CASSW Conference Update: School Social Work: Expanding Horizons

By S. Jolene Hui, LCSW, Membership Coordinator

The California Association of School Social Workers (CASSW)
Conference held their annual conference on Friday, November 7^th  at the Centre at Sycamore Plaza in Lakewood, California.
Entitled, “School Social Work: Expanding Horizons,”
the conference attracted more than 150
participants from all over the state.

(left to right in photo: Cherie Hudson, Tory Cox, and Sally Stevens attend the CASSW annual conference)

This was the first CASSW Conference since 2009. The organization found that it was an appropriate time to relaunch their event after the National School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA) held its annual conference in San Diego last year. Since 2009, the organization has been focusing on professional development activities on the regional level.

Tory Cox, planning committee member and past CASSW president said, “We are very pleased with the success of the conference. The turnout was excellent, the presentations were very well received, and the networking time was very much appreciated by the attendees.”

Social workers had the opportunity to earn 5.5 CE credits as they engaged in their choice of four of 16 workshops focused on micro to macro school social work issues. Topics included restorative justice, gang prevention in schools, foster youth, family/parent engagement, trauma-informed interventions, recovery and resilience, threat/risk assessment best practices, and Common Core and social emotional learning.

The day kicked off with a breakfast and opening keynote by Gordon Jackson, assistant superintendent and director of the Coordinated Student Support Division with the California Department of Education. His presentation focused on the role of social workers in addressing the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). He spoke about CDE and school social work activities focused on reducing chronic absence for students of color and of lower socioeconomic status. How can we boost academic achievement among children in poverty for African American, Latino and American Indian students in light of the new priority indicators in LCAP?

The lunch speaker was Silvia Hernandez, USC field liaison, owner of three outpatient mental health clinics, and former LAUSD psychiatric social worker. Her appropriate topic was “Preventing Caring Fatigue Among School Social Workers.”

The day ended with a pleasant reception with food, beverages, a chance to mingle and two social work awards. Maria Osborn from Escondido Union School District was awarded the 2014 CASSW SSW of the year honor and Steve Manos was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for his 40-plus years of dedication to the social work field.

According to the planning committee, next year’s conference will most likely be in the northern part of the state.

Suh Chen Hsiao, planning committee member and CASSW treasurer stated, “It was my honor to work with the amazing conference committee that created this innovative conference specially designed for school social workers. We came together to share our experiences, expertise and best practice to better serve our school communities.”

CASSW is comprised of seven regions: Central Valley, Los Angeles, North Bay/San Francisco, Northern California, Sacramento, San Diego, and South Bay/San Jose. Each region has its own leadership and activities. For more info and to reach out to your region go to the CASSW website at www.cassw.net.

The NASW-CA School Social Work Council supports CASSW and they continue to work together on issues regarding legislation advocacy and collaborations for Lobby Days. In addition to NASW-CA, UCLA Department of Social Welfare, USC School of Social Work and CSULB School of Social Work all sponsored the event.

Jolene Hui, LCSW, is NASW-CA’s membership coordinator and can be reached at jhui@naswca.org.