"If you help people get what they want, you won't have to worry about what you want" - Zig Zigler
"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?"
- unknown
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Agency:
United Way
Program:
2-1-1 Get connected. Get answers.
Nicki received $2000 of reconstructive dental work to fix the injuries inflicted by an abusive boyfriend. Andrew received interpreter services to help him prepare his taxes for free as he is hearing impaired. Twenty year old Steven received a YMCA pool membership so he could continue his aquatic therapy after a serious car accident left him with head injuries and a broken back. Robert was able to get a new pair of glasses he could not afford on his own allowing him to pass an eye exam which opened the door to join an electrical apprenticeship program.
The 2-1-1 program helps people quickly find the programs and services best suited to solve their problems. United Way of America and AIRS (Alliance of Information and Referral Systems) have been leaders in the national effort to establish 2-1-1. By dialing 2-1-1, a free call in 47 states including Wash DC and Puerto Rico, a live call specialist in most areas will answer the phone assisting people find the programs and services they need. 2-1-1 is operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week in most 2-1-1 call centers. The 2-1-1 programs are wide spread offering services to 76% of the U.S. population.
In essence, it is like a laser, quickly pointing people in need through the maze of bureaucratic red tape with data bases that include hundreds of thousands of programs and resources nationwide. Many 2-1-1 call centers have bilingual staff or utilize interpreter services able to communicate in many different languages quickly and easily.
2-1-1 is not only used by people seeking resources for themselves but also used by police, clergy, and social workers all advocating for people in need. Community resources are not always available and people fall through the cracks. 2-1-1 information is being used as a tool in identifying emerging issues and gaps in the community's social service safety net assisting communities in directing the distribution of resources.
2-1-1 is available on land lines and an increasing number of cellular phone providers. In 2007, 2-1-1 services across the United States answered 9,881,446 calls.
For more information please visit: http://211us.org/status.htm
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Employee:
Houston Coordinator
Mark Akerlund, LMSW
Our own Houston's Social Work p.r.n. Coordinator Mark has now become familiar with being a survivor of a natural disaster. As a first responder disaster volunteer for the Asian Tsunami in 2004, Mark has had personal experience in assisting survivors in crisis.
In preparing for the recent Hurricane Ike that hit Houston, Mark states adrenaline kicks in as one scrambles to protect your property, survive and stabilize in the throws of a natural disaster. "There was a bit of a let down after the hurricane passed. I survived but then was left to deal with the horrendous living conditions," says Mark. These included holes in the roof, both house and office with massive water damage, no electricity for 12 days, stores and merchants without power or service, a gasoline shortage, trees down, schools and businesses closed. His city of Houston was truly shut down. Then there was the regrouping which involved throwing out food, clean up and the frustration of dealing with insurance companies. According to Mark, "The lack of routine was especially difficult and Maslow hierarchy of needs became vitally important. The things we always take for granted such as food, clothing, shelter, safety, resources and family become your first priority."
When asked about his perspective on being a disaster volunteer versus a disaster survivor, Mark states, "Disaster workers usually stay in hotels and have first access to resources whereas survivors are in their own disheveled environments without resources picking up the pieces of their lives. I understand first hand that survivors are in a state of overwhelmingness and shock."
There were some positives that came out of Mark's disaster experience. He states, "I am most appreciative of cell phone technology which was the only way our city communicated. I adopted a stray cat that I brought in from the storm. To my surprise, I never knew how good a hotdog and chips could taste shared by neighbors in which a new found friendship has sprouted."
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Recycle Your Electronics
The problem of outdated, unwanted electronics is growing. Rapid advances in technology mean that electronic products are becoming obsolete at a quick pace. Wondering what to do with your old computers, televisions , printers . . .?
Visit: www.computertakeback.com Cut your Appliance Energy Cost
You can reduce the energy costs of operating your household dryer in half by throwing a dry towel in with the wet clothes. This absorbs much of the moisture and clothes dry much faster. Time saver too! |
Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., author of Food as Medicine says, "Blueberries help your brain maintain its ability to produce dopamine, a chemical that is crucial for memory, coordination and feelings of well-being, but declines as we age."
