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THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® Social Work E-News
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Issue #42, May 24, 2004

EDITOR'S EYE

Dear Social Work Colleagues,

Welcome to Issue #42 of the Social Work E-News. This e-mail newsletter is brought to you by the publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine and other social work publications.

May is a month filled with observances. These include Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, Older Americans Month, Skin Cancer Awareness Month, Mental Health Month, Foster Care Month, National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, Hepatitis Awareness Month, National Stroke Awareness Month, and National Arthritis Month, to name a few. This week, we have Older Americans' Mental Health Week (May 23-29), National Schizophrenia Awareness Day (May 24), and National Missing Children's Day (May 25). In this newsletter, I am including articles related to Foster Care Month and Mental Health Month.

I want to again congratulate all graduating social work students. If you are seeking your first job as a professional social worker, don't forget to stop by our SocialWorkJobBank site at http://www.socialworkjobbank.com !


Until next time,
Linda Grobman, ACSW, LSW
Publisher/Editor
THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER®
http://www.socialworker.com
linda.grobman@paonline.com


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IN THIS ISSUE
Words From Our Sponsors
Features
News
On Our Web Site
In Print
Gifts for New Grads
Job Corner
Newsletter Necessities

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A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR

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FEATURE

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Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care Releases Sweeping Recommendations to Overhaul Nation's Foster Care System

Washington, D.C. & After a year of intensive analysis, conversations with professionals, parents, and children, The Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care on Tuesday, May 18, released far-reaching recommendations to overhaul the nation's foster care system.

The Commission, a national, nonpartisan panel funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and composed of leading experts in child welfare, undertook the first ever, comprehensive assessment of two key aspects of the foster care system: a federal financing structure that encourages an over-reliance on placement of children in foster care at the expense of other more permanent options for children who have been abused or neglected, and a court system that lacks sufficient tools, information, and accountability necessary to move children swiftly out of foster care and into permanent homes. Reform in these two areas, the Commission determined, will have far-reaching effects for children in foster care and is a critical first step to solving many other problems that plague the child welfare system.

"The nation's foster care system is unquestionably broken," stated Commission Chairman Bill Frenzel, a twenty-year veteran of Congress and former Ranking Minority Member of the House Budget Committee. "The Commission's recommendations focus on what states and courts must do to help children get safe and permanent homes."

"Our recommendations call for greater accountability by both child welfare agencies and courts. They give states a flexible, reliable source of federal funding, as well as new options and incentives to seek safety and permanence for children in foster care. Further, they help courts secure the tools, information and training needed to fulfill their responsibilities to children, and help children and parents have a strong, informed voice in court proceedings."

Adds Commission Vice Chairman William H. Gray, former Majority Whip and Chairman of the House Budget Committee, "The foster care system is in disrepair. Every state has now failed the federal foster care reviews and we've seen far too many news stories of children missing from the system or injured while in care. We must act now on behalf of the half a million children currently in foster care."

The Commission proposes a fundamental restructuring of existing resources, as well as targeted new investments that will provide real returns to our children and our nation. Additionally, the Commission's court recommendations give children a much higher priority in state courts, give courts the tools to better oversee foster care cases, and help to ensure that every child and parent have an effective voice in court decisions that affect their lives.

The Role of Federal Financing

Current federal funding mechanisms for child welfare encourage an over-reliance on foster care at the expense of other services that might keep families safely together, allow children to return safely home, or move children swiftly and safely from foster care to adoptive families or permanent legal guardians.

The Commission's recommendations require stronger accountability for how public dollars are used to protect and support children who have suffered abuse and neglect. They require redirection of current funding, and give states the freedom to decide whether foster care is the right choice for an individual child, or whether there are other options that might keep children safe and secure.

