ACSSW Newsletter: Tools to Reduce Overload in the SSW Role; Brown: Schools Should Pay for MH Services

If you represent an organization with PDOs of interest to school social workers, please contact us with details. We will consider each request in terms of relevancy, timing, and interest level.

Greetings!

Those of us at ACSSW extend our sympathies to those who have lost loved ones and friends during the recent series of natural disasters and whose homes and livelihoods have been destroyed. Lives have been shattered. The destruction and harm that the hurricanes and flooding levied are devastating and continue to threaten millions as this is written.

Many of you have donated to charities to help victims of these and previous devastating events. ACSSW strongly encourages you to do this but also wants to insure that your generosity is used for the purpose you intend. Professional fundraisers are used by many charities. Some charities receive very little of your donations due to the high cost of these services. A link to Charity Navigator is provided for your convenience.

Charity Navigator rates charities. The website provides the percentage of donations actually used to cover need and shares the percentage used to pay fundraisers along with other information about the charities. Please take a moment to visit the site to choose a charity with which you are comfortable. Tips for Giving In Times of Crisis is another excellent resource.

Summit Update

The interactive 2nd National School Social Work Research Summit, June 26th to 28th, is designed for you! It continues the theme of Transforming the Practice of School Social Work that was unveiled last year. This year's participants will actively explore and engage in dialogue around The Changing Role of School Social Work Practice which focuses on research-to-practice and practice-to-research.

An Experiential Summit Highlight:

Research into Practice and Practice into Research:

School Social Workers Who Are Bridging the

Research-Practice Divide

For this dynamic panel presentation, school social work researchers, practitioners and policymakers from around the country will share specific examples of how they are "doing" research in their schools and how they are integrating their findings into their service delivery and district goals. There will be short panel presentations from projects currently underway in Florida, Louisiana, Wisconsin, and Wyoming followed by small group discussion and a Q & A session with the presenters. All summit participants will get a packet containing examples of the research tools being used to document, measure, and improve school social work practice in each of the projects.

Michael S. Kelly, PhD, Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, co-author of School Social Work: An Evidence-Informed Framework for Practice will be the panel moderator.

Dena Radtke, MSW, Coordinator of School Social Work Services for Milwaukee Public schools, and Laura Richard, MSW, doctoral student at Louisiana State University, along with school social workers from several states will address issues related to their Research-to-Practice and Practice-to-Research projects and experiences.

Visit the ACSSW website to read more and to download

the brochure. On-line registration is available.

The Hilton Chicago Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale, IL, is a lovely resort . Make your room reservations online. Enter Group/Convention Code: ACS to insure special Summit rate of $99/night. Reservations may also be made by calling 1-800-334-3417; use the code to identify the group. .

Don't miss this unique professional development opportunity. REGISTER NOW! Late fee of $25 applies June 20th and beyond.

Judith Kullas Shine

President

Please Help Us Grow!!

If you appreciate this newsletter and have found an item or two of interest over these many weeks, please forward to a colleague. We do not track to whom you send this email, and it will help ACSSW to become more familiar to school social workers across the country. Thanks!!

Send to a Colleague Join ACSSW Now!!

Practice Points

Tools to Reduce Overload in the School Social Work Role

This article addresses how school social workers can decrease overload in their roles. A two-step process of envisioning an ideal role is outlined: (1) indentifying priorities and activities that are effective or in need of expansion and (2) weeding out activities that could be done differently or no longer serve their purpose. The author encourages school social workers to provide monthly written reports to their supervisors to communicate accomplishments and secure the leverage needed to make systematic role changes. Because many school social workers struggle with burgeoning caseloads, the author advocates using a fundamental question to qualify students for counseling and using a universal screening process before seeing students in regular education. For students who cannot be seen regularly, suggestions are provided for strengthening the referral process. Examples of twofor-one activities-in which one activity may support two groups of students in different ways-are provided, as are examples of how social workers can pass on the programs they start so the programs become self-sustaining. Finally, the author addresses administrative issues-for example, use of flex time and relevant professional development days to ensure that social workers make the most of their time and do not have to work overtime. Discover new tools.

Capabilities and Contributions of Unwed Fathers

Young, minority, and poorly educated fathers in fragile families have little capacity to support their children financially and are hard-pressed to maintain stability in raising those children. In this article, Robert Lerman examines the capabilities and contributions of unwed fathers, how their capabilities and contributions fall short of those of married fathers, how those capabilities and contributions differ by the kind of relationship the fathers have with their child's mother, and how they change as infants grow into toddlers and kindergartners. Unwed fathers' employment and earnings vary widely among groups but generally rise over time. At the child's birth, cohabiting fathers earn nearly 20 percent more than non-cohabiting unwed fathers, and the gap widens over time. Still, five years after an unwed birth, the typical unwed father is working full time for the full year. Although most unwed fathers spend considerable time with their children in the years soon after birth, explains Lerman, over time their involvement erodes. Men who lose touch with their children are likely to see their earnings stagnate, provide less financial support, and often face new obligations when they father children with another partner. By contrast, the unwed fathers who marry or cohabit with their child's mother earn considerably higher wages and work substantially more than unwed fathers who do not marry or cohabit. These results suggest that unwed fathers' earnings are affected by family relationships as well as their education and work experience. Click here to read about more factors. Read more.

