SOCIAL WORKERS LEADING FOR JUSTICE
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Hello,
It's important to me to start this message by acknowledging the atrocious acts of racism that are at the forefront of so many of our minds.
George Floyd,
Breonna Taylor,
Ahmaud Arbery, and too many others have been killed cruelly and wrongfully for no reason other than that they are black. As an organization of social workers committed to social justice, we must speak out and we must act.
I also want to remind you that our annual
Nursing Home Conference is happening June 11th. Each year, our Nursing Home Committee presents the Social Worker of the Year Award to a deserving nursing home social worker.
This year the award will be given posthumously to Cathy Drouin, a social worker at a nursing home in Chelmsford who was taken too soon by COVID-19.
Registration for the conference is open until June 9th. We hope you'll join us.
As we grieve the loss of those unnecessarily killed by COVID-19 and racism in our nation, I hope you will join us in committing to working to better understand injustice and to creating meaningful social change. We will be sharing additional ways to take action in the days and weeks ahead. Follow along with us on social media, our website, and in the Social Work Voice.
And last but not least, happy Pride Month to all!
Be well,
Rebekah
Rebekah Gewirtz
Executive Director
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IN THIS ISSUE:
- Membership Hub
- Continuing Education & Events
- Social Work Action Center
- Clinical and Private Practice
- Notes from the Field
- Licensing Test Prep
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NASW's Responses to Racial Injustice and Race-based Violence
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NASW National and many NASW Chapters, including our own, have released statements in response to the murder of George Floyd and other overt acts of racism happening in our country. Here is a complication of those statements:
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Boston Globe Op-Ed:
Innovation Will Help Us Rebuild
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On May 17, 2020, Executive Director Rebekah Gewirtz was a contributor to an opinion piece in the
Boston Globe discussing how creativity and innovation can help us build a stronger society.
Rebekah's piece focused on how the pandemic is exposing the cracks in our social safety-net and how prioritizing economic justice during this time can help us re-think and re-prioritize mental health and social services.
Read the piece here.
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Did You Know Your Region of the State Has a Facebook Group? Virtually Connect with Other Social Workers in Your Region
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Every region of NASW-MA Chapter has its own Facebook group. Join yours today to connect with peers and stay in-the-know about social work happenings and related events in your area!
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Graduation Cord Request Deadline Extended: Request Your Cord by July 1st
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Due to many graduations being rescheduled for the fall, we have extended to deadline to request a cord until July 1st.
If you would like to receive a graduation cord, please email
Noël Schutz
and include the following:
- Your school's name
- Your graduation date
- Your NASW membership ID number
- Your current mailing address
Graduation cords are available to current, new, and rejoining NASW-MA members, as well as school of social work faculty members.
In order to participate, you must
be a member of NASW-MA
. Please note, graduation cords must be requested at least 14 business days prior to your graduation date. If you have already requested a graduation cord, please send
Noël Schutz
an email with your current mailing address
if you have not already done so
.
Want to be featured on our social media?
Upload a picture of yourself on Twitter or Instagram wearing your NASW-MA graduation cord. Tag NASW-MA (@naswma on Twitter or @masocialworkers on Instagram) and use the hashtag
#NASWMAStrong
. Feel free to wear your school colors, apparel, or graduation cap and gown.
We can’t wait to share your photo and celebrate you!
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*NEW* NASW-MA Committee on Ethics
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The NASW-MA Committee on Ethics is a group of social workers committed to ensuring and promoting ethical social work practice in Massachusetts. While in the past these responsibilities were divided between NASW-MA’s Ethics Education Committee, Ethics Hotline, and Committee on Ethics and Professional Review, these roles are now unified under the NASW-MA Committee on Ethics.
This group aims to promote ethical social work practice by offering continuing education opportunities, consultation, and, in general, addressing concerns both reactively and proactively as needed.
Currently this committee is accepting new member applications, especially with some ethics background and/or experience.
The group will meet virtually or in person at a frequency to be determined by its constituency.
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In Your Inbox:
Social Work Voice
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Last month you received an electronic copy of the May/June issue of
Social Work Voice.
We dedicated this issue to the social work response to the COVID-19 pandemic and made it available to all social workers electronically.