The key components of the Commission's financing recommendations are:
• Preserving federal foster care maintenance and adoption assistance as an entitlement and expanding it to all children, regardless of their birth families' income and including Indian children and children in the U.S. territories;
• Providing federal guardianship assistance to all children who leave foster care to live with a permanent legal guardian when a court has explicitly determined that neither reunification nor adoption are feasible permanence options;
• Helping states build a range of services from prevention, to treatment, to post-permanence by (1) creating a flexible, indexed Safe Children, Strong Families Grant from what is currently included in Title IV-B and the administration and training components of Title IV-E; and (2) allowing states to "reinvest" federal and state foster care dollars into other child welfare services if they safely reduce their use of foster care;
• Encouraging innovation by expanding and simplifying the federal waiver process and providing incentives to states that (1) make and maintain improvements in their child welfare workforce and (2) increase all forms of safe permanence; and
• Strengthening the current Child and Family Services Review process to increase states' accountability for improving outcomes for children.

The Role of the Courts

For years, the courts have been the unseen partners in child welfare & yet they are vested with enormous responsibility. Along with child welfare agencies, the courts have an obligation to ensure that children are protected from harm. Courts make the formal determination on whether abuse or neglect has occurred and whether a child should be removed from the home. Courts review cases to decide if parents and the child welfare agencies are meeting their legal obligations to a child. Courts are charged with ensuring that children are moved from foster care and placed in a safe, permanent home within statutory timeframes. And courts determine if and when a parent's rights should be terminated and whether a child should be adopted or placed with a permanent guardian.

The Commission's court recommendations call for:

• Adoption of court performance measures by every dependency court to ensure that they can track and analyze their caseloads, increase accountability for improved outcomes for children, and inform decisions about the allocation of court resources;
• Incentives and requirements for effective collaboration between courts and child welfare agencies on behalf of children in foster care;
• A strong voice for children and parents in court and effective representation by better trained attorneys and volunteer advocates;
• Leadership from Chief Justices and other state court leaders in organizing their court systems to better serve children, provide training for judges, and promote more effective standards for dependency courts, judges, and attorneys.

"Children deserve more from our child welfare system than they are getting now," stated Chairman Frenzel. "Yet, for this to happen, those on the front lines of care-caseworkers, foster parents, judges-need the support necessary to do their jobs more effectively. And the public needs to know that, with this support, every part of the chain of care-from the federal government to the states to the courts-can reasonably be held to high standards of accountability for the well-being of children."

For additional information about the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care, or to obtain a copy of the Commission's report, or 50 state data about foster care, visit the Commission Web site at: http://www.pewfostercare.org

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A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR

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MAY IS FOSTER CARE MONTH

There are 542,000 reasons to get involved. They live in your community, attend the local school, and worship at the neighborhood house of faith. This month, National Foster Care Month spotlights the needs of children and youth in foster care and honors the people who make a real and lasting difference in their lives.

Currently, over half a million American children are not living at home because of distressing family situations often involving neglect or abuse. That number has doubled since 1987. Nearly half of the youth in foster care are over age 10.

Approximately 170,000 foster families provide homes for children when their own parents are unable to care for them. Foster families offer much more than temporary shelter. They take on one of the greatest challenges society generates: restoring a sense of hope and stability in the lives of young people whose families are in crisis.

"Our goal is to encourage more people to come forward and help 'foster our future'-either as foster parents, volunteers, mentors, employers, or in other ways," said Karl Brown of Casey Family Programs and chair of National Foster Care Month.

The campaign promotes five ways to get involved:

1) Be a foster parent. (www.nfpainc.org)
2) Honor a foster parent. (www.fostercaremonth.org)
3) Be a volunteer child advocate. (www.nationalcasa.org)
4) Mentor a youth. (www.mentoring.org)
5) Hire a young person. (www.youthbuild.org)

During the first week in May, the National Foster Parent Association held Ribbon Ceremonies in which foster parents, political and other community leaders tied blue ribbons on trees in public spaces as visual reminders of every child in care.

For more information, see http://www.fostercaremonth.org


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A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR

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Educational Videotapes on PTSD
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EXAMINING ALL THE EVIDENCE: WHEN EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE ISN'T WHAT IT SEEMS
NMHA Cautions About the Fidelity of Many Policies Touted as "Evidence-Based"

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (May 4, 2004) - As states and other health care payors across the nation face budget shortages and rising health care costs, they continue to seek new approaches to treating chronic illnesses, including mental disorders, while saving money. One emerging trend is the use of "evidence-based medicine." Many states are exploring using only evidence-based approaches to treat mental illness--a move that would ignore promising treatments and services that have less evidence. What's more, many states and other health care payors are packaging 'fail first' policies, and similar cost containment strategies, as "evidence-based medicine," especially when trying to manage prescription medication expenses.

