|
School Social Work NOW!
Supporting Innovative Practice,
Effective Leadership, and Applied Research
Vol 4, Issue 7
|
|
|
Apologies for last week's two inactive links! The articles are repeated in this week's issue so that you may access them.
The 3rd NOLA School Social Work Conference brochure is hot off the presses! This national conference will again be held on the historical campus of Tulane University in beautiful New Orleans! This will be an informative conference in an exciting, mysterious city!!
Perhaps you'd like to enjoy a couple of warm days in the middle of frozen February, a mini vacation. Travel to New Orleans on Friday night and enjoy the sights, sounds, and exquisite food that only NOLA offers! Then, on Monday, open your mind to what is new and emerging in school social work, education, and school mental health.
Put in your request to your school district! Discounts are available for teams of 3 or more from the same school/district. Encumber the funds while they are still there to help you become a stronger, more knowledgeable school social worker. Register today!
SAVE THE DATES! February 10-11, 2014
ACSSW National School Social Work
Mental Health Institute
Judith Kullas Shine
President
|
|
Recommended Read for November
|
 Trauma Stewardship:
An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others
by Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky & Connie Burke
A longtime trauma worker, Laura van Dernoot Lipsky offers a deep and empathetic survey of the often-unrecognized toll on those working to make the world a better place. We may feel tired, cynical, numb, or like we can never do enough. These, and other symptoms, affect us individually and collectively, sapping the energy and effectiveness we so desperately need if we are to benefit humankind, other animals, and the planet itself. Through Trauma Stewardship, we are called to meet these challenges in an intentional way--not by becoming overwhelmed but by developing a quality of mindful presence. Joining the wisdom of ancient cultural traditions with modern psychological research, Lipsky offers a variety of simple and profound practices that will allow us to remake ourselves--and ultimately the world. |
|
Relational Aggression Among Students
Relational aggression refers to harm within relationships that is caused by covert bullying or manipulative behavior. Examples include isolating a youth from his or her group of friends (social exclusion), threatening to stop talking to a friend (the silent treatment), or spreading gossip and rumors by e-mail. This type of bullying tends to be manipulative or subtle, and it may not appear as typically aggressive behavior. In the past, relational aggression was viewed as a normal part of the process of socialization. Evidence suggests, however, that relational aggression may create just as much or even more damage than physical aggression among youth (Crick & Grotpeter, 1996) and that it should be considered an important focus of bullying and aggression prevention and intervention in schools. Behavioral policies should include relational aggression in their definitions of aggressive behaviors to address the power of this type of bullying.
Although relational aggression can be just as harmful as physical intimidation and assaultive behaviors, it is often overlooked in schools because overt physical violence is better understood, more readily observed, and more easily confronted. Read more.
School Social Workers and School Violence: Personal Safety, Training, and Violence Programs
To date, the vast majority of the research on issues surrounding school violence has focused on students, and to a lesser extent, parents and teachers (see Metropolitan Life Insurance & Harris Poll, 1993/1994, and National Center for Educational Statistics, 1991, 1992, for examples of large-scale surveys). In light of the absence of data regarding school social workers and violence, researchers at the University of Michigan in collaboration with NASW undertook the first national study of school social workers that focused explicitly on the topic of school violence.
The survey collected data from school social workers on the following four areas related to school violence: (1) direct questions about violence in schools including their perceptions of school violence as a problem and reports of specific violent events (see Astor, Behre, Fravil, & Wallace, 1997 for a detailed multivariate analysis on these questions); (2) questions about their personal victimization, safety, and precautions taken to protect themselves; (3) questions about current violence prevention or intervention programs in their schools, including their involvement with these programs; and (4) questions about their current school violence training and future education needs. This article reports the major descriptive findings about personal victimization, safety, and precautions; existing training; and future training needs. An earlier article reported the results related to violent events in the schools (Astor et al., 1997). Complete article.