Highlights from this issue include:
- COVID-19 is Disproportionately Impacting Vulnerable Populations: We’re Fighting for Systemic Solutions
- Pandemics and Mental Health: Helping Clients Cope with COVID-19
- Coronavirus: The Path Forward
- ...and much more!
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Have an upcoming event, job opening, or other opportunity to share with the social work community?
Advertise with us! All ads appear on our website and are published in
Social Work Voice.
The ad deadline for the upcoming July/August iss
ue is June 19.
Email Jamie Klufts for more information.
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Help Us Welcome New Interns and Volunteers!
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Brianna Silva
is a current student in Salem State’s Advanced Standing Program. For the past two years she has been working as a Care Case Manager for the elderly for a private homecare company. Before that, she interned with court services while obtaining her BSW for a non-profit agency in NC that helped domestic violence survivors. She has always had an interest in advocacy on a larger scale and wanting to provide a helping hand in passing legislation. She is incredibly enthusiastic to have the opportunity to explore the macro side of social work this year with NASW-MA.
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Julia Jashinski
is an MSW student at the Boston University School of Social Work. At BUSSW, she is in the clinical program, with interests in substance use and addiction, policy, and health equity. Julia graduated from Ohio State University in 2019 with Bachelor's in Public Health. She also works as a graduate research fellow for the BU Center for Innovation for Social Work and Health, assisting with projects to understand the role of social workers in healthcare and to advance health equity. She is looking forward to volunteering with NASW-MA this summer!
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CONTINUING EDUCATION & EVENTS
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In Your Mailbox: The 2020 FOCUS CE Mailer
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In May, we sent a booklet of text-based continuing education courses to our members. The goal is to provide members with low-cost and convenient CE opportunities that can be completed anytime, anywhere.
You can earn up to
4.5 CEUs in this year’s booklet, which includes the following course:
- Leadership: Racial and Cultural Considerations by the Center for the Study of Diversity and Social Change
- The Ins and Outs of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for Social Work Practice by Pam Szczygiel, DSW, LICSW
- Latinx Social Work Over the Lifespan by Yvonne Ruiz, PhD, LICSW
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Join us June 11th! Register and e
arn up to 6.5 CEUs!
Conference (5 CEUs) & Self-Care Intensive (1.5 CEUs)
Registration closes on Tuesday, June 9th
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This year’s Virtual Nursing Home Conference on
June 11
, will focus on leveraging and maximizing social worker expertise in residential settings with a particular focus on crisis management in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We will learn from experts about the many ways the unique skills of social workers can be applied to improving the quality of care and quality of life of older adults living in these settings now.
There will be opportunities to learn successful strategies to support and treat older adults with issues such as severe social isolation, trauma, dementia, and substance use disorder in ordinary times and in the context of the current COVID-19 crisis.
Special Welcoming Remarks: State Senator Patricia Jehlen, Chair, Joint Committee on Elder Affairs
Keynote Speaker: Lisa Sobhian
,
Maximizing Social Work Expertise in Residential Care in Ordinary and Extraordinary Times
Lunch and presentation of Social Worker of the Year Award
Other Workshops:
- Lucille Jerome, Social Isolation
- Julie O’Malley, Dementia Care
- Ann Sistler, Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders
Self-Care Intensive (1.5 CEs) with Mary Curlew, LICSW
Social work tools for self-care in trauma response
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Thank you to our Pioneer Sponsor NASW Assurance Services, Inc!
NASW Assurance Services, Inc.
is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NASW, responsible for designing, securing, and overseeing high-quality, competitive insurance, financial, and other programs and services offered to social workers and other mental health professionals.
Learn more about ASI here
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Supervision in the Midst of Pandemic: Trauma Monitoring and Intervention
Earn 1.5 CEUs!
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Social workers in many settings are acting as first responders - now more than ever in the mist of this pandemic. Supervising at a time of social distancing and telehealth requires some careful adjustments and trauma-informed skills embedded within the supervisory relationship. Supervisors have the challenge of leading in a sudden “M*A*S*H unit” culture while assuring quality of care, sustenance, and resilience.