The National Mental Health Association cautions decision-makers against relying exclusively on programs and treatments that are "evidence-based," and warns that the label "evidence-based medicine" may be misused to contain costs and limit access to treatments.

"Evidence-based medicine holds a lot of promise," said Michael Faenza, M.S.S.W., President and CEO of NMHA. "However, it could be used to restrict access to needed care. Evidence-based approaches marry scientific research with clinical experience to ensure treatments provide the best possible outcomes for people with mental illness. But, if care is restricted to only approaches dubbed "evidence-based," or "evidence-based" policies do nothing more than save the payor money, we threaten the mental health of all Americans."

NMHA urges policy makers, advocates, and consumers of mental health services to closely examine proposed policies to ensure the integrity of "evidence-based" approaches.

Any true evidence-based approach integrates both the best available clinical evidence from systematic research and individual clinical expertise. Implementing one of these elements without the other is not evidence-based medicine. However, many payors choose to implement "evidence-based medicine" that only regards some of the evidence, while opting to ignore others.

Treatment approaches designed primarily to control cost by ignoring key components and evidence ignore practical experience and patient values. In addition, many policies may not stay true to the original evidence-based policy or may focus on only one piece of the "evidence." For example, many policies being called "evidence-based" focus on the science around symptom reduction, but do not give weight to clinical experience or patient outcomes.

Moreover, if states and other payors look to allocate sufficient money only to evidence-based approaches, promising treatments and services with less evidence will become inaccessible--leaving many people with mental disorders without access to the care they need.

"In a time when state-of-the-art treatments are available, we need to ensure adequate access," said Faenza. "If states begin to restrict access to care by limiting treatment choices to only those dubbed "evidence-based" or by implementing cost-containment measures under the guise of "evidence-based," people will suffer needlessly and will be forced to rely on costlier care in other areas such as emergency, justice, and welfare."
People with mental illnesses need access to a full range of treatments and services. It is important that decision-makers, advocates, and consumers have the right tools to determine the fidelity of programs labeled "evidence-based" in order to ensure all treatments are available for people who need them.

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NEWS

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FULBRIGHT SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR SOCIAL WORK

The Fulbright Scholar Program is offering seven lecturing, research, and lecturing/research awards in the field of social work for the 2005-2006 academic year through its Traditional Scholar Program. Awards for both faculty and professionals range from two months to an academic year. While many awards specify project and host institution, there are a number of open "All Disciplines" awards that allow candidates to propose their own project and determine their host institution affiliation. Foreign language skills are needed in some countries, but most Fulbright lecturing assignments are in English.

The application deadline for Fulbright traditional lecturing and research grants worldwide is August 1, 2004. U.S. citizenship is required. For information, other eligibility requirements, and online application, visit http://www.cies.org

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FOSTERING PERSPECTIVES
http://www.fosteringperspectives.org

"Fostering Perspectives" is a publication "dedicated to making foster care and adoption in North Carolina the best they can be." A new edition of the child welfare newsletter is now available. The newsletter provides a resource for foster and adoptive parents, foster children (who will find the Kids' Pages interesting), and social workers. Some past topics have included foster parenting a sexually abused child, working with birth parents, respite care for foster parents, dealing with cultural differences, and a day in the life of a foster parent. Back issues and the current issue are available online.

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CALL FOR PAPERS
BEST PRACTICES IN MENTAL HEALTH: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL

BEST PRACTICES IN MENTAL HEALTH is a new peer reviewed, interdisciplinary journal devoted exclusively to the study of mental health. Appropriate manuscripts for the journal include literature reviews, outcome studies, meta-analyses, program evaluations, and policy analyses. Submissions must be original manuscripts that are not currently under review elsewhere. All manuscripts must adhere to APA format and use Microsoft Word or WordPerfect format. The title page must have complete contact information for each author, including name, degree, address, affiliation, e-mail, phone, and fax. Submissions accepted electronically only. Editors are Karen M. Sowers, Ph.D. and Catherine N. Dulmus, Ph.D. of the University of Tennessee College of Social Work. For manuscript submission and inquiries, contact the editors at mbestpractices@gwmail.utk.edu


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ON OUR WEB SITE

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THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER's Web site at http://www.socialworker.com includes the full text of many sample articles from past issues of the magazine. Go to the Back Issues page at http://www.socialworker.com/backissu.htm to find links to these articles. Here you will also find information on ordering back issues either in print or electronically.

