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School Social Work Now!
Supporting Innovative Practice, Effective
Leadership & Applied Research
May 2012 - Vol 2, Issue 30 |
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| Greetings! | |
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. On a daily basis, school social workers deal with the mental health needs of children and teens and sometimes their parents--or how parental mental health challenges impact their children. School social workers also offer support to teachers and administrators who are not typically trained in the area of mental health. Take advantage of the information available on student mental health. It could save a life!
Mental Health America (MHA) offers two downloadable toolkits to help in the area of mental health: Do More for 1in4 Toolkit and Healing Trauma's Invisible Wounds Toolkit. To print copies of these toolkits, click on the link above.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has interesting facts regarding children's mental health on their website. NAMI's 2004 Task Force Report, Children and Psychotropic Medication remains informative today.
During National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day on May 9, you can help raise awareness about the importance of children's mental health by sharing information about trauma and resilience in children. Learn More about National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day.
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ACSSW is excited to be able to invite you to join school social work leaders, practitioners, university professors, and researchers at the 3rd National ACSSW Research-to-Practice Summit, Evidence-Based Practices in Action. This interactive event will be held June 24-26, 2012 in Bloomingdale, IL, a Chicago suburb.
This Summit is designed for independent thinking school social workers, those who enjoy critical conversations, seek out what is important to the practice of school social work, and who understand that research and evidence-based interventions are foundational to success. Challenge yourself!
Download the ACSSW Summit Brochure now. This is not your "average" learning experience. Earn up to 12.25 CEUs. Take advantage of the "Early Bird", Team, and Leadership discounts. Register online now!! Space is limited!
Judith Kullas Shine
President
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Recommended Read for May | |
This month, rather than focusing on one book, ACSSW is recommending a website that has dozens of books related to children's mental health, including books to be read by and to children and teens.
Do take the time to visit the website of
Books Dealing with Children's Mental Health
and discover a valuable resource for your practice.
Carol Watkins, M.D., a child psychiatrist and Nicole, a middle school student (now a high school student) .. .both review books on
ADHD, depression, family problems, decision-making and many other topics related to children and teen's mental health. You will find something that will be of interest and, more importantly,
helpful in your work. |
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Professional Development | |
ACSSW's 3rd National Research-to-Practice Summit
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Practice Points | |
States' Requirements for School Social Work Certification or Licensing
This listing by the National Association of State Board of Education includes school social work pre-service requirements, professional development requirements, and school social worker to student ratios. Only about 8 of the states address the student to social worker ratio in any type of state law or rule. Find my state.
The Pursuit of Evidenc-Based Practice in Special Education for Children with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders
Abstract: Colleagues in the field of mental health have made considerable progress developing
inventories of evidence-based practice; however, the field of special education for children with emotional or behavioral disorders has only recently begun to do so. This paper provides somepersonal reflections on four major issues for consideration as we pursue evidence-based practice inthis field, including: (1) the nature of acceptable evidence; (2) the sustainability of evidence-based practice; (3) the overlap of learning disabilities and emotional or behavioral disorders; and (4) the context of special education in the field of mental health. Such problems are formidable and remain largely unresolved as we enter a new phase of deliberation regarding evidence-based practice. Read full article.
Media and Children's Aggression, Fear and Altruism
Summary: Noting that the social and emotional experiences of American children today often heavily involve electronic media, Barbara Wilson takes a close look at how exposure to screen media affects children's well-being and development. She concludes that media influence on children depends more on the type of content that children find attractive than on the sheer amount of time they spend in front of the screen. . .
