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THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® Social Work E-News
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Issue #41, April 19, 2004
EDITOR'S EYE
Dear Social Work Colleagues,
Welcome to Issue #41 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.
I just received the exciting news that our online social work job board, SocialWorkJobBank.com (http://www.socialworkjobbank.com), has been selected to appear in Weddle's Recruiter's Guide to Employment Web Sites, 2004 and Weddle's Job Seeker's Guide to Employment Web Sites, 2004. These books are sold in bookstores nationwide, on Amazon.com, and at Weddles.com. Each year, Weddle's collects data from thousands of online job boards and career sites and selects just 350 sites for inclusion in these publications. Peter Weddle, editor and publisher of the WEDDLE's guides, said, "
we think having your site in a WEDDLE's Guide is a high honor indeed, and I congratulate you and your colleagues on this singular distinction." We are indeed honored to be chosen for this recognition.
How are social workers portrayed in the media? This question has been asked many times in recent years, and the latest issue of the journal SOCIAL WORK contains articles on this topic. THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER published an article in 1997 by Joe and Judith Davenport, in which they studied mentions of social workers in the print media, categorizing them as positive, negative, or neutral. Over the years, there have been fictional social work characters on TV, such as Maxine Gray on Judging Amy, and Norm on The Norm Show. These range from more realistic and accurate to absurd and unethical. And, of course, there are shows (i.e. medical shows and the like) that leave out social workers altogether.
Kiersten Marek is a social worker who is interested in these issues, as well. Both a writer and a social worker herself, she contacted me a little over two years ago. She sent me some of her fiction writing, which featured social work characters. Since that time, she has started a nonprofit Web site, Kmareka.com, which is a "quarterly of literature, community, finance, and more." Kmareka's April installment includes a feature on social workers' portrayal in novels. Included in this newsletter is an excerpt from Kiersten's review of one such novel. I think it provides some further insight into the portrayal of social workers in fiction.
This month brings observances of Alcohol Awareness Month, Cancer Control Month, National Autism Awareness Month, National STD Awareness Month, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, National Minority Cancer Awareness Week, and other events to bring increased awareness of various social issues. Some of these are highlighted in this issue.
Finally, I want to congratulate all the graduating social work students out there. You are just starting out as a professional social worker. Enjoy the journey!
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
Feature
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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Social Workers in Modern Fiction-GRACED LAND
Reviewed by Kiersten Marek
Novels about social workers are not plentiful and, in fact, I was not able to find any that feature Master's level social workers as their main characters. Why is this so? Laura Kalpakian's main character in GRACED LAND, provides one provocative answer to this question:
"Why are there all those cop shows on TV and not one about social workers? I'll tell you why! Because the poor people on cop shows, they're doing something about their situation! They're colorful and desperate! They're out there robbing banks or ripping off gas stations, forging checks, risking their lives to peddle drugs! That's who the cops get to deal with! Who does the social worker get to see? Day in, day out? Just a bunch of women who've screwed up their lives and don't know what to make of it, or where it all went wrong or how, except that they've been screwed, really screwed."
Emily Shaw, the main character and fledgling caseworker in GRACED LAND, says this in a fit of exasperation over her new job, but it's only one side of her rant, for the rest of her monologue goes on to praise one of the exceptions to her diatribe, the client whom she has gotten overinvolved with, Joyce Jackson. Joyce is not taking life as a welfare recipient lying down. Like many quietly powerful people, Joyce Jackson is a subversive: she is creatively finding ways to make money on the side, to give to those less fortunate than herself, and to live the way she wants to live, devoted to the music and the memory of Elvis Presley.
One of the striking things about GRACED LAND is the nuanced understanding that Ms. Kalpakian conveys for the social worker's plight: wanting to help, but being able to only help so much, lest we become "unprofessional" in our genuine caring for our clients. Emily Shaw is constantly stumbling over boundaries, moving between chatting with her clients like they are coeds in her esteemed sorority, the Tri-Delts, to taking them up on their offers to join them for drinks. While she gets categorized as "goofy" by some, she is not much more goofy than I was as a beginning social worker. While at times I cringed with self-recognition, for the most part I appreciated Kalpakian's gentle mockery of her novel's protagonist.