Assessing the Adaptive Behaviors of Youths: Multicultural Responsivity
...This article updates definitions, discusses theories and assessment criteria, revisits the different adaptive behavior instruments presented in the 1983 Allen-Meares and Lane article, presents several additional instruments used in today's schools, and examines important psychometric properties relevant to the growing diversity of U.S. schools. Furthermore, it appraises the importance of cultural competence and provides practical suggestions for how social workers may ensure culturally sensitive assessments... In the absence of a set definition of adaptive behavior or a standard set of assessed behaviors, it is important to draw attention to the supporting theoretical frameworks and perspectives that undergird adaptive behavior assessment. Learn more.
|
|
|
|
App - Psych Drugs Free for a limited time
|
|
Continue
University Positions-
|
|
Come to NOLA
| |
SAVE THE DATES!
February 10-11, 2014
NEW ORLEANS!
School Social Workers:
Inspiring HOPE. . .
Advocating for JUSTICE
Learn More Now!
|
|
 |
|
|
School Safety Lessons Learned: from Cleveland to Newtown
Stephen Sroka: "I dealt with school violence before it was fashionable and funded. To me, any child killed anywhere, anytime, is a huge tragedy. But decades ago, when children were killed in the inner city of Cleveland, you probably never heard about them. When the killings moved to suburbs such as Columbine, they became national news. The Newtown shootings shocked the United States like no other school violence. Now, school violence prevention is front-page news. Working with school safety for more than 30 years, I have tried to help schools and communities keep our youth safe and healthy so that they can learn more and live better. Here are several lessons that I have learned." 10 Lessons
Free Guides for School Social Workers
Columbia University Teachers College Press published 4 guides geared to support teachers, administrators, student personnel staff, and parents. For a limited period, and as supplies last, TCP has agreed to provide FREE copies of the guides to social workers and educators working with military kids in schools including: teachers, school administrators, PPS workers, and military parents. School social workers should be aware of this wonderful, time-limited, FREE offer from TCP. Many school social workers will benefit from these guides.
The process is simple. Each individual desiring a free book would need to click on the link, select the type of book s/he desires, and fill out name, mailing address, etc. on the Qualtrix form after selecting the book desired. The book will be mailed in a few weeks.
|
Whether it's corporate culture issues, or customer satisfaction research, the best source of feedback and suggestions is usually the primary stakeholders themselves. We can try to guess what customers want, or what motivates workers - or we can simply ask them directly. That's where surveys come in. Surveys give you the chance to ask a target group of people a set of questions about a particular subject, project, or issue. You can then use their views to tailor your strategy, or review your approach. However, do bear in mind that effective surveys involve much more than writing down questions, and asking people to respond. What, therefore, do you need to know about surveys before you implement one? And how do you maximize the value you gain from them? This article outlines the strategies and techniques that will help your survey deliver the desired outcome. Find out more.
It's often said that mistakes provide great learning opportunities. However, it's much better not to make mistakes in the first place! In this article, we're looking at 10 of the most common leadership and management errors, and highlighting what you can do to avoid them. If you can learn about these here, rather than through experience, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble! Check it out! |
|
CDC: Mental Health Surveillance Among Children - United States 2005-2011
Mental disorders among children are described as "serious deviations from expected cognitive, social, and emotional development" ... These disorders are an important public health issue in the United States because of their prevalence, early onset, and impact on the child, family, and community, with an estimated total annual cost of $247 billion. A total of 13%-20% of children living in the United States experience a mental disorder in a given year, and surveillance during 1994-2011 has shown the prevalence of these conditions to be increasing. Suicide, which can result from the interaction of mental disorders and other factors, was the second leading cause of death among children aged 12-17 years in 2010. Surveillance efforts are critical for documenting the impact of mental disorders and for informing policy, prevention, and resource allocation. This report summarizes information about ongoing federal surveillance systems that can provide estimates of the prevalence of mental disorders and indicators of mental health among children living in the United States, presents estimates of childhood mental disorders and indicators from these systems during 2005-2011, explains limitations, and identifies gaps in information while presenting strategies to bridge those gaps.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (6.8%) was the most prevalent parent-reported current diagnosis among children aged 3-17 years, followed by behavioral or conduct problems (3.5%), anxiety (3.0%), depression (2.1%), autism spectrum disorders (1.1%), and Tourette syndrome (0.2% among children aged 6-17 years). An estimated 4.7% of adolescents aged 12-17 years reported an illicit drug use disorder in the past year, 4.2% had an alcohol abuse disorder in the past year, and 2.8% had cigarette dependence in the past month. The overall suicide rate for persons aged 10-19 years was 4.5 suicides per 100,000 persons in 2010. Approximately 8% of adolescents aged 12-17 years reported ≥14 mentally unhealthy days in the past month. Report.
