February 2012 E_News

Calling All School Social Workers!

Gail Martin, chair of social workers in schools committee

On the eve of social work month there will be a special event at the chapter office for school social workers. Please join us on wednesday evening february 29th from 5pm- 7pm. come on out- enjoy some refreshments and network with your peers. you will also have the opportunity to earn one free hour of category i ceus!!
To RSVP (so we have enough food) please call the office and let us know you are coming (410) 788-1066 ext. 13.

There’s still time to register for “grant writing for beginners”!

Grant funding is the lifeblood of non-profit organizations. many client services and employee salaries depend on the favorable review of grant applications. as vital as grant funding is, searching & applying for grants can seem like a time-consuming process with unfavorable odds for success. simply finding information about available grants can seem challenging, and those who have had applications denied may give up on applying for future funding. as a result, many opportunities for grant funding are missed.

On Saturday, February 18, NASW-Maryland will provide an introduction to grant writing workshop called “grant writing for beginners.” led by Ashley McSwain, this 4-hour workshop will de-mystify the grant application process and will provide insights about how to write a strong application.

Read the full course description here and then register online or by calling (410) 788-1066 x. 13.

NASW-MD and the General Assembly

Daphne McClellan, Executive Director

The General Assembly is in session and that means we are hard at work! It has been a very busy time- I have already been to Annapolis three times this legislative session to testify on bills and our lobbyists are there working for us every day.
There are a number of bills of interest to social workers and if you would like to know more about them you can follow this link to the Advocacy section of our website. There you can find the most recent bill profile which lists all the bills which the chapter’s legislative committee is following. The bill profile is sorted by topic area and if the chapter has taken a position on the bill, that position is listed.
You will also find on our website all the testimony which the NASW-MD Chapter has provided so far this session. Some of this testimony was delivered in written form only. Other testimony was delivered in person at meetings of specific Legislative Committees. If you have any questions or comments on any particular bills, please feel free to contact me at nasw.md@verizon.net.
There are some bills of particular interest to us, such as HB 73 and SB 95 which extend the life of the Board of Social Work Examiners for ten more years. There are also a number of bills dealing with the failure to report child abuse. These bills seek to create penalties for the failure to report. Some of the bills create criminal penalties for mandated reporters and some bills also include members of the general public. Some of the bills call for a fine while others call for jail time and/or civil liability. So far three of these bills have been introduced but due to all the public attention on the Penn State situation we know that more bills are in the hopper. The current bills are SB 63, SB 140 and HB 496.
If you would like to read any bill for yourself you can do so by going to the Maryland General Assembly website and clicking on the link for “bill information and status”. Then you type in the bill number, and you will see what is happening with that bill, including what committee it has been assigned to and when the committee hearing will be held. You can see the full text of the bill by scrolling to the bottom of that page and clicking on the link which says, “First Reading”. From the home page of the General Assembly, you can also click on “Search Site” and you can type in a word and search for any bills that have that word in them (such as social worker).
Finally, we do have the capacity to send out legislative alerts to ask for action on certain bills. As the legislative session progresses it is likely that you will receive an email from us asking that you take action and contact your representatives about particular legislation. It is easy to follow the link which will be provided to locate your legislator and send an email or letter from our site. I hope that you will take a few moments to do so when asked!!

Developments in LGBT Rights

There’s been a lot in the news about equality and rights for same-sex couples. From the recent ruling against California’s Proposition 8, to Washington State’s approval of a same-sex marriage bill, to the debate in the Maryland General Assembly about the Civil Marriage Protection Act, discussions about the rights of same-sex couples have been making headlines.

Click here to read an article from NASW’s Legal Defense Fund that describes recent developments in the legal rights of LGBT couples and families.