Lost case led to improved prosecution: Attorney in charge to attend State of the Union address

Journalist:  Tim Krohn                                          

Date:  January 27, 2008

Summary:  This article describes a program designed to teach law enforcement, attorneys, and child protection workers to identify and prosecute perpetrators of child abuse.  The program was developed in response to a child abuse case that the attorney failed to prosecute due to lack of knowledge regarding how to interview children who were victims of child abuse, interrogate the perpetrator, and obtain corroborating evidence.  The program has been implemented for five years, and is offered in 21 states.  Within the next 10 years, the program expects to be offered in 500 universities and offer a minor in child protection to students majoring in social work and law enforcement. Within the last three years the program has successfully convicted twice as many child abusers as it had in the past 12 years. 

Relevance:  It is important for social workers to know about training opportunities, and develop skills for working with abused children and assisting with the prosecution of child abusers. 

Questions:

1.      Can you identify the key stakeholders who assisted in the development of this program?

2.      Prior to implementation of this program how did child protection workers receive their training?

3.      How is this program funded?

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Suicide attempts reveal strain on young Latinas

Journalist:  Laura Sessions Stepp                                          

Date:  January 27, 2008

Summary:  According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15% of Latinas ages 12-17 have attempted suicide, and 25% have considered suicide.  Estimates are 10% for white and black teenage girls.  Experts suggest that suicidal behavior is a “cry for help” more so than attempts to die.  Among Latina teens suicidal behavior results from cultural conflict arising from perceived powerless and frustration associated with conflicts between experiencing American culture, and family expectations for teenage girls to be modest. 

Relevance:  Social workers who provide services to young Latinas should be aware of cultural conflicts.

Questions: 

1.      What is the most observed suicidal behavior among young Latinas do in suicide attempts?

2.      Why do young Latinas rarely seek help for their problems?

3.      Why is understanding cultural conflict important for providing services to this group?

4.      How does the process of moving to the U.S. affect the support networks of Latino families?

5.      What are some of the factors that are present when youth attempt to commit suicide?

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Advocacy center puts children first in abuse cases: Handles getting information from the abused

Journalist:  Holly Meyer                                        

Date:  January 27, 2008

Summary:  This article describes the work of a multidisciplinary team comprised of the state’s attorney’s office, Department of Children and Family Services and law enforcement.  The goal of the team’s work is to limit the number of times that a child involved in allegations of abuse will be interviewed and to enhance the environment in which the child is interviewed.  Since 2007, 454 children have been interviewed representing a 37% increase from the previous year.

Relevance:  Social workers interview children involved in abuse allegations.  Being of aware of services that reduce the number of interviews and the effects of multiple interventions on abused children is important.

Questions: 

1.      What is an interdisciplinary team?

2.      How does the work of an interdisciplinary team build a stronger case against individuals charged with child abuse?

3.      What is the goal of the Center described in the article?

4.      Why are multiple interviews conducted with abused children problematic?

5.      What is forensic social work?

6.      What type of coping strategies might be useful for social workers involved in this type of work?

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A lesson in helping: Social workers have been in Tri-State schools since 1990s

Journalist:  Susan Orr                                        

Date:  January 19, 2008

Summary:  This article describes the growth of social workers working in Tri-State schools since the mid-1990s.  The article describes funding sources and services provided by school social workers.  At one school the test scores have improved and the number of student conflicts has decreased. 

Relevance:  Social workers provide a wide variety of services within schools. 

Questions:

1.      What type of social problems do the school social workers deal with?

2.      How and why was the first school social worker funded?

3.      How and why did the use of school social workers begin to expand?

4.      What outcomes can be used to assess the effectives of school social workers?

5.      What is the purpose of school social work? What roles do school social workers play?

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Students graduate with new certification

Journalist:  Ebony Evans                                      

Date:  January 17, 2008

Summary:  This article describes a certificate program that that has been offered in the U.S. for the first time.  The certificate program is a 60-hour Solution-Focused Brief Therapy continuing education program.  Students completing the certificate are represented from social work, psychology, nursing and medicine.  While the program has been popular in other countries, it is the first time that a certificate has been offered in the U.S.

Relevance:  Continuing education is an important way for social workers to continue to develop their professional skills and increase their knowledge.

Questions:

1.      How many social work students received the certificate?

2.      What is the purpose of the certificate?

3.      In what ways can the certificate be used in practice?

4.      What types of continuing education programs are offered within your community? What organizations sponsor these programs?