Daphna Caperonis Cox, an author in Natural Health cites, "Recent Tufts researchers found that feeding aged rats the equivalent of ½ cup of blueberries daily actually reversed declining memory and poor coordination." -
Natural Health, March 2003
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According the the Dole Nutrition Institute (4-2008), eating unripe bananas can aid weight loss in more ways than one. Bananas have prebiotic fiber and greener bananas have a "resistant starch" which helps curb appetite and block conversion of some carbohydrates into fuel, forcing the body to burn fat stores instead.
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Hello and Welcome to the first Social Work p.r.n.
Quarterly E-Newsletter! Please check out our featured articles and for
more information visit our website at: www.socialworkprn.com
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| Obama Excitement in Chicago |
Social Work p.r.n. Chicago Office Coordinator experiences Obama rally.
Across from Grant Park in the Chicago Hilton all races and cultures, small children to seasoned Americans gathered together in hope . . . awaiting the announcement of Barack Obama, to be the 44th president of the United States of America. When the announcement came across the television the crowd went up in a roar cheering, crying, and hugging the person next to them which soon became their new best friend.
Anne Schmidt, the coordinator of the Chicago Social Work p.r.n. office was in that crowd and cannot remember the last time she felt so much energy, happiness and pure excitement in her town of Chicago. When asked to describe her feelings Anne responded, "There is a place of idealism in me that had just gone to sleep. I was cautious about this election not thinking Obama would really be elected. I was overcome with joy and I resurrected a faith once again in the American people and the values and ideals our country was founded upon. This election brought to mind my grandmother who fought her entire life for women to have the right to vote as well as my father. He was an educator in St. Louis. I remember when our community changed over from predominately white to predominately African American. My father, a Caucasian was a principal in the school system. He stayed and eventually retired in that neighborhood."
Anne smiles and says, "Chicago was once known around the world as the town of Al Capone, and then of Michael Jordan. Now the torch has passed. Chicago is now Obama's town!"
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What Happened to The "Frontline Workforce"? |
| The Importance of Recruiting & Retaining Social Workers
by Sharon Kater, LCSW
Chicago Social Work p.r.n. Assistant Coordinator
"Assuring The Sufficiency of a Frontline Workforce" is part of a national study of licensed social workers conducted by the National Association of Social Workers in partnership with The Center for Health Workforce Studies.
Whitaker, T., and Arrington, P. (2008). Professional Development.
NASW Membership Workforce Study. Washington, DC:
National Association of Social Workers.
This study provides information on the importance of developing "effective workforce policies and strategies to assure the availability of adequate numbers of frontline social workers prepared to respond to the growing needs of individuals, families and communities in the United States."
According to this study, the social work profession may be coming a female dominated field as the young male entrants decrease. The research indicates that there is a cause for concern because a significant number of new social workers are becoming disenchanted and leaving their profession due to:
- Increased barriers to effective practice
- Decreases in support systems for effective practice
- High variability in salaries
- Increases in paperwork
- Increase in caseloads and severity of client populations
- Growing waiting lists for services
- Assignment of non-social work tasks
- Poor level of oversight
- Lack of availability of professional training.
- Decreased job fit
- Poor staffing
- Lack of Supervision
- Personal safety issues on the job
Some of the issues that need to be addressed to reverse this alarming trend of social workers leaving the field include:
- Increase response to needs for professional growth
- Respect and fair compensation
- Addressing the need for personal safety
- Hiring adequate staff to decrease case overload
- Adequate supervision and resources to deal with the increase of at risk clients
If these factors are addressed there may be time to avoid the crisis of losing this invaluable workforce and finding ourselves in a situation where there is an insufficient supply of social workers to provide much needed services to a growing population of at need families, individuals and communities.
Editor's Comments: The future of social work is bright and new opportunities emerge when layered with other professions. For more on this topic read:
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| Wanting Your Input... You are the Experts |
| Has the Social Work profession changed ?
Social Work p.r.n. is collecting data from both social workers and employers of social workers regarding changes in the profession of Social Work from previous years as it relates to:
- Changes in the workplaces that employ professional social workers
- Changes in the workplace that impact field placements
- Supervisional needs of new social work graduates entering the field
- Is the depth of the knowledge base of new graduates adequate in today's workplace?
- Changes that need to be made in the preparation of social workers both academically and in practicums to meet the current needs of employers?
Please submit your input along with name, professional degree, number of years in the practice of Social Work or if you are an employer what type of agency you are with and your contact information to: shumphrey@socialworkprn.com.