Wilson also explores how media exposure affects children's social development. Strong evidence shows that violent television programming contributes to children's aggressive behavior. And a growing body of work indicates that playing violent video games can have the same harmful effect. Yet if children spend time with educational programs and situation comedies targeted to youth, media exposure can have more prosocial effects by increasing children's altruism, cooperation, and even tolerance for others. Full article. |
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Leadership News | |
Leadership Characteristics that Facilitate School Change: History of Leadership Research
Researchers have examined leadership skills from a variety of perspectives. Early analyses of leadership, from the 1900s to the 1950s, differentiated between leader and follower characteristics. Finding that no single trait or combination of traits fully explained leaders' abilities, researchers then began to examine the influence of the situation on leaders' skills and behaviors. Subsequent leadership studies attempted to distinguish effective from non-effective leaders. These studies attempted to determine which leadership behaviors were exemplified by effective leaders. To understand what contributed to making leaders effective, researchers used the contingency model in examining the connection between personal traits, situational variables, and leader effectiveness. Leadership studies of the 1970s and 1980s once again focused on the individual characteristics of leaders which influence their effectiveness and the success of their organizations. The investigations led to the conclusion that leaders and leadership are crucial but complex components of organizations. Continue.
Facilitative Leadership: the Imperative for Change
. . . successful change of individuals' knowledge and practices in classrooms and schools appears to be accompanied by ongoing support and assistance to them as they are implementing the changes. This assistance comes in various forms and from various sources. One of the sources identified was school principals, who can exercise leadership in facilitating the change process. Principals are not the only persons providing facilitative leadership, however, for such leadership is not defined by positions on organizational charts. Rather, it is defined functionally. Learn more. |
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Research Highlights | |
Conflicting Model of Mind in Mind: Mapping the Gaps between the Expert and the Public Understandings of Child Mental Health as Part of Strategic Frame Analysis
FrameWorks' research on both the expert discourse and the cultural models that the public employs to think about child mental health are analyzed here to reveal the knowledge and cognitive tools that these groups bring to bear on the subject. However, more importantly to the tasks of science translation and communication, the research identifies the specific places where gaps exist between these two understandings - a process that FrameWorks calls "mapping the gaps." With improved knowledge of where these gaps are located and the specific understandings between which they lay, we move toward the second stage of Strategic Frame Analysis™: identifying communications strategies that close these gaps and activate more productive ways of thinking the issue. In filling the most conspicuous and expansive of these expert/lay gaps, FrameWorks aims to reframe the public discussion of child mental health by
clarifying the role that the public plays (and could play) in addressing issues emerging from the science of child mental health. As such, the combination of the expert and lay interviews presented in this report constitutes the foundation for a research process that culminates in a strategic approach to translating the science and communicating about the policy implications of the science of child mental health. Learn more.
How to Talk About Children's Mental Health: A FrameWorks Message Memo
The subject of child mental health is a clear example of an issue area where the scientific knowledge base has not been effectively translated for public understanding and support. This is surprising, given the undeniable progress over recent decades in public awareness of mental health problems and access to information. The research reported here documents a considerable lack of public understanding about (1) essential features of child mental illness and mental health care, from prevalence to causes to the provision of effective treatments, (2) the relationship between child mental health and overall health, and (3) the implications of mental illness for a child's social and interpersonal relationships, later work and community participation. In other words, despite the influx of accessible information, for most people, much remains unknown about child and family mental health. Finally, and perhaps related to this bewilderment, there is
little of the public conversation that situates mental health as a societal, rather than an individual,problem.
Given this contradiction between the ready accessibility of information about child mental health on the one hand and the paucity of public understanding of essential features of mental healthon the other, efforts to create or sustain effective public programs and policies are likely to be met with confusion and even resistance. Further, it is highly likely that communications and public outreach efforts for related programs and policies will be misdirected. Until there is a clearer recognition of exactly how the public reasons about the topic of child mental health and a concomitant effort to explain fundamental principles in terms the public can understand, experts will not be able to fully engage the public in recognizing the value of the solutions scientists and policy leaders seek to advance. Continue here. |
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In the News | |
From a Dragon Mom: My Child is Dying
MY son, Ronan, looks at me and raises one eyebrow. His eyes are bright and focused. Ronan means "little seal" in Irish and it suits him. I want to stop here, before the dreadful hitch: my son is 18 months old and will likely die before his third birthday. Ronan was born with Tay-Sachs, a rare genetic disorder. He is slowly regressing into a vegetative state. He'll become paralyzed, experience seizures, lose all of his senses before he dies. There is no treatment and no cure.
