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School Social Work Now!
Supporting Innovative Practice, Effective
Leadership & Applied Research
May 2012 - Vol 2, Issue 31 |
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| Greetings! | |
Are you interested in social justice? Do you wonder how the school social work roles fit into social justice in the schools? If so, join like-minded colleagues as we examine the issues during 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.
Dr. Caleb Kim of Loyola University Chicago's School of Social Work will present a social justice model of school social work focusing on educational welfare and student human rights perspectives. Based on the meta-analysis of functions and roles of school social workers, this presentation provides a social justice oriented 4-tier model as a new conceptual framework for the future direction of our profession.
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. 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!
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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.
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) . . . 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 | |
The Impact of School Mental Health: Educational, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes
During Children's Mental Health Awareness Week, it is important to recognize the critical role and value of school mental health in helping all youth to be successful. The Center for School Mental Health (CSMH) research report, The Impact of School Mental Health: Educational, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes, provides a one page summary of key highlights of the impact of school mental health and a more detailed nine page summary of the literature, including empirical findings and a reference list. Below are some basic facts related to school mental health that can be shared to raise awareness about school mental health.
- Between 14-20% of children and adolescents experience a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder each year; however less than one-third of these youth will receive any treatment to address these concerns.
- Of youth who do access mental health services, approximately 75% receive those services in schools.
- School mental health programs have a positive impact across academic, social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes in children and adolescents. For example, studies show:
- Improvements in behavioral and emotional symptoms
- Increases in social competency
- Increases in standardized reading and math test scores
- Improvements in commitment to school
- Increases in school attendance
- Increases in grade point average
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA): Pending Changes
Congress is currently considering sweeping changes to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The Obama administration has also promised relief from the current law's most onerous provisions in return for states' commitments to additional requirements. This chart provides a breakdown of the pending changes as well as ASCD's (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) position on key provisions. The chart reviews such areas as: standards and assessments, funding, accountability, leadership, and others. Comparison of Pending Changes.
Why We Need Emotional First Aid
Hurricanes, tornados, floods, mud slides, forest fires, mine collapses, oil spills, earthquakes, shootings, bombings-so many people in recent years have been caught up in the most horrific, traumatizing events. There is no shortage of tragedy in our world and trauma is one of the most debilitating and quite possibly long-lasting ailments that can affect a human being. The scars of emotional trauma, without proper care and attention, could last a lifetime, long after the physical scars have healed.
While body awareness techniques help people work through long-buried traumatic memories, what can we do when faced with the very real potential for trauma in the immediate wake of a catastrophe? Well, we can utilize those same techniques: we need emotional first aid as much as we need the paramedics and ER teams when disaster strikes or a tragedy unfolds. Learn more.
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. |
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Leadership News | |
Developing a Leadership Strategy: A Critical Ingredient for Organizational Success
. . . In order to understand what a leadership strategy is, we first have to be clear about what we mean by leadership. The Center for Creative Leadership has been studying leaders and leadership for nearly 40 years and has recently come to an important conclusion: leadership begins with individuals in leadership positions, but it doesn't end there. The ability of an organization to accomplish its goals does not depend solely on the force of will of a single great leader, or even upon the effectiveness of the organization's chain of command. These things are important, but don't in and of themselves help us understand why some organizations succeed where others fail.
Instead, research has shown, we must understand leadership culture, as defined by the collective
actions of formal and informal leaders acting together to influence organizational success. It is not simply the number or quality of individual leaders that determines organizational success, but the ability of formal and informal leaders to pull together in the support of organizational goals that ultimately makes the difference. Thus, when we speak about leadership here, it is both the leaders themselves and the relationships among them to which we refer. At various times, the idea that leadership is greater than the individual leader has been referred to as interdependent, boundaryless, collective or connected leadership. Access white paper here.
How to Create a Culture of Candor
There are no silver bullets in the field of management. But insisting on candor comes as close to being an all-purpose problem-solver as any idea yet encountered. There are many different terms for it - transparency, integrity, honesty, full-disclosure, facing reality - but whatever you call it, it appears to be at the core of all great organizations.
