NASW National Conference Highlights

By Janlee Wong, NASW-CA Executive Director

NASW’s 2014 National Conference is another one that ranks as one of the best social work conferences I’ve been to. When I went to the 2012 conference I thought it was the best but the 2014 was as good if not better in other respects. Here are some of the highlights.

NASW-CA leaders at the 2014
NASW National Conference.
Left to right: Victor Manalo, Sonia Melara, Stacie Hiramoto, Shirley Gentilini, and Janlee Wong.

Kane Smego, Spoken Word Poet
The opening day featured some amazing spoken word (slam) poetry by Kane Smego. For me, it was a combination of rap and poetry on contemporary issues. Poems on social justice especially appealed to me and many social workers in the audience. I learned to express my appreciation by snapping my fingers slam poetry style. There was a lot of finger snapping.

Dr. Brene Brown, TED Talker
One of the featured highlights was social worker Dr. Brene Brown, the TED talk phenomenon. Who would have thought a daring greatly, vulnerable social worker could have one million views? Dr. Brown explained how by taking a chance, by being painfully open, by being vulnerable, you can find your source of courage and build on love, belonging, joy, empathy, innovation and creativity. Using these ideas one can achieve incredibly strong relationships and be a better person, a better social worker.

The Integration of Health and Behavioral Health: Are We Ready to Walk the Talk?
Linda Rosenberg, MSW, President and CEO, National Council for Behavioral Health
Enola Proctor, PhD, Center for Mental Health Services Research, Washington University in Saint Louis
Paolo del Vecchio, Director, Center for Mental Health Services, SAMHSA
A stunning panel on the great challenge of how social workers can be integrated into the transformation of health care through the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Social workers have always been in the medical end of health care as discharge planners and clinicians, but we should be a required part of the integrated care teams that are evolving inpatient, outpatient and community care under the ACA. The panel put forth that we won’t be recognized fully unless we have our own taxonomy and procedure (billing) codes. What a challenge for us.

Networking and discussion is an invaluable part of conferences and can’t ever be replaced by online education. I had a chance to converse with Terri Fritz from Oklahoma and learned about Health and Behavioral codes in Medicaid which could be a beginning coding structure for social workers and our way forth on integration.

Integrating Social Workers into Primary Care Settings
Marcy Rosenbaum, Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems
Alexander Blunt, University of Minnesota
Tonya Fleming, New Center Community Services, Detroit
This symposium, on how social workers are integrating into new primary care models, was very impressive. In particular was a program from southwest Virginia that not only puts a social worker in the primary care clinic but also in the exam room with or without the doctor and nurse. Another brave new world where the physician makes the first assessment and then calls in the social worker. The social worker has about 30 minutes to do her work, has an open door and can be interrupted. In this example, the social worker is truly part of the primary care team and not just some referral to an offsite office.

The Interface of Ethics and Technology
Frederic Reamer, PhD, Professor, School of Social Work, Rhode Island College
Dr. Reamer, one of our greatest teachers of social work ethics, unveiled not just the ethical concerns of our society’s ever expanding virtual world, but also a brave new world where clinicians are pushing the envelope on using social media and the internet in online therapy. Although one of our first instincts as social workers is to challenge or reject this virtual world, I couldn’t help feel after Dr. Reamer’s presentation that we are in the middle of a transformation on how social workers communicate with clients and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

USC School of Social Work Reception
Part of a national conference is the opportunity to socialize, network, see old friends and meet new ones. USC put on a fabulous reception with good food, and live music. Our hats are tipped to a great institution that always supports professional social work and NASW.

Film Festival
The Conference screened three films. I wish I could have seen them all but the one I did see, Who Cares About Kelsey, was outstanding. Following Kelsey in her senior year in high school, we were on edge throughout the movie wondering if she would graduate while she struggled with anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. The breakthrough was an innovative school social work program that helped her structure her school life and was very supportive despite some very explosive and near dropout challenges. The filmmaker, Dan Habib. was on hand with Kelsey, the star of the film, to answer questions and provide further insights. See the trailer at the following link:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN_Zfgxg0Aw

Ensuring Child Well-Being in the Child Welfare System
Branden Getchell, Founder Aging Out and Showing Up
Toni Naccarato, PhD, University at Albany, State University of New York
Gary Bailey, LHD (h.c.), MSW, ACSW, Professor of Practice, Simmons College, Moderator 
The panel discussion with Dr. Toni Naccarato and Branden Getchell was brutally honest about the difficult journey of foster youth despite many attempts to help all along the way. Both former foster youth, Dr. Naccarato is a PhD social work researcher and Getchell is a former Fortune 500 executive who now runs his own foundation. Their basic message was that they wanted someone in the system to care about them, but few did. They formed few attachments because they couldn’t trust the system and those in the system to be there for them the next day. I thought what a conundrum because social workers probably also detach themselves from the system leading to what appears to be a cold unfeeling system. We are surrounded by former foster youth who not only made it, but are successful. Somehow when they aged out, their real selves showed up and showed us. Can we look at all foster youth in a strengths-based way?

Individual and Symposia Session
Campaign for Public Sector Hiring of MSWs and BSWs
Steve Karp, Executive Director NASW Connecticut
My friend and colleague Steve Karp recounted how after many failed attempts at legislating title protection for social workers, there is another way. He carefully thought out a strategy of establishing the efficacy of professional social work through research, and responding to the public’s continued demand for better care in the child welfare system. Karp was able to steer through an administrative change that gave preference to hiring MSWs and BSWs in the public system.

A Chance in the World
Steve Pemberton, Chief Diversity Officer and Divisional Vice President, Walgreens
Another former foster youth success story, Steve attributed his “rescue” from an abusive foster home to one social worker. Of the many social workers and others in the system, there was one that “believed” him and took action to help him on a track to success. From a judge who smiled at him in a spelling bee contest, to a lady who gave him books, we learned that a “victim” can overcome life’s challenges and forgive his parents and his non-caring relatives. Steve reminded us that his strengths apply to all of us. If foster youth can right the ship for themselves, can we social workers collectively reform the system for them?