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Discussant:
Mary Byrne, PhD, LICSW
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COVID-19: Clinical Considerations for Treatment and Prevention of PTSD
Earn 1.5 CEUs!
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This training discusses the impact of COVID19 on the clinical care of clients with PTSD. Considerations for risk and protective factors in the development of PTSD following COVID19 will also be reviewed.
Thursday, June 25, 2020
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Discussant:
Marianne Silva, LCSW, National Center for PTSD
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Central Region Book Club: "Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome"
Earn 2 CEUs!
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Join the Central Region Book Club for a facilitated group discussion of the book, "Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing" by Dr. Joy DeGruy, MSW.
Dr. DeGruy will be the keynote speaker at Symposium 2021 in Framingham on April 15, 2021.
Thursday, June 25, 2020
6:00 - 8:00 pm
This event is free for NASW-MA members! You do not need to live or work in Central MA to participate. We encourage you to join us for this discussion on racial injustice in America.
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Riding the Wave: Supporting Kids, Teens, and Families During COVID-19
Earn 1.5 CEUs!
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This program will help clinicians to support children, teens, and families through the overwhelming impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will address the distress, grief, and traumatic symptoms that arise due to sudden changes such as school closings, surviving the quarantine, and anxiety over contracting the virus. Participants will learn about working with parents on practical strategies for managing children’s stress levels, at-home learning, and decreasing conflict and anxiety during this challenging and unprecedented time.
Friday, July 10, 2020
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Discussant:
Zaza Sakhat, LICSW
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Save the Date: School Social Work Conference
School Social Work Under Pandemic Conditions: Navigating Our Roles
Earn 5.5 CEUs!
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This annual conference brings together school social workers and adjustment counselors from across the state who work with youth in all levels of schools. After a keynote, participants will then have the opportunity to choose among morning and afternoon workshops that cover a wide range of topics related to working with children and adolescents in school settings.
Friday, October 9, 2020
College of the Holy Cross, Worcester
(Virtually if needed)
Details and registration coming in July!
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Awards Celebration: Postponed to December 2020
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Our 47th Annual Awards Celebration has been postponed to December 1, 2020. We look forward to honoring the contributions of these amazing social workers and allies with you then at the Colonial Inn in Concord.
Details and registration coming soon!
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Symposium 2020: Postponed to April 2021
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Earlier in April, w
e made the decision to
POSTPONE
Symposium 2020 due to the current COVID-19 crisis.
This is a reminder that if you already registered, all of your registration items, including workshop and intensive selections,
will automatically transfer to 2021, at the current cost to attend.
The dates for our postponed conference, which will include our keynote speaker Dr. Joy DeGruy and all 90+ workshops and intensives, is April 15-16, 2021.
Please mark your calendars.
Symposium 2020 registrants will soon receive notice about free bonus continuing education opportunities this year. Stay tuned!
Please feel free to reach out to
[email protected]
for more information about opportunities to earn CEUs or with any questions you may have. We look forward to seeing you at Symposium in 2021!
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Online Continuing Education Available 24/7 through the CE Institute
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Hundreds of web-based continuing education offerings are available to social workers for free or low-cost on NASW's Online CE Institute
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SOCIAL WORK ACTION CENTER
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Provide Relief for Those in Deep Poverty
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The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the poorest families and individuals in our state especially hard. Families who were already struggling to meet their basic needs are now facing higher utility bills and grocery costs.
That’s why NASW-MA supports HB4622,
An Act to provide short-term relief for families in deep poverty
, which would provide immediate one-time supplemental cash assistance to our state's most vulnerable residents.
The bill received a favorable report from the Children and Families Committee. It is now in Ways and Means.
Click the green Take Action button below to send a letter
in support of this bill
directly to your State Senator and Representative.
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Support Decarceration and Promote Public Health Measures in Jails and Prisons
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As we all work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, we are particularly concerned about preventing outbreaks where close confinement and unsanitary conditions are widespread and unavoidable for residents: in our jails and prisons.
Contact your legislators
and ask them to pass
An Act regarding Decarceration and COVID-19
(HB4652), sponsored by Rep. Sabadosa
.
HB4652
would put processes in place to decarcerate non-violent offenders, those who pose no threat to our communities, and vulnerable populations during the ongoing public health crisis. It would also require public health protections for people who are currently incarcerated.