You get the impression that Laura Kalpakian had a good time writing this novel, with all the richness of the Elvis world strewn throughout, and also playing with the acronyms that seem to creep in and take over in the social work vocabulary, as in: "The county has this program, the GGP, the Good Grades Program for AFDC mothers, and if you keep your grades up, the county pays your fees at SECC, St. Elmo City College."
Read more of this review and others at Kmareka.com ( http://kmareka.com )
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NEWS
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April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
To mark the beginning of National Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month, a joint news conference was held on April 1 with Wade Horn, Ph.D., Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, House Majority Leader Tom Delay of Texas, and U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona. The news conference also highlighted the initiation of the Surgeon General's Workshop on Child Maltreatment, a working group that will focus attention on the problem of child abuse and neglect and identify ways to reduce it.
New data released at the news conference by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families estimate that 896,000 children, or approximately 12.3 out of every 1,000 children, were victims of abuse or neglect in 2002. The report, Child Maltreatment 2002, summarizes data collected via the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and includes findings at the national and State level for calendar year 2002 on victims of maltreatment, perpetrators, CPS workforce workload, and services. This publication can be downloaded from the
Children's Bureau Web site at:
<http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/cm02/index.htm>
<http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/cm02/cm02.pdf>
Copies of this publication are available by calling the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information at (800) 394-3366.
Child abuse prevention continues to be a key priority for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Children's Bureau, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect (OCAN) and its National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information. Resources for use during Child Abuse Prevention Month and throughout the year can be obtained at the National Clearinghouse Prevention Web site at http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/topics/prevention
Finally, the 2004 Child Abuse Prevention Community Resource Packet (2nd Edition) and poster were reprinted and Spanish and English copies are being disseminated nationally. Hard copies are available by calling the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information at (800) 394-3366. The English or Spanish copies of the 2004 Child Abuse Prevention Community Resource Packet are now available for download from the Prevention Web site at: http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/topics/prevention
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ANAD Candlelight Vigils
During the month of April, the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) sponsors candlelight vigils to raise awareness of eating disorders. Last year, thousands of people around the country gathered in private and public vigils. The theme "Accept Yourself
Accept Others" promotes the idea to stop the epidemic of poor body image and low self esteem that is ravaging young people. For information about this campaign and the candlelight vigils, see http://www.anad.org
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UNDERAGE DRINKING FOCAL POINT FOR ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH 2004
This April, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, now in its 60th year, is sponsoring a month-long campaign to raise awareness about underage drinking and other alcohol-related problems. Alcohol is a drug that can affect judgment, coordination, and long-term health, and research suggests that early use of alcohol by teenagers may contribute significantly to dependence on alcohol and other drugs later in life.
"As a society," says Stacia Murphy, NCADD's president, "we have to do a better job persuading our citizens and our young people that alcohol use is a dead end, that they're playing Russian Roulette, not only with their own lives, but with the lives of friends, neighbors, and loved ones."
"Save a Life-End Underage Drinking" is the theme for Alcohol Awareness Month 2004. NCADD provides education, information, help, and hope to the public and operates a toll-free Hope Line (800-NCA-CALL) for information and referral and a National Intervention Network (800-654-HOPE) to educate and assist the families and friends of addicted persons. For more information, visit http://www.ncadd.org
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NEW PROGRAM PROMOTES CHOICE, ACCOUNTABILITY IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT
Thousands of Americans with substance use disorders will have the opportunity to choose their treatment options for recovery under Access to Recovery, a new $100 million discretionary grant program for states, announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The competitive grant program will give recipient states, territories, the District of Columbia and tribal organizations broad discretion to design and implement federally supported voucher programs to pay for a range of effective, community-based, substance abuse clinical treatment and recovery support services. By providing vouchers to people in need of treatment, the grant program promotes individual choice for substance abuse treatment and recovery services. It also expands access to care, including access to faith- and community-based programs, and increases substance abuse treatment capacity.
"Giving people the power to choose a treatment program that reflects their values and needs can help them triumph over addiction and achieve recovery," Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. "Access to Recovery will help Americans who are seeking treatment but unable to obtain care. This program is designed to help people reach recovery in body, mind, and heart."
