With passage of the Racial Justice and Police Accountability bill also known as An Act relative to Justice, Equity and Accountability in Law Enforcement in the Commonwealth, NASW-MA has an important opportunity to nominate 5 social workers for a seat on the newly created Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST)—an independent state entity, the majority of which is composed of civilians—to standardize the certification, training, and decertification of police officers. The commission will have independent power to investigate misconduct.

One of the 5 NASW-MA social worker nominees will be selected by the Governor to serve a 5-year term. We have convened a group of criminal justice/social work experts both internal and external to NASW-MA to think through qualifications of nominees for this important role. Do you know someone who should be considered? Should you yourself be considered? Click the green button below to self-nominate or to urge a colleague to self-nominate by March 5, 2021.

For more information on this important legislation or the POST commission specifically, please be in touch with Rebekah Gewirtz at rgewirtz.naswma@socialworkers.org.

We've received applications for our BIPOC Student Scholarship from over 50 students! Make a donation to our fund today to ensure that every single applicant has access to membership.

Recipients will receive a one-year membership to NASW-MA at the BSW or MSW student level. See our website here for more information on eligibility requirements and the application process. 

UPDATE: We are just $620 short of our goal of ensuring every applicant can become a member! Can you help us by donating before World Social Work day on March 16th to help us reach our goal!

We are always eager to celebrate the work and commitment of social workers doing incredible work in our communities. Routinely, NASW-MA will highlight nominated social workers across our social media platforms.

For the month of March our highlight theme is Social Workers are Essential.

So far we've highlighted over a dozen social workers across the state!

Whether your graduation will take virtually or in person, current and new NASW-MA student members can request a FREE teal cord to celebrate your exciting achievement!

Faculty who are members of NASW-MA are also welcome to request a free cord. The deadline to request your cord is April 16, 2021. We recommend that you request your graduation cord at least 2 weeks prior your graduation date to mitigate any mailing delays.

Questions? Contact Noël Schutz: nschutz.naswma@socialworkers.org.

Contact us at chapter.naswma@socialworkers.org to get virtual access details for any of these meetings or view our calendar at naswma.org/events.

Are you a BSW or MSW student member looking for ways to connect with your peers? Join NASW-MA's student Facebook group!

Questions? Contact Noel Schutz: nschutz.naswma@socialworkers.org.

NASW has launched optional, annual automatic renewal to make paying membership dues easier. Members who enroll in auto renew can set their membership to renew automatically each year on their renewal date, to ensure they never miss a day of access to NASW resources and community. Members will provide their credit card number and CVV to enroll. Credit card information will be stored securely using encryption and tokenization technology which protects card data at every processing stage.

Once enrolled, you are able to make changes anytime, including updating your credit card information, changing selected contributions and subscriptions, or un-enrolling. Questions? Contact: nschutz.naswma@socialworkers.org.

Presenter: Jenn Brandel, LICSW, author of My Crisis Plain: What I Need to Get Through the Darkness and the soon to be released, When Rabbits Spill Their Tea: Metaphors to Guide Us Through Difficult Time

Presenter: Jim Drisko, PhD, MSW, Professor, Smith College School for Social Work

Join Families for Justice as Healing and New Beginnings Re-Entry Services for a panel and policy discussion with formerly incarcerated women and women with incarcerations focused on stopping any prison for women from being built in MA and creating community-led alternatives to the current system so we can decarcerate.

While MA has one of the lowest rates of incarcerating women in the country, we spend more on incarceration per person than almost any other state. As there are current plans to build a new women's prison, we will discuss existing and emerging solutions and talk about current legislation you can support to fight these proposals. 

Presented by Stacey Borden, MEd, LADC-I, Ronicia Kennerly, and Mallory Hanora

Join us for a discussion of the #1 New York Times bestselling book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, MD.

Discussant: Zaza Sakhat, LICSW, owner of Chrysalis Therapy and Wellness in Worcester

Presenter: Dr. Macie Perry Smith

Presented by Marie (Molly) Desloge and Jacquelyn M. Reinart

Presented by Elda Dawber, LICSW

In this webinar participants will gain a historical perspective on homelessness in the United States, as well as an introduction to evidence-based practices that are working to end homelessness. Finally, we will discuss how to access services available to people experiencing homelessness.