Click the green Take Action button below to send a letter in support of this bill directly to your State Senator and Representative.
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Ensure that Everyone has Access to Emergency Paid Sick Time
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In Massachusetts, there are families with no emergency paid sick time at all and that needs to change.
An Act relative to emergency paid sick time
(HD5039/SD2918), sponsored by Rep. Donato and Sen. Lewis
would guarantee all workers at least ten additional paid workdays (80 hours) of job-protected paid sick time for immediate use during the COVID-19 outbreak or future public health emergencies. This emergency paid sick time would be in addition to any paid or unpaid time off already available to the worker.
When workers have been exposed to COVID-19, are sick, or have an ill family member, they must have the ability to miss work to care for themselves or their family, without losing the pay they need to make ends meet.
Click the green Take Action button below to send a letter in support of this bill directly to your State Senator and Representative.
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Provide Equal Stimulus Checks to Immigrant Taxpayers
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The CARES Act, a recovery act that Congress recently passed, provides much-needed stimulus checks for most American taxpayers.
However, the CARES Act excludes taxpayers who file with an ITIN rather than a Social Security Number.
These are usually immigrant families who have paid the same share of income taxes as those with social security numbers and deserve the same assistance.
An Act to Provide Equal Stimulus Checks to Immigrant Taxpayers
(SB2916), sponsored by Sen. Eldridge and Reps. Balser and Miranda
, would direct the Massachusetts Department of Revenue to provide a stimulus check to ITIN taxpayers that is equal to the stimulus checks provided under the CARES Act. It would also provide $10 million to immigrant aid organizations to provide direct financial assistance to immigrants and immigrant families.
Click the green Take Action button below to send a letter in support of this bill directly to your State Senator and Representative.
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$5M for SNAP Gap Included in House IT Bond Bill
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In May, the House released an IT Bond Bill that included $5M for our collective efforts to close the "SNAP Gap." This achievement was championed by Rep. Jay Livingstone.
You can read more about this win here. Now we await the Senate's version of the bill.
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CLINICAL AND PRIVATE PRACTICE
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COVID-19: Practice Guidelines for Reopening Social Work Practices
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Telemental Health During COVID-19
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Our staff are hard at work each day making sure we convey the most up-to-date information to you on the ever-evolving rules and regulations around tele-mental health in response to COVID-19.
We
update
this page
routinely (almost daily!) as the insurance and health care landscape adapts and changes.
Bookmark this page
and check back frequently
to learn about telehealth and its impacts on your practice during this time.
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Licensing Changes for 2020-2021:
Renewal Cycle Changes
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- In the past, all licenses came up for renewal on October 1 in even years.
- From here on, licenses will expire on your birthdate, starting with the first birthday AFTER October 1, 2020.
- Note that this could mean that your next renewal date will be significantly longer than two years from your last, depending on when your birth date falls.
- The number of CEUs will remain the same for each licensee – 30 for LICSWs, 20 for LCSWs, and so on - no matter the length of time between renewals.
- The Board of Registration has not granted any extensions for renewal dates or CEUs at this time.
- MA regulations allow for up to 100% of CEUs to be received through in-person or distance learning.
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Licensing Changes for 2020-2021: Domestic and Sexual Violence Training Requirement for Licensure
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- A new state law, “An Act Relative to Domestic Violence” mandates domestic violence and sexual assault training for social workers and other medical providers.
- The law is often referred to as Chapter 260
- It is a one-time requirement, beginning with this next license renewal cycle.
- DPH has a free online course that fulfills this requirement: https://chapter260training.org/courses/training/
- NASW-MA is expecting to be able to offer an in-person and/or online webinar course that will also fill the requirement
- Currently awaiting DPH approval for a course designed by an expert in the field from Simmons School of Social Work
- We will keep the membership posted as soon as the course becomes available.
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Get Referrals for Your Practice, Join Therapy Matcher Today!
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Let Therapy Matcher expertly match new clients to your practice. We provide pre-screened, personalized referrals make growing your private practice easy.
Join now! Start receiving personalized referrals to your practice right away. NASW-MA membership not required, but there is a significant discount to join for members.
