Editor's Eye

 

 

Riding the Mutual Aid Bus and Other Adventures in Group Work: A “Days in the Lives of Social Workers” Collection, edited by Linda May Grobman and Jennifer Clements. Groups come in all kinds. Therapy groups. Support groups. Task groups. Psychoeducational groups. Online groups. Play groups. Experiential groups. Art groups. Drumming groups. Co-facilitated groups. Child groups. Adult groups. Family groups. The list goes on. Regardless of what setting you are in, if you are a social worker, you will work with groups at some time in your career. Read 44 stories of social work with groups. Available now at: http://shop.whitehatcommunications.com/riding-the-mutual-aid-bus-and-other-adventures-in-group-work/

 

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.

 

You can also download our catalog in PDF format at:

 

 

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Job Corner

 

Innovative non-profit case management organization recruiting licensed social workers with nationally recognized case management certification. For immediate consideration, please apply on our website www.coordinatingcenter.org. A full-time Clinical Manager/Team Leader is needed for our Family Preservation program at our Franklin, IN office.     This Team Leader will provide supervision and leadership to a team of therapists and case managers that provide home-based services to children/youth and their families in the Johnson County area.          Minimum requirements: Master's degree in Social Work, Psychology, or a related field, and a LCSW, LMHC, or LMFT license in the State of Indiana. Two years directly related experience.   Apply at: http://adultandchild.myexacthire.com/searchjobs.php A full-time Licensed Mental Health Professional (LMHP) position is open in our Indianapolis and Franklin, IN offices.  The LMHP will provide therapy and other clinical services to youth and their families who are receiving treatment at Adult & Child.  Services are delivered both in office based and community based settings.  Some early evening work required.    Minimum requirements:  Master’s degree in Social Work or related behavioral health field with at least two years of clinical experience treating persons with mental illness.   Must have LCSW, LMFT, or LMHC licensure in the state of Indiana or be within six months of licensure.   Apply at: http://adultandchild.myexacthire.com/searchjobs.php

Featured Excerpt

by Kathryn Krase, Ph.D., JD, MSW

 

Editor’s Note: “Making the Tough Call” is a special series of articles that will address social workers’ questions about mandated reporting of suspected child abuse. This is the first part of the series. Please welcome series writer Kathryn Krase. The following is an excerpt from Part I of this series, from the Spring 2013 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER. Read the full article at:

 

 

You notice an awkward bruise on the upper arm of a child you’re working with. Or perhaps while you’re shopping at the mall, you see a parent grab a young child by the arm and spank them for touching something off limits. As a social worker, you’ve heard about child abuse and neglect, and probably learned about it, but what are you supposed to do in these situations?

You may have heard the term “mandated reporter” and wondered: Am I a mandated reporter? What exactly is a mandated reporter? What am I mandated to do? What am I supposed to report? The simple answer to the first question is “yes.” If you are a social worker, you are a mandated reporter. To answer the other questions, we need some context and more detail. This article will explain what a mandated reporter is and why there are mandated reporters. We’ll also discuss the social worker’s role as mandated reporter and tease out when you’re a mandated reporter, and when you’re not. Other articles in this series will provide more detail on what, when, and how to report suspicions of child abuse and neglect.

What is a mandated reporter?

Mandated reporters are individuals required by the law of a given state to report concerning suspicions. Most often the term “mandated reporter” refers to individuals required to report suspicions of child abuse or neglect, but in some states the law may require some people to report elder abuse, institutional corruption, or other behaviors. For the purposes of this article and series, we’ll be focusing on the role of social workers as mandated reporters of suspected child abuse and neglect.

Why are there mandated reporters?

Most social workers in practice today have always been mandated reporters, but mandated reporting itself is only about 50 years old, and the role of mandated reporter is constantly evolving. For the first 75 years of child protective systems in the United States, private agencies like the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children provided the means through which abused children were identified and protected from further harm. State and federal governments were largely removed from these processes until societal pressure required governmental response in the mid-twentieth century.

In 1962, an important research article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association began a movement that demanded governmental response (Kempe, Silverman, Steele, Droegemueller, & Silver, 1962). This article, written by a group of doctors led by C. Henry Kempe, reported on a study of pediatric x-rays that found an alarming number of children with a history of unexplained fractures. The only possible explanation the doctors could agree on was abuse. Abuse was once thought to be the problem of impoverished immigrant families with alcoholic fathers, but this study showed that abused children came from all walks of life.