Leadership News

10 Leadership Strategies for Women In Social Service Management

Although addressing women, this article may be interesting reading for male school social workers as well. "Viewing management strategies from a gender perspective is the administrative equivalent of acknowledging diversity in developing cultural competence. Women's relational style can both help and hinder their effectiveness as leaders (Allison & Allison, 1985). One study identified nine categories in which women excel as managers: concern for people, sensitivity to the needs of female workers, investment in workers, a cooperative orientation, a global perspective, openness in communication, recognition of inequities, concern for the quality of the environment, and use of intuition (Chernesky, 1996). These qualities make for a nurturing, receptive, empowering, and inclusive environment but can also result in one in where productivity suffers. Female managers may benefit from using the best of male and female leadership styles. Likewise, male social work managers may equally benefit from developing "feminine" leadership qualities, and men in social work may be more open to doing so." Click for complete article.

Research Highlights

Convergence of a Strengths Perspective and Youth Development: Toward Youth Promotion Practice

Abstract: In recent years, increased attention has been paid to the development and application of the strengths perspective and positive youth development. This paper develops youth promotion practice as a convergence of a strengths perspective and youth development principles. Historical and contemporary contexts of a problem-focused perspective in social work with adolescents are reviewed and a critique developed with emphasis on the evolution of strengths-focused practices. The importance and possibility of combining the strengths perspective and youth development toward youth promotion practice are addressed. Youth promotion is defined as a process of enhancing youth strengths and resources to promote positive outcomes and help young people be healthy adults. Complementary aspects of the two perspectives are expected to support and supplement the strengths and weaknesses of each perspective in synergistic ways. Several advantages of youth promotion practice are discussed as well as its implications for improved social work practices with adolescents. Read complete study.

In the News

CA's Gov. Brown: Schools Should Pay for Mental Health Services for Special Education Students

Deep in Gov. Jerry Brown's May revision of his January budget is a possible solution to a major conflict over funding mental health services for special education students. Brown this week proposed that schools, not counties, be responsible for paying for mental health services, which include counseling, medication management and treatment in a residential facility. Using a complex formula Brown has come up with $390 million, including $69 million in federal special education funds, to help schools pay for those services. "We think that the program is sufficiently funded in 2011-12 with most of the dollars going to the school district level," said Diane Cummins, special adviser to Brown on "realignment," the process the governor is using to try to push state services down to the local level. Cummins said from now on, school districts will be able to decide on their own whether to contract with counties to provide mental health services as they have in the past, or to provide them on their own. Read about his proposal.

Event-Triggered Suicide Attempts by Teens Point to Lack of Problem Solving-Skills

Depressed teenagers are more likely to attempt suicide without a triggering event, and teenagers who make an attempt after an event are more likely to have poorer problem-solving skills but to be less depressed, a study has shown. The findings suggest that when events trigger suicide attempts or ideations, adolescents might benefit most from help with problem-solving skills. In the absence of an event, teenagers might benefit more from depression treatment, according to lead author Ryan Hill, a clinical psychology graduate student at Florida International University in Miami. "For those who didn't have precipitating events, it may be that we need to intervene more at the level of stopping their depression. In those with preceding events, maybe we need to identify more beforehand those who have poorer problem solving and teach them some problem-solving skills," Mr. Hill said at the annual conference of the American Association of Suicidology. Also, suicide risk should be routinely monitored among adolescents with severe depression or a past attempt, given that suicidal crises may occur in the absence of an identifiable trigger. Among youth with low levels of depression, suicide risk should be monitored closely during the days following a stressful life event, he said. Read more.

Cutting and Other Self-Mutilating Practices Aren't Suicide Attempts, Experts Say

Teenagers and adults who cut or physically mutilate themselves have attracted more attention from psychiatrists in the past decade as the prevalence of such behavior has increased. Accumulating experience treating these patients, as well as better research, is altering the way experts view cutting, according to information presented last week at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Assn. Previously, self-mutilation -- which can include cutting, scratching or burning -- was considered a possible sign that a patient may be at higher risk of suicide. That is no longer the prevailing wisdom, said Dr. David Shaffer, a professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Columbia University in New York. "All the evidence shows self-mutilation is not a suicide attempt," Shaffer said. "But these people have been getting admitted to a psychiatric hospital ... for what is essentially a benign condition." Full story here.