A Meta-Analytic Review of Youth Mentoring Programs
Delinquency expert Patrick Tolan and his colleagues...recently took stock of the mentoring literature and its effects on delinquency (i.e., arrests and convictions), as well as indicators associated with delinquency (i.e., academic outcomes, aggression, drug use).
Their comprehensive review extended previous meta-analyses by: systematically exploring how variations in program organization, program delivery, and participant characteristics were related to effects; more precisely defining mentoring; and exploring the "active ingredients" in the intervention process. More.
|
|
Districts, Support Staff, and the Affordable Care Act
PEN: Districts are facing financial and operational challenges in complying with the Affordable Care Act, which administrators say force them to choose between absorbing the costs of health coverage for uninsured employees or cutting back their hours, reports Sean Cavanaugh for Education Week. The law mandates that public and private employers with at least 50 workers must provide health insurance to those working an average of 30 hours a week or face steep fines. Many districts have long relied on support-staff members such as bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and instructional aides to perform a range of duties, in some cases juggling several assignments, without offering health insurance. Some officials fear cutting hours will hurt employees by reducing their paychecks, and undermine K-12 services. Last year, 11 percent of school officials said that the impact of the health-care law was an issue that most worried them. That number is now 54 percent, according to a survey by the Association of School Business Officials International. In most cases, the employer mandate does not affect teachers, who typically receive health insurance through contracts that are collectively bargained with districts. Backers of the ACA argue that employees who work 30 or more hours, in education and other fields, deserve insurance. Read more.
|
Children's Foundation Medical Grants for Children in Need
These grants are designed to cover financial expenses for a child's medical needs beyond a family's health benefit plan. Families can directly apply online for these grants of up to $5,000. Details.
Do Something Seed Grants
Do Something Seed Grants for youth can be used towards project ideas and programs that are just getting started, or to jump-start a program and realize ideas for the first time. These grants can also be used towards projects that are already developed and sustainable, towards the next steps of a project and organization as it looks to expand and grow impact. Maximum award: $500. Eligibility: community projects that are youth-led and driven. Deadline: rolling. Application.
|
|
Maximize Your Efforts: Best Practices in Youth Suicide Prevention
Thursday, November 7, 2013, 2-3 p.m. ET
Early identification and intervention of mental health issues in students are more urgent than ever. If you are considering implementing a suicide prevention program in your school or currently have one in place, please plan to attend our upcoming Youth Programs Fall Webinar.
Join us as we hear from a variety of experienced school staff currently using the evidence-based SOS Signs of Suicide® Prevention Program. Each will share unique insights, experiences, and advice about program implementation. In addition, hear from our Youth Programs staff on updates to the SOS Program and how they might impact your implementation process.
Webinar attendees will learn:
- Best practices for implementing an evidence-based school suicide prevention program
- Tips to maximize community involvement during and following program implementation
- Current suicide prevention initiatives at schools across the country
- How to utilize current resources and educational materials to reach a broad audience
Space is limited, so please register as soon as possible. For additional information or if you have a specific question you would like addressed during the webinar, please call 781-239-0071 or email Mental Health Screening.
archived
Group mentoring is an increasingly popular strategy for providing positive relationships and activities to youth in need. In fact, over 20% of youth mentoring programs offer some form of group mentoring, while a survey of American volunteers finds that over half say they work with more than one young person at a time. But compared to one-to-one mentoring, the research on the group approach is still emerging, and programs often wonder when group mentoring might be the right fit and how to implement these models for maximum effectiveness. Access online.
|
|
|
|