The reason is that organizations, like people, have an endless ability to weave self-serving stories about themselves. And while such myth-making may be critical to a person's, or an organization's, survival, motivation and self-esteem, it can often be destructive to results. Read more here. |
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Research Highlights | |
Somatic Experiencing Treatment with Social Service Workers Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
In a disaster, social service workers are often survivors themselves. This study examines whether somatic intervention using a brief (one to two session) stabilization model now called the Trauma Resiliency Model™ (TRM), which uses the skills of Somatic Experiencing® (SE), can reduce the postdisaster symptoms of social service workers involved in postdisaster service delivery. The study was implemented with a nonrandom sample of 142 social service workers who were survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, two to three months after the disasters. Ninety-one participants received SE/TRM and were compared with a matched comparison group of 51 participants through the use of propensity score matching. All participants first received group psychoeducation. Results support the benefits of the brief intervention inspired by SE. The treatment group showed statistically significant gains in resiliency indicators and decreases in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Although psychological symptoms increased in both groups at the three to four month follow-up, the treatment group's psychological symptoms were statistically lower than those of the comparison group. Learn more.
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In the News | |
School Social Workers: Suicide an Issue Even in Elementary Schools, Study Finds
While suicide is not typically associated with young children, a new study finds that this problem is present even in elementary schools. Temple University researchers interviewed more than 400 school social workers about their experience with suicide or suicide threats in their schools. School social workers are usually the ones who deal with this kind of crisis when it surfaces. Ninety percent of them have encountered suicidal youths in their schools. Almost 100 percent of them work in high schools, and 75 percent work in elementary schools. Read more.
High Turnover for NYC Charter School Principals, Study Says
By their own numbers, New York City charter schools have a tough time holding onto their principals, with nearly one in five of them heading for the door from one year to the next, according to a report released by a charter school advocacy group on Monday. The New York City Charter School Center, a nonprofit group that supports charters, composed the report, which is a close-up look at the 136 charter schools that have sprung up across the five boroughs in the last 13 years. As the report notes, the schools still tend to be young - most have been open for four years or less. They enroll only about four percent of the city's public school students. Continue. NYC Charter Schools Report.
Principals Using Restorative Discipline Practices
A survey released recently by the Minnesota Department of Education will help state advocates for restorative justice better understand how school principals use restorative practices to address student behavior.
The survey was completed by 417 Minnesota principals, of whom 66 percent reported using restorative methods in response to some behavior problems. Whether that proportion represents an increase in restorative work is unclear, since this is the first survey of its kind. Principals surveyed reported mostly using restorative methods in addition to, not instead of, suspensions. The finding is interesting, since some educators and activists point to restorative practices as a substitute for suspensions, which take already-struggling students away from learning. More. Survey and more. |
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Webinars |
Student disengagement is one of the major factors that contribute to failure and dropping out of high school. This webinar will focus on an evidence-supported model for engaging high school students with emotional and behavioral challenges in the development and pursuit of their goals for school completion and for post secondary education and employment. Using person-centered planning and graphic facilitation, this model, RENEW (Rehabilitation for Empowerment, natural Supports, Education and Work) has been shown effective in motivating students who have histories of failure, behavior problems, and social isolation, to develop meaningful goals that link to persistence in school. The webinar will focus on the strategies and examples of the person centered planning process, and brief video clips of team meetings where the planning occurs. This webinar is sponsored by the Connecting School Mental Health with Juvenile Justice and Dropout Prevention Practice Group of the National Community of Practice (CoP) on Collaborative School Behavioral Health. The CoP is facilitated by the Center for School Mental Health and IDEA Partnership. The webinar will take place on May 15, 2012 from 3:00- 4:00 pm Eastern Time. The presenter is JoAnne M. Malloy, Ph.D., Clinical Assistant Professor at the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire and developer of the RENEW intervention. To join the webinar, click (on May 15th).
To login: choose the "guest" option and type your name. Dial: 1-800-201-2375 Participant Code: 434706#
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: Burlington, VT Portland, ME Randolph, MA Rockland, MA
Waukegan, IL White Bear Lake, MN
Continued this week: Bellevue, WA Bethel, AK (3 positions) Berwyn, IL
Bronx, NY Brooklyn, NY Burr Ridge, IL Central Falls, RI
Cheyenne, WY(summer school) Danvers, MA Evanston, IL Gary, IN
Julian, CA Midlothian, IL New Orleans, LA Shawnee Mission, KS
Topeka, KS Tucson, AZ 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.
HRSA Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training Grants
The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA's) Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training Grants Program supports eligible institutions of higher education to recruit students and provide education and clinical experience in mental and behavioral health. The program aims to increase the number of social workers and psychologists who pursue clinical work with high-need and high-demand populations. For this funding opportunity, "high need" and "high demand" refer to rural, vulnerable, and/or underserved populations, and veterans and military personnel and their families. Eligible applicants are accredited schools of social work and psychology. Up to 20 grants at a maximum level of $480,275 will be awarded. The submission deadline is June 15, 2012. View full grant announcement.
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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