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Valuable Member Benefit: Join the NASW-MA Private Practice Google Group
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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.
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Social Work Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic Survey
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The American Public Health Association (APHA)/Public Health Social Work (PHSW) Section is conducting a survey to better understand the experiences of practicing social workers (macro, mezzo and clinical), during the early months of the COVID-19 epidemic.
APHA/PHSW believes the findings can help us to elevate social work into the national conversation and improve efforts regarding COVID response, recovery and rebuilding.
About the
Social Work Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic Survey
:
The research team is comprised of five university-based collaborators (all APHA/PHSW members) from across the US; the study has been approved by the Fordham University Institutional Review Board and the National Association of Social Workers. All data is being collected via an online Qualtrics link that is accessible via computer or phone. The link to the survey is here:
https://usc.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2lvL6eAcAAXZku9
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Feel free to distribute it directly to other social workers and encourage others to do so as well.
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Online EBT Purchasing Now Available to MA SNAP and P-EBT Households
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DTA recently
received approval
from the USDA to join the EBT online purchasing program. The online purchasing went live on
May 29th
. See announcement below. To help spread the word, DTA has launched a new website:
Mass.gov/SNAPonline
. The website contains a one-page flyer (English/Spanish, more languages to come), FAQ (English/Spanish), sample social media posts and more.
What you need to know about online EBT as of today:
- Online EBT purchasing is currently limited to Amazon and Walmart – a USDA limit (not a state/DTA limit).
- DTA has confirmed that both SNAP and P-EBT can be used for online purchases.
- Additional retailers can apply to join the online purchasing program in “phase 2” but will need to meet the steep online EBT retailer requirements, listed on USDA's website. Remember, SNAP is not the same as other types of electronic payment transactions.
- Making an online purchase through Amazon or WalMart does not guarantee delivery. For example, we have already found that many parts of MA cannot schedule any Amazon Fresh deliveries and families can only order shelf-stable products; and most of the WalMart purchases appear to require curbside pickups.
- SNAP EBT cannot be used for delivery fees nor any non-food items – such as paper goods, cleaning supplies, personal hygiene. Customers need to have another form of electronic payment to pay for those items (and DTA cash benefits cannot be used at this time).
Thank you to our friends at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) for this information.
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From the Office of the Child Advocate: We All Need Help Sometimes Campaign
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The Massachusetts
Office of the Child Advocate
in partnership with UMass Medical is launching a public information campaign designed to make Massachusetts families aware of state resources that are available to them and encourage struggling families to reach out for
help.
If you'd like to be notified when new languages are available, or have any questions about this project, please email:
[email protected]
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Social Work and the Healthy Democracy Kit
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Social workers have a long track record of success conducting voter registration at rates higher than even traditional voter registration groups.
The institution of The Human Service Employees Voter Registration and Education Campaign (Human SERVE) and the successful National Social Work Voter Mobilization Campaign (
Voting is Social Work
) demonstrate that the social work profession has always known that voter registration and voting support a robust democracy, a just society, and an equitable health care system.
VotER acknowledges that for decades social work has been out in front doing the hard work of voter registration in all settings. They are offering a free healthy democracy kit to make it easier for social workers across the country to get involved.
Learn more here
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The Social Work Assistance Network (SWAN) -
An NASW-MA Resource for You!
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The Social Workers Assistance Network (SWAN) is a NASW Massachusetts Chapter-sponsored colleague assistance program.
SWAN provides professional consultation and referral to any social worker who may be experiencing personal issues that could impact their personal or professional lives.
These difficulties may include stress due to the Covid-19 pandemic, chemical dependence, depression, anxiety, marital and family issues, and concern for a colleague. The SWAN Commission is comprised of volunteer social workers who are committed to assisting their colleagues. SWAN is a confidential service. All contacts and information shared is privileged and private.
Learn more about this service and member benefit
here
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Licensing Test Prep Courses in Your Neighborhood
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NASW-MA hosts Licensing Test Prep courses each month in various parts of the state. Upcoming courses include:
- June 6 | VIRTUAL
- July and August | TBA
- September 19 | Worcester
- November 20 | Bridgewater
- December 5 | Springfield
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