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Social workers can now use free online tool to help seniors find housing

Journalist:  Unknown                                      

Date:  January 22, 2008

Summary:  This article describes the Social Work Today Senior Housing Locator which allows users to search for and locate assisted living facilities, residential care homes, independent living facilities, continuing care retirement home, and nursing homes for seniors.  All licensed senior housing providers in the country are listed with up-to-date information.  While the locator is intended to help professional social workers, it can also be accessed free of charge by non-professionals.

Relevance:  Social workers working with senior clients can benefit from this free online resource that facilities locating housing for seniors.

Questions:

1.      Who developed this new resource?

2.      Approximately how many Americans care for an older loved one, friend or neighbor?

3.      Approximately how many facilities nationwide are listed in the locator?

4.      What are the various categories that social workers can use to search for senior housing?

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Unqualified mediators prey on broken families

Journalist:  Linda Diebel                                     

Date:  January 14, 2008

Summary:  This article describes regulation issues for family divorce mediators in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Currently, divorce mediators are not regulated and numerous families have complained that the services they received caused harm, but found no formal rules or regulations.  Arguments are made against regulation suggesting that divorce mediators are regulated by their respective professional associations.  Social workers also function as divorce mediators.  The article indicates that in Ontario, CA a lawyer is required to become a member of the bar association, but social workers are not required to become members of the Ontario College of Social Workers.  The College regulates social work practice.

Relevance:  What are the issues involved when social workers practice in areas that are not regulated, and the social worker does not belong to a body that regulates social practice?

Questions:

1.      What is the role of a divorce mediator?

2.      Are divorce mediators employed in your area?

3.      Should divorce mediators receive additional regulation or be regulated by their professional associations in Ontario, CA? Why or why not?

4.      What are some examples provided in the article that describes how divorce mediators were harming families?

5.      In your area, are divorce mediators regulated? If so, how are they regulated? If not, what are the current issues related to regulation?

6.  What are the implications of practicing as a divorce mediator for social work licensure?

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Avoca social worker gives up

Journalist:  Dennis Friend                                    

Date:  January 12, 2008

Summary:  This article describes the actions of a social worker how settled a claim falsifying client records.  A complaint was filed against the social worker by the state licensing board.  The falsified records were discovered during an audit and the social worker agreed to repay overpayments made to the employing agency.  Charges included accepting a fee by fraud or misrepresentation, and knowingly engaging in misleading, untrue, deceptive or fraudulent practice of social work, and unethical conduct. The social worker has agreed not to represent himself as a social work in the future.

Relevance:  State boards are empowered to investigate allegations of unethical practice made against social workers.  

Questions:

1.      What are your thoughts about the social worker’s actions?

2.      If the social worker receives additional training and counseling, should the license be reinstated?

3.      Do you think that the license should reinstated? What actions should a social worker take in this instance to have a license reinstated?

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Reactivation of woman’s social work license denied

Journalist:  Ann McGlynn                                    

Date:  January 12, 2008

Summary:  This article describes the licensing issues of a social worker convicted of embezzling the Social Security money of clients.  After seeking gambling treatment, the social worker was hired in a position providing a variety of services to clients related to gambling problems.  In order to be hired in a gambling treatment counselor position, the social worker would need to be licensed in her state.  The state board denied her request for reinstatement, indicating that she must first be terminated from community supervised release, participate in therapy, receive boundary training and be supervised by a licensed social worker.

Relevance: A social worker can be dined having her/his license reinstated for unethical conduct.

Questions:

1.      What are your thoughts regarding the social worker’s actions?

2.      After seeking treatment, should social work licenses be reinstated?

3.      What are your thoughts regarding the stipulations of the state board?

4.      After a conviction that involves clients, what steps should a social worker take to become reinstated?

5.      What are the procedures to deny social work licensure reinstatement in your state?

6.   What are the procedures to reinstate social work licensure in your state?

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HCRS receives Holt Foundation grant for its Police Social Work Program

Journalist:  Unknown                                    

Date:  January 4, 2008

Summary:  A police social work program that originally started four years ago recently received a two-year grant to expand its services into a police department and a sheriff’s department.  At the original site of the program, crime has been reduced by 30% since the program began. The agency where the program is located is a non-profit community mental health agency.

Relevance:   Police social work practice is a little known about area of social work practice.  In addition to police social workers, social workers and police officers collaborate on social problems that both professions are likely to handle.

Questions:

1.      What is police social work? What are the functions of a police social worker?

2.      What are the functions of the HCRS Police Social Work Program?

3.      What will the Police Social Work Program do with the additional funding?

4.      What type of social problems do both social workers and police officers handle?

5.      Are there police social workers in your community?

6.      What might be some of the factors that hinder/facilitate police social work collaboration?

7.      How would you design a research model that can assess a reduction in crime as a result of implementing a police social work program?

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