workers (NASW) educational and lobbying event today, Carol Trust, Executive Director of the NASW-Massachusetts chapter, promoted a bill that would provide “loan forgiveness” to students who commit to working at least 35 hours a week for a year in child protective services or in underserved areas.
Trust said social workers should not be discouraged from joining or staying in the field. “We need to be unstoppable at what we’re doing,” she said. “We absolutely need to support these services.”
Gov. Deval Patrick said the work of social workers was critical in the wake of the recent New Bedford immigration raid, when federal authorities allegedly separated undocumented workers from their children by sending them to out-of-state detention centers.
“You brought your professionalism and your humanism to bear there,” said Patrick.
He said social workers did not wait for protocol to ask and were actively searching for solutions to respond to the needs of the people involved in the raid. “What you did was beyond policy,” said Patrick.
He said the bills the NASW supports are also his priorities, such as full-day kindergarten classes, affordable health care, and lowing the cost of living by providing some relief in property taxes. He said in 77 days in office, he has taken “action toward that vision.”
The governor’s Chief of Staff Joan Wallace-Benjamin called social workers “my peeps,” in reference to her previous position at the Home for Little Wanderers. She recognized the work of social workers and their “difficult and emotional” jobs in helping society.
Wallace-Benjamin told the audience she understands if they were not “happy” with the governor’s budget because it couldn’t address funding in all the areas “you thought were important.” She asked members of the NASW to remain committed. “We have not forgotten you. We need your perspective,” she said.
Senate President Therese Murray said that during her work in the Legislature and for the state highway department, she was often the only woman. The first female Senate president said her experience showed that “success is not about gender.” She said it takes determination to succeed and social workers know such skills.
Murray recognized many times people are “thankless” towards social workers but she encouraged them to keep their “strong voices.” “We all know you’re overworked. We know you deal with too many clients,” said Murray. “We need you to stay in your careers.”
She said if there is anything she can do to move their careers forward, she would “pledge to do that.”
Growing up in the North End, where he said families took care of other families in the neighborhood, House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi said he knows the importance of social workers and how they look after vulnerable families.
DiMasi talked about the newly-formed Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect, which has held several hearings and is working on legislative recommendations to address vulnerable children’s needs.
After the meeting DiMasi told reporters he is meeting this week with the chairman of the special committee, Rep. John Rogers of Norwood, to talk about his recommendations. DiMasi said the recommendations would be released either later this week or early next week.
Some recommendations would “change the system” in the way the Department of Social Services addresses cases of neglected and abused children, he said. Other changes would be related to better training of workers and work qualifications.
August 2006
FOCUS Newsletter
Governor Romney signs NASW Professional Priority Bill
By Rebekah Gewirtz, Director of Government Relations and Political Action, NASW MA Chapter
On August 9, 2006, Governor Romney signed into law An Act Admitting Social Workers into the Malpractice Tribunal (House Bill 730). Social Workers will now be on the list of health care providers protected from frivolous lawsuits. This is a HUGE win for social workers across the Commonwealth!
We would like to thank all of our members who lobbied their legislators and the Governor. Your active participation made all the difference!
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