NASW-TN
Children & Families Connections

June 2020 Newsletter
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Welcome to NASW-TN’s e-newsletter. This will be a monthly publication focused on supporting your work with children & families in Tennessee. Monthly issues will be emailed to our members and shared with the public through our Facebook page and website. Each issue will include a theme for that month, the latest information and research related to children & families, as well as tools and resources you can use in your practice.
June is
National PRIDE Month

LGBTQ Pride Month is celebrated throughout June. This annual event focuses on the uplifting of LGBTQ+ voices, the celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and support for LGBTQ+ rights.

Pride month was initiated over 50 years ago to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, an event that was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States.

Below are links to a few tools, information and resources for you to use in your practice with and for LGBT individuals and families.



Racism and Recent Deaths
Challenge Our Profession,
Code of Ethics and Core Values
     
NASW is committed to social justice for all and to ending racism.


Additional Information and Resources

NASW CEO Angelo McClain, PhD, LICSW, outlines how NASW national and chapter staff are mobilized and increasing our efforts in the face of America's racism pandemic.
NASW-TN will be partnering with the Coalition of Black Social Workers to provide a series of 1-2 presentations over the next few months to help address Racism and Recent Deaths, Challenge to Our Profession,
Code of Ethics and Core Values.
More info coming soon
NASW-TN regrets the delay in hosting our Annual Awards ceremony that was originally scheduled for March 24 at Social Work Day on the Hill. We are pleased to feature our outstanding award winners in specific categories through this and other issues of Children and Families Connections .
Social Work Educator of the Year Award Winners

Becky Jackson, Knoxville, TN
Nominator Information: This nomination was submitted by the Field Education Staff Team at UT College of Social Work

Becky Jackson, a treasured faculty member of the University of Tennessee, College of Social Work is an Assistant Professor of Practice and a leader in field education. She has been the Director of Field and International Education since 2013. She previously served as the MSSW Field Coordinator for the Knoxville campus from 2004 to 2013. Prior to coming to the University, Becky worked for several years in residential services for children, adolescents and young adults. She served as a Social Worker, Centennial Project Director, and Administrator of the John Tarleton Home for Children. In addition, she served as a Volunteer Coordinator for the Helen Ross McNabb Center and taught English as a Second Language at Maryville College Center for English Language Learning.  

Becky is a source of unending inspiration and sincere encouragement to all, making her an approachable person to talk to about anything. On countless occasions, she spends hours with students engaging them in problem solving or deciding if studying abroad is for them. She works tirelessly on educational policies and procedures to improve and advance field education for students, field instructors and faculty. She volunteers her time as the Phi Alpha Advisor for the BSSW and MSSW programs and serves as an off-site field instructor for community agencies who do not employee social workers.     

Becky leads by example. She is a dedicated, passionate, ethical social work educator who models the social work values in her work with students, faculty, and staff. Becky models true self care and wellness. She genuinely cares about and supports the well-being of the field team. This support has inspired us to not only focus more on our own wellness, but to encourage students to do the same. Through this example, Becky’s influence touches every social work student at the University of Tennessee, encouraging the importance of developing self care practices that promote professional resilience.     
Nominator Information: Susan Neely-Barnes, Director of School of Social Work Program, University of Memphis

Dr. Robin Lennon-Dearing has accomplishments in teaching, educational leadership, and scholarship that make her an excellent candidate for this award.

Regarding teaching, Dr. Lennon-Dearing has consistently high teaching evaluations. In addition to these high student ratings, Dr. Lennon-Dearing takes an innovative and engaged approach to teaching. She adds a service-learning component to her classes so that students may apply what they have learned in the classroom to the field.
Regarding scholarship, Dr. Lennon-Dearing has sixteen peer-reviewed journal articles, eighteen juried national presentations, and many more non-referred publications, community presentations, and workshops. She is making a significant contribution to the literature in her areas of expertise: HIV treatment, social work attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ population, and interdisciplinary team practice.
Regarding academic service, Dr. Lennon-Dearing has been a good citizen at University of Memphis chairing the scholarship committee, running the Phi Alpha honors society, and serving on tenure and promotion committees.

Dr. Lennon-Dearing consistently demonstrates commitment to the core values of social work through her research and her service. Her research focused on social worker attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ population demonstrates her commitment to social justice. Her engaged scholarship photovoice project with women who are HIV+ and her advocacy around the HIV Modernization Bill demonstrates both her commitment to social justice and her commitment to dignity and worth of the person.    

Dr. Lennon-Dearing has many accomplishments at both the University and in the community. At the University, she has been the recipient of a Professional Development Award. She has also been nominee for several teaching awards and an engaged scholarship award. Dr. Lennon-Dearing has received national recognition for her scholarship. In 2015, she won the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Scholarship Award from the Council on Social Work education for her article on social worker attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ population.    
Congratulations Graduates

NASW-TN is pleased to share with 2020 graduates a new video from Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Board Chair Saundra Starks, EdD, LCSW. We applauds this communication to the Class of 2020 who are graduating from social work programs into communities that are addressing urgent calls for social justice and public health services. View the video on CSWE’s YouTube channel .
Free civil legal help is available through resources provided by Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services.Visit ww.HELP4TN.org or call 1-844-HELP4TN to talk to an experienced Tennessee attorney for free legal advice and referrals.
 
NASW, Tennessee Chapter helps support the inclusion of information on social services through this website.
Free, one-stop resource for TN families to raise healthy and happy kids. kidcentral tn features articles on health, education, development and more. It also includes a searchable directory for state-sponsored services for children &families.

The site is maintained by the Tennessee Commission and Children and Youth.