Access to Recovery emphasizes both accountability and demonstrated effectiveness, requiring states to create an incentive system for positive outcomes and take active steps to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. Both provider payment and program success will be measured by seven specific outcomes: abstinence from drugs and alcohol, no involvement with the criminal justice system, attainment of employment or enrollment in school, social supports, access to care, retention in care, and stable housing. By assessing the scope and outcomes of the program, grantees will discover what works best and adjust their programs accordingly. SAMHSA will evaluate overall program effectiveness and utility nationwide.
The key to implementing the grant program is the states' ability to ensure genuine, free, and independent choice of eligible providers. States are encouraged to support any mixture of clinical treatment and recovery support services that can be expected to achieve the program's goal of cost-effective, successful outcomes for the largest number of people.
This first funding cycle of Access to Recovery has the capacity to halve the number of people who want but do not get care and to expand the array of services available including medical detoxification, inpatient and outpatient treatment modalities, residential services, peer support, relapse prevention, case management, and other recovery-promoting services.
The grant program anticipates making awards of up to $15 million per year for each of three years, to states and tribal organizations that compete successfully through a rigorous grant review process. The administration's commitment to expand drug treatment and recovery support services to reach those in need extends beyond the immediate fiscal year, with its FY 2005 request to double the program's appropriation.
States, territories, the District of Columbia and federally recognized Indian tribes have until June 4, 2004 to submit their grant applications. Copies of the application are available on-line at www.atr.samhsa.gov or from SAMHSA's clearinghouse at 1-800-729-6686.
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Three New Hartford Doctoral Fellows in Geriatric Social Work Selected
The John A. Hartford Foundation of New York City and The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) selected three outstanding doctoral students for the Hartford Doctoral Fellows Program in geriatric social work. The new Doctoral Fellows are Colleen Reed and Kelley Macmillan from the University of Kansas and Nina Rhee from the University of Michigan. Reed, Macmillan, and Rhee were chosen from a strong pool of eight candidates.
The three Hartford Fellows will administer dissertation projects that look at an array of issues in the geriatric social work field. Kelley Macmillan will conduct a qualitative study of aging well by looking at the behaviors reported by low-income older adults to minimize the challenges caused by functional disabilities. Colleen Reed will examine social exchanges of older women in assisted living settings and Nina Rhee's dissertation will focus on easing the transition to widowhood.
As Hartford Doctoral Fellows, Macmillan, Reed, and Rhee will receive a $20,000 a year dissertation grant plus $20,000 in matching support from their home institutions that will enable them to more fully concentrate on their dissertation research projects over the next two years.
In addition to the dissertation research grants, the Hartford Doctoral Fellows program will provide academic career development and leadership training for these promising doctoral students. Hartford Doctoral Fellows attend the annual meetings of GSA and the Council on Social Work Education where special pre-conference institutes are offered. The Hartford Doctoral Fellows program is designed to cultivate the next generation of geriatric social work faculty who will become teachers, role models, and mentors for future generations of social workers caring for older persons and their families.
It is estimated that there are over 600,000 practicing social workers in the United States. While most social workers report that geriatric knowledge is needed in their professional work, less than 5% of all masters level students in social work, and approximately 7% of doctoral level students specialize in aging. The Hartford Doctoral Fellows Program is a $2.45 million program to ensure that the country will have the necessary pool of trained and skilled geriatric social workers by recruiting, sustaining, and training a cadre of talented doctoral students who will become tomorrow's social work faculty.
For ongoing information about the Hartford Doctoral Fellows Program and the other Hartford funded programs under this initiative, see the GSA web page at http://www.geron.org (click on social work under the tab "Programs"). The deadline for the next selection cycle of Hartford Doctoral Fellows is August 2, 2004. Up to seven more Doctoral Fellows will be chosen from the August selection cycle.
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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.
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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 now. 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 Résumé: 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 a new shipment of the red buttons with yellow lettering, scheduled to arrive from the manufacturer soon. 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!).
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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 3,400 confidential profiles/resumes of social work job seekers!
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. The job seeker section of the site has just been re-designed-check it out!
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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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