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/discus -- you do not have to be a registered user to participate, but registering allows you to use some additional features of the message board. Recent discussions have focused on ethical dilemmas, applying to graduate school, and more.


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IN PRINT

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SPRING ISSUE AVAILABLE NOW

The Spring issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine is available. Here are some highlights of this issue:

Ethics: Ethical Attributes and Professional Skill Development
Policy: Taking No Action is An Action
Field Placement: 10 Tips to Maximize the Student-Field Instructor Relationship
Research: Student Perceptions of Persons Utilizing Income Maintenance ("Welfare") Services
Career Talk: The Perfect Resume: What You Need to Know to Have One!
Riding the Waves of Palliative Care
Electronic Connection: Social Work in the Fast Lane


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SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER MAGAZINE

THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER can be ordered directly from our online store at http://www.whitehatcommunications.com/store -- where you will also find the social work and nonprofit management books we publish.

Subscriptions to THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER are also available through Amazon.com. Go to Amazon's magazine subscription store (from Amazon's main page at http://www.amazon.com ) and search for "new social worker."

Visit http://www.lulu.com and find instant downloads of selected back issues of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine. Buy a single issue or a whole collection.


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GIFTS FOR NEW GRADS

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Do you know someone who is graduating with a social work degree? Here are some graduation gift ideas:

• Subscription to THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine--$15 for 1 year (to U.S. address)
• Books-DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS offers an overview of "typical" days in 50 different social work settings! THE SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICANT'S HANDBOOK is a great gift for a graduating BSW who is thinking about graduate school.
• "I Am a Social Worker" Buttons-We have received a new shipment of the red buttons with yellow lettering. Stock up on them and give them to your fellow classmates, or the student interns in your agency.

These items and more are available at our online store at http://www.whitehatcommunications.com/store (current sale--10% off when you order 2 or more items!).

We also have some specialty items (social work mugs, teddy bears, and more) at http://www.cafepress.com/socialworker -- you won't find these ANYWHERE else! Save $4 on orders over $40 when you use coupon code DADNGRAD by June 1, 2004.


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JOB CORNER

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SOCIALWORKJOBBANK.COM: THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER's online job board and career center is located at http://www.socialworkjobbank.com . Both new grads and experienced social work practitioners are included in our ever-growing candidate profile bank, which now includes over 3,600 confidential profiles/resumes of social work job seekers! We are proud of the fact that this site was chosen as one of 350 (out of 40,000+ employment sites) to be included in Weddle's Recruiter's and Job Seeker's Guide to Employment Web Sites 2004.

SocialWorkJobBank.com is easy to use and affordable for employers, too. If you or your agency are hiring social workers, please include SocialWorkJobBank.com in your recruiting efforts. Please check the SocialWorkJobBank "products/pricing" page for job posting options and SPECIAL offers.

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


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NEWSLETTER NECESSITIES

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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER

THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® SOCIAL WORK E-NEWS is published by:
White Hat Communications (publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® magazine and THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® ONLINE)
P.O. Box 5390
Harrisburg, PA 17110-0390
Linda Grobman, Editor
linda.grobman@paonline.com
http://www.socialworker.com

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Advertising: If you would like to place a job listing or sponsor this newsletter, send an e-mail message to linda.grobman@paonline.com for rates and further information.

News: Please send brief social work-related news items to linda.grobman@paonline.com for consideration.

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Copyright 2004 White Hat Communications. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this entire newsletter, with all information intact, by e-mail to social work colleagues, students, and others interested in social work, for personal use only. You may also print out this newsletter for personal use. All other uses of this material require permission from the publisher at linda.grobman@paonline.com

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