Join NASW-MA and stand with transgender individuals on Nov. 6 by voting YES on Question 3! A "yes" vote is a vote to uphold a Massachusetts law enacted in 2016 that protects transgender people from discrimination in public spaces, like restaurants, shops, and doctors’ offices.

Statewide

Senate

House of Representatives

*Asterisk denotes incumbent

For a full list of endorsements, including primary winners, visit: www.facebook.com/naswmapace

We would like to know about member's thoughts on joining or staying a member of NASW-MA, and specifically your thoughts on NASW-MA advocacy campaigns. Your responses are directly responsible for improving the delivery of our programs. All responses will be kept confidential and anonymous. This is a 9-question survey that should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete. Get started .

As an organization, we typically do not like to stay out of important decisions such as this one. However, after much deliberation our board decided to remain neutral. Our statement seeks to reflect the careful thought and discussion that went into this important decision.

In our statement, you’ll note the second paragraph outlines the concerns with Question 1 about impact of passage on non-nursing staff in hospitals and behavioral health institutions, while the third paragraph outlines our historical commitment to working with labor unions and for social work ratios in child welfare. The board did not make this decision lightly, understanding the potential push-back from all options: remaining neutral, endorsing yes, or endorsing no.

Read Our Statement Here

Questions? Please contact NASW-MA political director, Sophie Hansen, 617-227-9635 x112

Don't miss out - make sure the colleagues and organizations you love, respect, and admire are recognized for their contributions to social work and/or social justice. Nomination deadline for NASW-MA Awards is November 15! Submit your nomination now: www.naswma.org/awards

Award categories include:

During Social Work Month 2019, NASW will launch the “ Elevate Social Work” Campaign that will educate the public about the contributions social workers have made to our society and why the profession is so vital to our nation.

NASW also wants to use the campaign to begin a conversation to help social workers get better compensation for the work they do.

Read more about the 2019 rationale here.

NASW member Brandy Henry, LICSW, was recently appointed by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker to the Commonwealth's Restrictive Housing Oversight Committee. This new committee was created in the recently passed criminal justice reform law. The committee will oversee the use of restrictive housing (also known as solitary confinement) in Massachusetts state prisons and county jails. Restrictive housing is a housing placement where a prisoner is confined to a cell for more than 22 hours per day.  Henry fills the seat on the committee designated for the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Members of the committee will gather information on the use of restrictive housing in correctional institutions to determine its impact on prisoners, rates of violence recidivism, incarceration costs and self-harm within correctional institutions. The committee will also submit annual recommendations to the state house and senate chairs of the joint committee on public safety and homeland security. Recommendations will include ways to minimize the use of restrictive housing and improve outcomes for prisoners and facility safety. The committee will also conduct a cost analysis and an evaluation of the process of restrictive housing in the Commonwealth.  

The Criminal Justice Committee wants to hear from you!  This is an active group of social workers who meet monthly to discuss social work and social justice in the legal system. Their next meetings are November 26th & December 17th. Email [email protected]  or [email protected]  to learn more. You can also like and follow the CJ Committee on Facebook to stay in-the-know.

Learn the formula to quickly write effective treatment plans and progress notes that document medical necessity. As a result authorizations are easy, audits are less threatening, HIPAA is honored, and your good clinical work is represented with integrity. This program is sponsored by Therapy Matcher.

Friday, November 2, 2018

9:30 am - 12:45 pm

Parish of St. Michael, 90 Concord Rd., Bedford

Speaker: Beth Rontal, LICSW, the "Documentation Wizard"

This event, originally schedule for November 4, 2018, has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The Annual School Social Work Conference will explore how fear impacts the safety of our schools and what social workers and counselors can do to support students, staff, families, and themselves. Lunch will be provided. 

Friday, November 16, 2018

8:45 am - 3:30 pm

Hogan Center, Holy Cross College, Worcester

Join the Northeast Regional Council for its first-ever book club meeting! Participants will read "The East Side of Addiction" before the November 15th event. Discussion will be led by two of the book's authors: Jack Maroney, MS, LADC-1, President and CEO of C.A.R.E., Inc., and James DiReda, LICSW, Director, BSW Program, Anna Maria College.