How do you parent without a net, without a future, knowing that you will lose your child, bit by torturous bit? Read more.
Low Income School Districts Most Likely to Place Students in Special Education
Low-income school districts are most likely to place students in special education programs for mild and sometimes questionable disabilities, a practice that has swelled the state's special education population to one of the highest rates in the nation, according to a first-of-a-kind study commissioned by the state . . .
More than 163,000, or 17 percent, of Massachusetts students are enrolled in special education, the second-highest rate in the nation, according to the study. The Bay State comes behind Rhode Island.
Mitchell Chester, the state's commissioner of elementary and secondary education, ordered the study to find out why so many students enroll in special education and why those students tend to score poorly on standardized exams despite the often-costly interventions they receive. More. |
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Webinars | |
The Research Council of the American School Health Association will host, An Introduction to Secondary Data Analysis for Research on Children and Adolescents, to help individuals learn how to use free data sets like the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the National Longitudinal Survey on Adolescent Health (Add Health). This event will be held Thursday, May 3, 2012 at 1 pm ET. For more information and to register click here.
Leadership: Keys to Juvenile Reform
On May 9, 2012, at 2 pm ET, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (OJJDP's) National Center for Youth in Custody (NC4YC) will present the Webinar, "Leadership: Keys to Leading Juvenile Justice Reform." While looking specifically at juvenile justice,pPresentations will focus on universal concepts of collaborative leadership, leadership in culture change, and leadership in empowering youth and families in the rehabilitative process. Online registration.
The Institute of Education Sciences will host a series of funding opportunities webinars in April - August, 2012. These webinars will focus on a wide range of topics for applicants to the FY 2013 grant programs, including the application process, grant writing, and overviews of specific funding opportunities. Full descriptions of the webinars are available and registration is now open. For further information and to register, click here.
ARCHIVED & AVAILABLE
This Teen Screen Webinar has been archived and is now available for your viewing. Listen to a discussion on the signs and symptoms of eating disorders, the latest treatment strategies, and co-managing these disorders with the clinical team to avoid relapse and achieve a successful outcome. Access archive.
ARCHIVED & AVAILABLE
Many schools and communities are struggling to find effective ways to prevent both bullying and suicidal behavior among youth. This webinar will provide the latest research and science on the relationship between bullying and suicide and will outline some of the shared risk and protective factors. The webinar also discusses the main principles of a comprehensive whole school approach to bullying prevention. This presentation was interactive, with opportunities to ask questions. Access here. |
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SSW Job Links | |
New this week: Bellevue, WA Bronx, NY Evanston, IL
Continued this week: Bethel, AK (3 positions) Berwyn, IL Brooklyn, NY
Burr Ridge, IL Central Falls, RI Cheyenne, WY(summer school) Danvers, MA
Gary, IN Julian, CA Midlothian, IL New Orleans, LA Randolph, MA(autism)
Shawnee Mission, KS Topeka, KS Tucson, AZ Wichita, KS
Connecticut (Various Locations) IL PBIS Network, Research and Evaluation Director |
| Call for Papers | |
Special Edition of Social Work and Christianity: Towards A Christian Critique of Evidence-based Practice in Social Work
Deadline: September 1, 2012
Guest Editors: Michael S. Kelly, Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work & Cynthia Franklin, University of Texas-Austin
Evidence-based Practice (EBP) is now entering its second decade in social work scholarship and practice. This special issue seeks to add a Christian perspective to the literature on the implementation of EBP in social work practice, policy, and education. Many scholars and practitioners hail EBP's impact on client outcomes and argue that it represents a deepening of our ethical commitment to empowering practitioners with a process and tools that lead to the best possible client care, while other scholars point out the limitations of the EBP approach. This special issue of Social Work & Christianity seeks to expand the epistemological and practical discussions about EBP to add a further (and we believe, necessary) complication to the debate over EBP in social work: namely, how can EBP be practiced in the multitude of Christian social work contexts we see around the world? This special issue seeks to further debate the pros and cons of using EBP