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| Who is Volunteering in America ? |
| Profiles of America's Volunteers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2008, about 61.8 million people or 26% of the population, volunteered through or for an organization at least once during 2008.
Volunteering among Demographic Groups
- 23% are men and 29% are women
- Persons age 35-44 are most likely to volunteer
- Persons in their early 20's are least likely to volunteer
- 27% of volunteers are White, 19% are Black, 18% are Asian and 14% are Latinos
- Married persons volunteer at a higher rate of 31%
- Those who had never married volunteered 20%
- Parents with children under age 18 volunteer 33%
- Persons without children volunteer 23%
- 42% of college graduates volunteered
- 18% of high school graduates volunteered
- 9% of those with less than a high school diploma volunteered
- Employed persons volunteered 28%
- Unemployed persons volunteered 22%
- Part time workers were more likely to volunteer than full time workers
Types of Organizations
- 69% volunteered for one organization
- 19% volunteered for two organizations
- Persons with higher education tended to volunteer for multiple organizations that those less educated.
- 35% volunteered most frequently at religious organizations
- 26% volunteered for educational or youth service related
- 13% volunteered for social or community organizations
- Older volunteers were more likely to volunteer mainly at religious organizations than younger volunteers
Main Volunteer Activity for Main Organization
- Main activity volunteers did was fundraising 11%
- 10% were involved in tutoring or teaching activities
- Volunteers with college degrees were most likely to provide professional or management assistance
How Volunteers Become Involved
- 43% of volunteers become involved after being asked most often by someone in the organization.
- 40% become involved with volunteering by their own initiative.
The above information is cited from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Division of Labor Force Statistics.
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| Unique Field of Social Work |
The following is an interview conducted by Linda Blank, MSW, New Jersey coordinator, with Mary, LSW, about her professional experiences in working with extreme high risk prison inmates.
Prison social work practice has been around since the late nineteenth century. However, over the last several years the social work profession has seen a surge of new jobs working with inmates in both prison and jail settings as states and counties have privatized their health and mental health services. For many, such as Mary, this "unique" practice setting can pose both rewards and challenges in serving an "unlikely" population of clients.
Mary knew from an early age that she either wanted to work with the chronic mentally ill or the criminal population. "I found it fascinating. I couldn't wrap my brain around why some of these people did the things they did." Mary felt lucky to be chosen from 400 other Columbia University Masters of Social Work students to spend her first year field placement at Riker's Island. Home to 80% of New York City's inmates, Riker's consists of 10 major jails with a combined capacity of nearly 21,000 inmates, including many of the world's most notorious criminals. After a two year internship, Mary returned a year later as a full time employee.
The social worker's role is to provide support while the inmate is awaiting trial as well as handling crisis situations. "An inmate may be acting volatile, spewing curses, physically assaulting Department of Corrections staff, throwing their handcuffs up or refusing to return to their cell. Social workers are called on in countless situations to deescalate these behaviors."
In addition, many of the social work practice theories used with this population are actually the same as those used for other populations. "Giving, listening, definitely listening and treating inmates with respect are core values," says Mary. "The purpose is to offer help and serve as a source of support, not to judge. Not to condone what they have done but at Riker's you will get nowhere if you dismiss these individuals. If you respect them, they will respect you."
Safety risks need to be considered by anyone entering the field.
After 16 years of incarceration for aggravated manslaughter charges, Mary's client was getting angrier and more depressed upon finding out that he would most likely face many more years in prison. "To my surprise," says Mary, "he took out a blade and jabbed the razor into his wrists. The alarm button in the interview room was inaccessible so I bolted out of the room only to find myself locked in the unit. I started banging on doors, desperately seeking assistance. He was so unpredictable I feared that I would go with him."
Fortunately, Mary was unharmed but she still has vivid recollections of her many harrowing experiences as a social worker for some of the most violent and volatile offenders in both New York and New Jersey corrections facilities.
Continued efforts to provide safety training for all social workers, but especially those practicing in prisons and jails, is critical for current and future social work practice. While resources for mental health services reach many in our communities, it is likely that there will be an ongoing need for social workers who serve those clients that end up in our prisons and jails.
Editor's Note: If you are a licensed social worker and have an unusual practice in the field of Social Work I would like to hear from you for a possible future article in this newsletter. Contact Sherry Humphrey at shumphrey@socialworkprn.com | |
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