Thursday, November 15, 2018

6:30 - 8:30 pm

Chelmsford Public Library, McCarthy Meeting Room, 25 Boston Rd., Chelmsford

Thursday, November 29, 2018

8:00 am - 1:15 pm

Berkshire Community College, Main Campus, 1350 West Street, K-111, Pittsfield

This event is co-sponsored by NASW-MA.

Click the flyer image to view panelists, workshops, and speakers for this event!

Join us during your lunch break and from the comfort of your home or office for an educational webinar about how and why social workers can and should lend their voices to legislative testimony. With more voices, we can more effectively advance the social work profession and social justice.

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

12:00 - 12:45 pm

NASW-MA annual LEAD will take place Monday, March 25, 2019. LEAD offers an opportunity for social workers to lobby with state lawmakers and advocate for legislation that is important to our clients and the social work profession. Be informed on important social work legislation!

We are looking for energetic volunteers to help coordinate LEAD 2019! Please contact NASW MA Chapter LEAD Coordinator Daniela Reyes at [email protected] or 617-227-9635 x122.

Receive referrals for your private practice! Join Therapy Matcher in November to enjoy membership through June 30th. Receive referrals that match your insurance, location, schedule, and specialties and be part of a network of hundreds of practicing LICSWs. Available to new members only, receive up to 9 months for a heavily discounted rate.

​ An Act to protect access to confidential healthcare  ( Chapter 63 of the Acts of 2018 ), sponsored by Senator Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) and Representative Kate Hogan (D-Stow), was signed by the Governor into law on March 30, 2018.

This  law  fixes a crucial barrier to accessing health care by ensuring that when multiple people are on the same insurance plan, confidential health care information is not shared with anyone other than the patient.  Learn more background about this law .

 

For resources including sheets for patients and providers on how to use this new law, please visit https://www.hcfama.org/confidentiality and look for the complementing article in the January issue of Social Work Voice!

NASW-MA is part of the PATCH Alliance and we want to hear from you on how implementation is going; please contact Sophie with any concerns raised from you or your clients.

The Private Practice Google Group is an exclusive member benefit powered by social work colleagues from across the state and NASW-MA. By signing up you'll receive timely updates from your colleagues about ethics, billing and insurance, and other critical private practice issues. You can also pose your own questions to the group to crowd source answers from colleagues. NASW-MA also uses this platform to send important clinical alerts to members.

Sign up to join the group by sending an email to [email protected] with "Join Google Group" in the subject line.

Open enrollment is here! For MA residents, you can join, renew, or change your health insurance coverage through the Health Connector from now through January 23, 2019, for coverage that starts January 1. Get started today: https://www.mahealthconnector.org/

SWAN is a free, confidential colleague assistance program sponsored by the Massachusetts Chapter of NASW. SWAN assists social workers with consultation regarding personal and professional issues, which may be having an impact on their ability to practice in an optimal manner. Learn more about this service and member benefit here .

Join the Cancer Collaborative in Worcester on Wednesday, December 5th, 2018, for 3 free CEUs. Katie Dobbin Binda, an NASW-MA member, is a featured speaker. Details and registration here .

NASW-MA Licensing Test Prep courses include:

Upcoming exam dates and locations:

Confidently track your social worker licensing renewal requirements with CE Tracker—the online tool that tells you exactly what you need to renew your license and tracks your progress along the way. This online platform allows you to track your license renewal requirements, completed CE’s, and provides suggested content to obtain the continuing education you nee d. Learn more at socialworkers.org/cetracker . 

Mark your calendars for the NASW 2018 Virtual Conference, Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 14 & 15. This two-day program will address the opioid crisis from a social work perspective, feature both plenary and breakout sessions, and offer CE credits. This event will be live-streamed. Information will be on the NASW website socialworkers.org .