NASW-NYS Executive Director Samantha Howell provided testimony at the Joint Budget Hearing on Mental Hygiene that focused on the need to end the social work licensure exemption and requesting a financial investment in the social work profession. #InvestinSocialWork
View her full testimony by clicking here.
Media Contact: Kania Ponto, MSW
NASW-NYS
518-463-4741 ext 22
kponto.naswnys@socialworkers.org
NYS Social Workers and Members of the Legislature Unite to Pass School Social Work Bill
Legislation aims to help schools meet the critical mental health needs of students
(ALBANY, NY, February 12, 2018) – Leaders of the National Association of Social Workers – New York State and New York City Chapters and the New York State School Social Workers’ Association, were joined by Assistant Speaker Félix W. Ortiz (D-Kings) and Senator Jesse Hamilton (D-Brooklyn) today to introduce legislation that would mandate every school district provide their students with access to a school social worker to assist with the students’ mental health.
In January, the Assistant Speaker introduced the bill (A.9533-A) in the Assembly. Senator Hamilton introduced a companion bill (S.7526-A) in the Senate. The bill, if enacted, is a strong step in ameliorating the pressure on districts to meet the mental health needs of students, as well as improving their overall academic achievement.
“Certified social workers are the “gatekeepers” for our youth, adolescents, and young adults’ education to help guide their future successes. Many of these students face problems that require professional help. Early intervention is the most effective way to prevent difficulties later in life,” said Assistant Speaker Félix W. Ortiz. “We have seen a significant increase in recent months of school bullying, deliberate acts of discrimination and hate towards the disabled, LGBT, DACA, and immigrant student – fired up in part by policies coming out of the White House. I am sponsoring this legislation (A.9533-A) to insure that all elementary, intermediate, middle, junior and senior high schools in New York State have an effective social worker program in place to meet the needs of their students. We must assist teachers in shouldering burdens that they are not trained to handle while at the same time educating full classes.”
Of the impetus, NYS Senator Jesse Hamilton said, “Mental health, emotional health and wellness all matter to educating our children. A parent fearing eviction, violence at home or in the community, any number of circumstances can impact a child’s ability to learn. School social workers have the expertise to help children, help families, and help our communities address these needs. This legislation would secure better learning outcomes by bringing school social workers’ experience to bear. Through resolving unmet needs, we must act to better prepare students to learn. I see firsthand the critical work social workers do in my district office, which serves as a field placement site permitting social work students and professionals to serve our community. Thanks to the New York State School Social Workers’ Association, the New York City and New York State Chapters of the National Association of Social Workers, and all the professionals, advocates, parents, and educators who are making the case that school social workers have an integral place in all our schools.”
The introduction of the bill comes amid an alarming number of violent school incidents, bullying, and school administration concerns related to keeping pace with the mental health needs of students. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that nearly one in five children from the ages 13 to 18 currently have and/or previously had a seriously debilitating mental disorder. In their 2017 annual finance survey, the New York State Council of School Superintendents reported an overwhelming number of their districts scored the increasing mental health needs of youth as an alarming top priority.
The bill has garnered strong support from the state’s leading social work organizations, who applaud the Assistant Speaker and the Senator for moving beyond awareness and taking action to invest in the academic and mental wellbeing of students by advocating for adequate school social work services.
“NASW-NYS is dedicated to ensuring that our communities have access to the best services possible. We support Assistant Speaker Felix W. Ortiz and Senator Jesse Hamilton because our children should not be excluded from mental health services, particularly at a time when they face bullying, self-discovery, academic competition, and maturation. Providing licensed social workers to students will help ensure that they have a safe place to seek help and address any problems they face,” said Samantha Howell, Esq., Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers – New York State Chapter.
“District employed school social workers provide social, emotional, and behavioral support to schools’ most vulnerable and at-risk students, as well as their families, through a variety of modalities that are preventative for the general population and targeted for those at risk for academic failure and dropping out of school,” said Margaret E. Barrett LCSW-R, School Social Worker and President of the New York School Social Workers’ Association.
School social workers are Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (SISP) who work with students, parents, and educators to provide consultation and interventions concerning home, school, and community factors in order to improve students’ educational functioning. They provide crucial mental health services in schools, have the training to meet students’ social emotional needs, and are often the first place where mental health concerns are recognized and addressed. Their unique expertise and qualifications cannot be replaced by untrained professionals, but when budgets are under pressure, services to support wellbeing are either overlooked or typically the first to be slashed.