In response to the discovery that child abuse was more prevalent than believed for generations, professional medical associations and other concerned constituencies lobbied state and federal governments for responsive legislation. One of the most popular policy proposals was mandating medical personnel to report suspicions of abuse to the police. The idea was that if medical personnel could identify and report suspicions of child abuse, the government could step in and prevent irreversible harm to the child, or even death. As a result of these advocacy efforts, by 1967 all 50 states and the District of Columbia had passed legislation that made medical personnel mandated reporters. The new policy was considered a great success. In New York State, for instance, within five years after passing the first mandated reporting law, child fatalities dropped by 50%.

Who are mandated reporters?

A criticism of early mandated reporter laws was that they were narrow and specific. For instance, the first laws only required medical personnel (such as doctors and nurses) to report their suspicions. It quickly became apparent that if the goal of mandating reporting was to prevent child abuse and resulting fatalities, then coverage under the law should extend to other professionals with regular contact with children and families, including teachers and social service workers. As a result of advocacy efforts from professional and child welfare organizations, the definition of mandated reporter has grown substantially over the past 50 years. Law enforcement officials, social service workers, educational personnel, and mental health professionals are among those mandated to report suspicions of child abuse and neglect in most, if not all, states. Social workers are mandated reporters of suspected child abuse and neglect in all fifty states.

 

Read the rest of this article at:

 

 

Articles from the Spring 2013 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER include:

 

...and much more!

 

Features

On May 21, 2013, the Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA), Defense (DoD) and Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the progress made to date on initiatives called for in President Obama’s August 31, 2012, Executive Order to Improve Access to Mental Health Services for Veterans, Service Members, and their families. 

 

“We have made strong progress to expand Veterans’ access to quality mental health services, and President Obama has challenged us to do even more,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “Our ongoing, joint efforts reflect our commitment to the health and well-being of the men and women who have served the Nation.”

 

"One of the great challenges we face as a nation is how to provide quality, accessible, long term mental health care for service members, veterans, and their families.  Using the combined resources and expertise from across the government, we are advancing services for those who have sacrificed so much for our nation," said Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.

 

President Obama’s Executive Order directed VA, DoD, and HHS, in coordination with other federal agencies, to take a number of steps to ensure that Veterans, Service Members, and their families receive the mental health services and support they need. 

 

"There’s no more important work than taking care of those who protect our nation,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.  “By working together, we can make sure our service men and women, our veterans, and their families have the behavioral health services they need to build healthy and fulfilling lives."

 

The Departments released an interim report, found at:

 

The report outlines progress, including:

 

 

The Departments are actively working on additional deliverables called for in the Executive Order, including the development of a National Research Action Plan.

Federal Department actions to date include:

 

Suicide Prevention:  VA and DoD jointly developed and are implementing a national suicide prevention campaign to connect Veterans and Service Members to mental health services.  This year-long effort began September 1, 2012.  The program continues to save lives and link Veterans with effective ongoing mental health services on a daily basis.  As of March 2013, the Veterans Crisis Line (1-800-273-8255, press 1) has received more than 814,000 calls, more than 94,000 chats, as well as more than 7,200 texts, and has helped more than 28,000 Veterans in imminent danger.  VA has also completed the hiring and training of additional staff to increase the capacity of the Veterans Crisis Line that were called for in the Executive Order. In addition, the DoD has initiated a thorough review of its mental health and substance abuse prevention, education, and outreach programs informed by the expertise of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

 

Enhanced Partnerships Between the VA and Community Providers:  VA worked with HHS to help identify potential local community resources to improve Veterans’ access to mental health services.  VA has enhanced access to mental health care by establishing 15 VA pilot agreements with clinics in local communities to improve access to mental health service. 

 

Expanded VA Mental Health Staffing:  As of May 7, 2013, VA has hired a total of 1,360 mental health clinical providers toward the goal of 1,600 new mental health professionals outlined in the Executive Order. Additionally, VA has hired 2,036 mental health clinical providers to fill existing vacancies.   VA has also hired nearly 250 new peer specialists in support of the specific goal of 800 peer specialists outlined in the Executive Order.  The interim report indicated that as of January 29, 2013, VA had hired 1,058 mental health clinical providers in support of the specific goal of 1,600 mental health professionals, and more than 100 peer specialists in support of the specific goal of 800 peer specialists.