VIRTUAL

Presented by Donald Laliberte, LICSW

Hundreds of web-based continuing education offerings are available to social workers for free or low-cost on NASW's Online CE Institute, including many of the webinars related to COVID-19 that NASW-MA offered earlier this year.

In partnership with the Vaccine Equity Now! Coalition, we are sounding the alarm to call attention to the dramatic racial inequities in the vaccine rollout in Massachusetts and to advocate for real solutions.

Sign the petition to Governor Baker now, asking him to prioritize equity in the vaccine rollout.

Prior to the start of each new legislative session we seek input from our members through a variety of ways to guide our advocacy work in the years to come. In the new legislative session, which began Jan. 6, we are prioritizing 10 bills that advance professional social work practice, criminal justice, economic justice, education justice, and immigrant rights. To see our full legislative agenda as well as accomplishments from last session, visit: https://cqrcengage.com/socialworkersma/LegAgenda.

Want to learn more about these priority bills? Join us for our Legislative Agenda Unveiling virtual conversation on March 31, 2021, from 12:00 - 12:30 pm. Register here.

Help us build momentum in the legislature for these bills by joining our Legislative Alert Network email list. Through this list we send timely action opportunities to advance our priorities.

Join us for NASW-MA's annual Legislative Education & Advocacy Day (LEAD)! LEAD will take place virtually Tuesday, March 23, 2021. LEAD offers an opportunity for social work students to learn about state-level legislative advocacy. Participants will get the opportunity to learn from legislators, advocates, and persons with lived experience about one our priority bills. We are so excited to bring this event to you virtually for a reduced price of $10 and hope to see you there!

We are excited to announce that Representative Liz Miranda and NASW-MA member Carla Monteiro, LCSW, will be our keynote speakers this year.

Registration closes March 16. A special thank you to our sponsors Boston University School of Social Work and Salem State University School of Social Work for making this event possible. 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Brianna Silva, MSW Intern: bsilva.naswma@socialworkers.org.

The primary for the 19th Suffolk State Representative seat is TODAY. This is a special election to fill the vacancy left by former Speaker of the House Bob DeLeo. The 19th Suffolk includes parts of Winthrop and Revere. NASW-MA's political arm PACE has endorsed Juan Jaramillo in this race.

If you live in this district and haven't yet voted, please vote for Juan. Polls are open until 8 pm. Find your polling location here.

Great news! Therapy Matcher is offering a Half-Year Special, from now through June 2021 - Become a provider member for only $125!

For more information, visit: naswma.org/TMprovider

Or email us: Info@therapymatcher.org

In order to be compliant, you can take a FREE course through DPH, worth 2 CEUs: chapter260training.org/courses/training.

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 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.

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 chapter.naswma@socialworkers.org with "Join Google Group" in the subject line.

Keynote featuring Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., world-renowned teacher, clinician, and researcher on brain development and children’s trauma. Dr. Perry's work over the past three decades on the impact of abuse, neglect, and trauma on the developing brain has informed clinical practice, programs, and policy worldwide. His forthcoming book, What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, is co-authored with Oprah Winfrey and will be available in spring 2021.

Drawing on a forthcoming report on lessons from the pandemic, BRYT Associate Director Dr. Courtney Tucker will lead a conversation with Dr. Perry on the application of his thinking to the mental health and equity challenges facing schools in this moment.

Open Enrollment is the time of the year where consumers can buy a new health insurance plan or change their current plan. If your employer doesn't offer health insurance or you cannot afford the plan offered by your employer, you can apply for individual insurance through the Massachusetts Health Connector.

Visit Health Care for All's website to read a helpful FAQ or call the HelpLine for assistance: 1-800-272-4232.

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.

NASW-MA hosts Licensing Test Prep courses each month in various parts of the state. Upcoming courses include:

Be in touch with Adam Linn for more information at alinn.naswma@socialworkers.org.

Last week, NASW National released its 2021 Blueprint of Federal Social Policy Priorities that articulates meaningful actions the Biden-Harris Administration and Congress should take to address the COVID-19 crisis, promote mental and behavioral health, eliminate systemic racism and ensure civil and human rights for all.

The Blueprint’s 21 issue areas are organized according to the Grand Challenges for Social Work, a research-informed social policy agenda, developed by the social work profession, to address our society’s most pressing social problems. NASW’s Blueprint is a roadmap for social progress and reflects social work’s best thinking on the pathway to a more just and equitable society.