Social Workers Introduce much Anticipated Baccalaureate Level Hospice Credential
from National Association of Social Workers
The National Association of Social Workers has partnered with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization to develop a baccalaureate level credential for social workers who specialize in hospice and palliative care. The Certified Hospice and Palliative Social Worker designation is now available for bachelor's social workers with experience and expertise in end-of-life issues for patients and their caregivers. More

2009 NASW IL Statewide Conference - A Meeting of the Profession; Last Week of the General Assembly
from NASW IL
Back in 2000, the Chapter included in its 2000-2003 Strategic Plan an objective to develop and promote an annual statewide conference. And as it is written.....the rest is history. Beginning in 2001, two days after the tragic events of 9/11, the NASW IL Chapter held its first conference of the new millennium. Over 500 people gathering at the Lisle Hilton in Lisle, IL. Renown author, Alex Kotlowitz was our keynote speaker, arriving shortly before the opening plenary via Greyhound bus from Oklahoma City, as all of the nation's airlines were grounded following 9/11. Since that time, the NASW IL Statewide conference has become a key event on the social work calendar in Illinois. More

One Family, After All
from The Chicago Tribune
When five brothers and sisters were forced into the foster-care system, no single family could take them all. That's when two mothers united to keep them together. From conversations that began seven years ago in waiting rooms as their children's cases made their way through the juvenile court system, the women and their husbands forged an extended family that celebrates birthdays, graduations and holidays together. More

Cafe Offers World of Opportunity for Workers
from The Chicago Tribune
At the Perk Center Café in Glenview, Ill., more than half of the 16 workers have developmental disabilities that range from autism to Down syndrome and epilepsy. At the kiosk just inside the Glenview Park Center's doors, the coffee is almost an afterthought to the on-the-job training in preparation for life in the workforce. "I don't know much about coffee, but I think it's good," quipped Jacob Metrick, 18, who partnered with his mother, Gail, to create the cafe. More

Good Parents, Bad Results
from U.S. News & World Report
Being a parent has never been easy—just ask your own. But in this day of two-earner couples and single parents, when 9-year-olds have cellphones, 12-year-olds are binge drinking and having oral sex, and there is evidence that teens are more fearful and depressed than ever, the challenges of rearing competent and loving human beings are enough to make a parent seek help from Supernanny. Actually, there is something better: science. More

Recent Veterans and their Caregivers
from AARP The Magazine
Meet the families of wounded veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Soldiers' loved ones are making inspiring and often shocking sacrifices to care for them. Jane Pauley talks to some family members and also interviews ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff and his wife, Lee, who share their personal story of recovery and healing. More

Psychiatrists Rewriting the Mental Health Bible
from the Los Angeles Times via the Chicago Tribune
"The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," commonly called DSM, is getting an update. Now experts must decide what is a disorder and what falls in the range of normal human behavior? More

At-risk Need a Mix of Good Teachers, Social Service Help
from The Washington Post
Karen Kaldenbach, an 18-year-old high school senior, remembers vividly what life was like when she was 11: "I saw Social Services almost as much as I saw my mother, who was always drunk. Her best friends, alcohol and money, were always there for her. She spent so much time with them, she couldn't raise my little sister and me. More

Amid Financial Abuse, a Blind Spot for Family
from The New York Times
As with other forms of elder abuse, basic facts about financial exploitation — even how widely it occurs and to whom — remain elusive. Experts think all varieties are substantially underreported, and financial manipulation, unlike broken bones or bruises, can happen almost invisibly. But in elder abuse cases substantiated by adult protective agencies in 11 states, the most common abusers weren’t strangers, but sons and daughters. More

Testing Teens for Depression
from The Washington Post
Soon after her sister committed suicide, Caroline Downing started doing poorly at school. During math tests she would freeze up, and she found her mind wandering constantly. Officials at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac gently suggested that the high school sophomore get a mental health screening. More

Upcoming Events Evidence-Based Practice in Relation to HIV-AIDS: What are the Outcomes? (5/29/09) Ethical Considerations with Emerging Areas of Practice: Integrating Non-Traditional Interventions (6/12/09) LSW/LCSW Review Course in O'Fallon, IL (6/19/09) LSW/LCSW Review Course in Chicago, IL (6/26/09) NASW IL Job Fair (7/16/09)