Research shows a multitude of factors including poverty, substance abuse, community violence, emotional and physical health issues, early sexual activity and family conflicts make it difficult for some young people to make it through school. Such issues are beyond the scope and purview of teachers, and only fall within the scope of practice of school social workers. Through counseling, crisis intervention and prevention programs, school social workers help young people overcome the difficulties in their lives, and as a result, give them a better chance at succeeding in schools.
“Children attend schools every day with the hope of learning the tools needed to be successful in life. In my experience as a school social worker, I have observed both internal and external factors that impede on a child’s ability to achieve positive academic outcomes, leading to special education referrals. School social workers are uniquely equipped with the tools to help ameliorate the multi-layered challenges that young people may face, especially those living in poverty and in communities in distress,” said Evelyn Bautista-Miller, LMSW, Certified Bilingual School Social Worker and School District Administrator. “A social worker in each school will foster the home school collaboration, enhancing academic outcomes. I thank Assistant Speaker Ortiz and Senator Hamilton for introducing this bill. This bill is sensible, logical, and we can all agree it’s well overdue.”
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This message is shared from NASW National.
Getting ready for MACRA 2019
The Quality Payment Program (QPP) of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS) is currently in its second year. It was established under the
Medicare Access and Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act
of 2015 (MACRA). Its goal is to focus on quality services and health outcomes that make patients healthier. Taking a comprehensive approach to payment through the use of evidence-based measures, the QPP is expected to evolve over several years and may differ each year. The program offers special incentives for those participating in innovative models of care and preserves the independent clinical fee-for-service practice.
Clinical social workers who are Medicare providers in private practice will be required to report quality measures beginning January 1, 2019.
For more information, please take a minute to read the latest NASW Practice Perspective by clicking here.
After the success of our previous virtual series: Opiate Addiction with Dr. Joe Hunter and Social Workers and Adoption with Marie Dolfi, LCSW, we are pleased to announce the next installment in our NASW-NYS Virtual Series program –Overlooked and Underserved: Clinical and Educational Perspectives In the Treatment and Support of Twice Exceptional Children, Adolescents, and Their Families with Melissa Sornik, LCSW and Lisa Zaretsky, CSW, LMSW this March.
This three-part continuing education series will further your understanding of “twice exceptional” children, adolescents, young adults, and their families, help you to understand the interplay of educational systems, family systems, and mental health systems when working with 2e individuals, as well as comorbidity and accurate diagnosis of conditions often associated with the population. Ms. Sornik and Ms. Zarestky are foremost experts in the field, and we are excited to have been able to partner with them to share their expertise with our membership.
Each workshop will take place on a Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. EST. This entire series is available to NASW-NYS members for $30 and approved for 6.0 continuing education contact hours* for NYS social workers, as well as continuing education credit hours for licensed marriage and family therapists and licensed mental health counselors.
Registration is now open for this virtual continuing education series! See below for more information about the series, or click here.
As our #InvestinSocialWork campaign continues to gain momentum at the Capitol, we are facing continued, if not increased, opposition to halt our efforts to end the licensure exemption that allows seven state agencies to hire unlicensed employees to perform mental health services – including diagnosis and treatment of (serious) mental illness – and to request a substantial state investment into the social work profession.
To that end, we want to address some concerns that have been raised over the 14 years we have been advocating for an end to the exemption:
Here’s what you can do: Join us on Tuesday, February 6 for our next Social Work Investment Initiative Call-In Day and share the following call-in information widely!
We are asking New York State legislators to end the licensure exemption that allows seven state agencies to hire non-licensed providers and vote in favor of the Social Work Investment Initiative.
This exemption renders the professional standards moot – rendering YOUR license moot. But together, we can stop this from happening. Let’s get the state to end the exemption and #InvestinSocialWork.
In December 2017, NASW-NYS launched the #InvestinSocialWork campaign, a public awareness and advocacy campaign that seeks to end the licensure exemption and implement the Social Work Investment Initiative. We are counting on our members to join in our advocacy efforts. For more information about our campaign, visit www.naswnys.org/invest
Governor’s Executive Budget Proposal for FY 2018-19
Report on 2018-19 Executive Budget Proposal
On Tuesday, January 16, 2018, Governor Cuomo released his Executive budget proposal for fiscal years 2018-19, totaling $168.2 billion (all funds), keeping the rate of growth in spending for state operating funds below 2 percent at 1.9 percent, while providing for a 3 percent increase in education aid and 3.2 percent increase in State Medicaid spending pursuant to the Medicaid Global Spending Cap. Meanwhile, the Executive budget proposal also includes a plan to close the $4.4 billion budget deficit through $2.7 billion in spending changes, $0.7 million in resource changes, and $1 billion in revenue raisers (i.e. new taxes and fees). Click the report below to learn more and see what specific areas are of interest to NASW-NYS/the social work profession.