Webinars

School-Based Health Centers & Academic Outcomes: New Research and Future Directions from a Seattle-Based Academic Community Partnership

Monday, June 6th 1 p.m. Eastern Time

In collaboration with the IDEA Partnership, the Quality and Evidence Based Practice (QEBP) Practice Group will be hosting a webinar presented by Dr. Eric Bruns, Associate Professor, and Dr. Aaron Lyon, Postdoctoral Fellow, from the University of Washington School Medicine. They will be presenting research on the connection between school-based health center service utilization (both health and mental health services) and academic outcomes, as well as several projects that are underway to promote positive social emotional and academic outcomes via effective school-based mental health services.

Please follow these instructions to join the online meeting.

1. To join the meeting go to Join Meeting. This allows you to view the powerpoint slides, participate in instant messaging during the webinar, and listen to the presenters talk (speakers must be turned on your computer).

2. To listen to the meeting and participate in the discussion, please call in via telephone.

Primary Dial-In: 1-800-201-2375 Alternate Dial-In: 1-469-759-7753 Passcode: 434706

3. If you are listening via telephone, please turn off your computer's speakers.

4. If you want to prepare your system ahead of time, please visit Prepare Ahead.

SSW Jobs Links

If linked-to page looks blank, scroll down.

New this week: New Bedford, MA Florham Park, NJ Hopkins,MN

Various Locations

Continuing posts: New York, NY (fluent bi-lingual; charter) Revere, MA Washington, CT

NY, NY: Director of Student Services Kankakee, IL Beach Park, IL Tolleson, AZ (LCSW) Johnston, IA Monticello, MN ConnecticutJobs Harlem, NYC, NY Hartford, CT (summer)

Requests for Research Assistance

School Social Work & Delinquency

Your participation is requested in a national survey focusing on school social work and delinquency. The primary investigator, Dr. Lauri Goldkind, is an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Social Service at Fordham University. Her work focuses on the intersection of the juvenile justice and education systems. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and as a token of the researchers appreciation, they are offering a $5.00 Starbucks gift card to the first 250 respondents. If you have already responded to the survey via other means, thank you! Survey link: School Social Work and Delinquency

School Social Workers and Reactive Attachment Disorder

Ms. Francesca Bautista is studying Reactive Attachment Disorder at the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse. If you are a social worker, please respond to this short 26 question survey regarding Reactive Attachment Disorder. The results will be used to assess current training and knowledge on Reactive Attachment Disorder. Reactive Attachment Disorder Survey.

Grants & Funding

CVS: Caremark Community Grants

The CVS Caremark Community Grants Program is currently accepting proposals for programs targeting children with disabilities that address: health and rehabilitation services; a greater level of inclusion in student activities and extracurricular programs; opportunities or facilities that give greater access to physical movement and play; provision to uninsured individuals with needed care, in particular programs where the care received is of higher quality and delivered by providers who participate in accountable community health care programs. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: nonprofit organizations. Deadline: October 31, 2011. Learn more.

Nominations Invited for Mario Savio Young Activist Award

A cash prize of $6,000 will be given to a social change activist between the ages of 16 and 26 who is working within an organization or community effort to promote peace, human rights, economic or social justice, or freedom of speech. Deadline: June 30, 2011. For more click here.

Captain Planet Foundation: Grants for the Environment

The Captain Planet Foundation funds hands-on environmental projects that encourage innovative programs that empower children and youth around the world to work individually and collectively to solve environmental problems in their neighborhoods and communities. Maximum award: $2,500. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations. Deadline: June 30, 2011. For more information, click here.

PTO Today: Parent Group of the Year
PTO Today's Parent Group of the Year Contest is an opportunity to showcase hard work while giving a school the chance to win cash and prizes. Maximum award: $3,000, plus a free DIRECTV system for the school, installed in up to eight rooms. Eligibility: all parent groups -- PTO, PTA, HSA, PTC, etc.; public and private schools; rural, suburban, and urban schools. Deadline: June 1, 2011.
Click for more.

NEA Foundation Nickelodeon K-8 Big Help Grant

Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to K-8 public school educators in the United States working on issues related to environmental awareness, health and wellness, students' right to a quality public education, and active community involvement. Deadline: June 1, 2011. Learn more.

Yes to Seed Fund and Whole Foods Market Offer K-12 School Garden Grants

Grants of up to $2,000 will be awarded to K-12 schools working to provide gardens that engage students in learning about nutrition and the importance of fruits and vegetables. The partners will provide Seed Fund Grants of $2,000 to schools in each of five participating Whole Foods regions in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, and five Starter Garden Grants of $500 to schools nationwide. Deadline: May 31, 2011. Click to apply.

ACSSW Activities

ACSSW's present major activities include:

increasing research projects and their application within the school environment,
developing a national school social work role paper,
a more long-term goal, establishing a National Center for School Social Work Research, and,
developing the 2nd National School Social Work Research Summit to be held June 26-28 in Bloomingdale, IL, at the Hilton Indian Lakes Resort.

If you have interest in assisting with one or more of these projects, don't hesitate to contact Judie Shine. ACSSW strives to be inclusive and transparent in all of its activities and welcomes the participation, whether short or lengthy, of its members.