 

Improved Research and Development: The development of a National Research Action Plan to better understand and develop treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and co-occurring conditions; and identify strategies to support collaborative research efforts to address suicide prevention is underway. VA, DoD, and HHS and the Department of Education have collaborated and submitted the plan on time. DoD and VA are investing more than $100 million in new research to improve diagnosis and treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  They have launched two initiatives to establish joint DoD/VA research consortia with academia and industry partnerships to study the chronic effects of mild TBI and PTSD.

 

Working together, the Departments will continue to expand the public health approach to providing optimal support for the mental health needs of Veterans, Service Members, and their families.  They also will continue to provide updates on their work as it progresses.

 

 

 

Beach Legislation Criminalizing the Unlicensed Practice of Psychology, Chiropractic, Social Work, and Psychoanalysis Clears Committee

 

Social Worker Lisa von Dohlen is a Voice for Students

 

Social Workers Help Local Patients

 

DSM V: Interview With Social Worker Jack Carney, Sr., DSW

News & Resources

Fourth International Conference on Families with Parental Mental Health Challenges:  Addressing the Needs of the Whole Family

 

This conference will bring researchers, educators, policy-makers, and providers from across disciplines together with members of the judiciary and those with lived experience. The primary aim is to share knowledge and experience, to advance the rights and highlight the needs of families striving to live well with parental mental health challenges. Related objectives include provision of an interactive forum to discuss common experiences, effective and evidence informed support and advocacy strategies, and contemporary, cutting edge research.

 

If you would like to submit an abstract for this conference, please submit the abstract at: http://142.103.52.235/interprofessional/SubmissionForm.asp?conference_id=30

 

For guidelines on abstract submissions, please see: http://www.interprofessional.ubc.ca/MentalHealth2014/callforabstracts.pdf

 

 

 

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

 

 

Our style is conversational and educational, and articles typically run 1,500-2,000 words 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

 

 

On Our Web Site

 

The Spring 2013 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER is available now! It is available to download in PDF format at:

 

 

THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER’s Web site at http://www.socialworker.com includes the full text of hundreds of articles from past issues of the magazine. The current issue is featured on the site’s main page. Past issues can be found under “Magazine Issues” in the right column of the page. For selected full-text articles from issues prior to Spring 2006, click on “Feature Articles Archive” on the left side of the page. The magazine is also available for FREE download in PDF format.

 

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!

 

You can also purchase bound volumes for 2011 and 2012 at Amazon.com. Search for “The New Social Worker” (in quotes).

 

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 twice a year, in full text, online.

 

The journal’s archives from 2004-2012 can be found at: http://www.socialworker.com/jswve

 

Beginning January 1, 2013, the Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics is published by the Association of Social Work Boards. See http://www.jswve.org.

In Print

White Hat Communications, publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine and the Social Work E-News, has published several books about social work. These books make great gifts (for graduation or other occasions) for yourself, or for your friends, students, and colleagues in social work!

 

Briefly, those currently in print are:

 

 

DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS: 58 Professionals Tell Real-Life Stories From Social Work Practice (4th Edition), edited by Linda May Grobman

 

MORE DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS:35 Real-Life Stories of Advocacy, Outreach, and Other Intriguing Roles in Social Work Practice, edited by Linda May Grobman

 

DAYS IN THE LIVES OF GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIAL WORKERS: 44 Professionals Tell Stories From Real-Life Social Work Practice With Older Adults, edited by Linda May Grobman and Dara Bergel Bourassa.

 

 

IS IT ETHICAL? 101 SCENARIOS IN EVERYDAY SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE: A DISCUSSION WORKBOOK, by Thomas Horn

 

THE FIELD PLACEMENT SURVIVAL GUIDE: What You Need to Know to Get the Most From Your Social Work Practicum, 2^nd Edition, edited by Linda May Grobman

 

THE SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICANT’S HANDBOOK: The Complete Guide to Selecting and Applying to MSW Programs, by Jesus Reyes

 

We also publish books on nonprofit management. Want to start your own agency? Check out THE NONPROFIT HANDBOOK: Everything You Need to Know to Start and Run Your Nonprofit Organization (6th Edition) and IMPROVING QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE IN YOUR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, by Gary M. Grobman.

 

 

All of our books are available through our secure online store at:

 

You can also download our catalog in PDF format at:

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