in social work by asking simply, "How can Christian social workers incorporate EBP into their work?" Papers for this special issue are encouraged to look at EBP as a process that integrates clinical expertise, client circumstances, research evidence, and client values and to formulate a paper discussing one or all of those dimension from a Christian perspective. Papers can employ a variety of methodologies, though special emphasis will be given to papers that use a conceptual lens to build a foundation to either critique or defend EBP from a Christian social work perspective. Papers can be up to 20 pages, double-spaced and in APA style (6th Ed.). Contact Michael Kelly at Loyola University Chicago with any questions and to submit papers as email attachments. |
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Grants & Funding | |
Search Tool Helps Users Find Grants to Fund Youth Programs
The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs has created an online Web Tool that allows users to search for federal grant opportunities by youth topic or federal agency. The tool uses a filter to search for grants that are likely to fund youth programs. To learn more and determine if you are eligible, click here.
Youth Literacy Grant
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation's Youth Literacy Grants program will provide multiple grants up to $4,000 to applicants that provide literacy programs to students performing below grade level or experiencing difficulty reading. Schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations located in a state in which a Dollar General store operates are eligible to apply. Deadline: May 16, 2012. More information and application.
Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program Grant Competition
The Department of Education recently announced the FY 2012 ESSCP grant competition. Grantees under this competition will use funds to support counseling programs in target elementary, K-12, or secondary schools. Schools will establish or expand school counseling programs through hiring qualified school counselors, school social workers, school psychologists, with a goal of expanding the range, availability, quantity and quality of school counseling services. School counseling services will use a developmental and preventative approach. This is a 3-year grant program and each annual award ranges from $250,000 - $400,000. Deadline: May 25, 2012. For more information view the Federal Register.
NFL Fuel Up to Play 60
The National Football League's Fuel Up to Play 60 will award grants up to $4,000 to K-12 schools enrolled in their wellness program. Grants may be used to support a variety of programs, activities, and tools including student engagement and motivation, family engagement, in-school promotions, staff development, and nutrition and physical education materials. The deadline to submit applications is June 1, 2012. For more information and to apply click here.
OJJDP: Underage Drinking Research Funding
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has announced the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Field-Initiated Research and Evaluation Program funding opportunity. This program will support methodologically rigorous research and evaluation studies that inform policy and practice consistent with the Department of Justice's mission. OJJDP will fund field-initiated studies to understand the factors that influence the prevention of underage drinking, the enforcement of underage drinking laws, and individuals' and communities' attitudes and behaviors about underage drinking. Applications deadline: 11:59 p.m. E.T. on June 4, 2012. More information.
CVS/Caremark Community Grants
CVS/Caremark Community Grants are currently accepting proposals for programs, targeting children under age 21 with disabilities, which address health and rehabilitation services or enabling physical movement and play. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: non-profits located in states that also have CVS stores. Deadline: October 31, 2012. More info. |
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ACSSW Activities | |
ACSSW's present activities include:
- increasing research projects and their application within the school environment;
- developing a national school social work role framework paper;
- establishing a National Center for School Social Work Practice, Leadership and Research, a long-term goal,
- hosting the 2nd Louisiana State-wide School Social Work Conference, winter 2013, in New Orleans, LA. Exact dates to be determined.
- presenting the 3rd National School Social Work Research Summit to be held June 24-26, 2012, in Bloomingdale, IL (a Chicago suburb) at the Hilton Chicago/Indian Lakes Resort.
If you have interest in participating in any of these activities, contact Judie Shine. ACSSW strives to be inclusive and transparent in all of its activities and welcomes, whether lengthy or short, the participation of its members. |
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