Ecosocial Work: Environmental Practice and Advocacy by Rachel Forbes and Kelly Smith answers that call with chapters that include theoretical frameworks and innovative tools. In this comprehensive text, the authors take a justice-centered approach as they draw on case examples to elevate multicultural and intergenerational perspectives spanning from local to global contexts. The book encourages readers to consider how simultaneously protecting the planet while meeting the historical aims of the profession advances the values and ethical mandates social workers abide by. Designed to foster critical thinking, the book offers hope and possibility for a just environmental future.

Prior to 2020, the field of social work was limited in its adoption of digital practice. However, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional, in-person service delivery was dramatically interrupted. Previously at a crossroads, the field is now experiencing a seemingly unstoppable shift toward modern technology-mediated forms of delivery.

Social Work in an Online World: A Guide to Digital Practice by David A. Wilkerson and Liam O’Sullivan addresses this shift and charts the changing landscape from analog to digital practice in varied client systems, system needs, and system levels (micro, mezzo, and macro). Going beyond online mental health service, which is largely individually focused and synchronously delivered, the authors offer a map of digital social work practice that can be expanded to include support, identity, community action, education, and psychoeducation.

In Metaphor Analysis in Public Policy and Private Practice: A Social Work Perspective, Gerald V. O’Brien encourages the reader to educate, engage, and make the connection between individual work and policy. Focusing on the emotionally charged issues associated with social work, he shows the reader how metaphors are used to oversimplify complex issues like poverty, immigration, and mental health. He demonstrates how the overt and covert use of dehumanization, objectification, “positive” stereotyping, and fear- and disgust-based metaphors shape public opinion and policy and can damage an individual’s self-worth and perception.

It is essential for social workers and allies of social justice to understand public discourse metaphors if they are to advocate for and treat the vulnerable and oppressed populations that they serve. Engaging at this level helps social workers live up to the code of ethics of the profession, whether they work in public policy, institutions, or private practice.

43 Essential Policies for Human Services Professionals by Gerald V. O’Brien boils down key policies to their most essential elements: historical overview and nature of the social problem, policy overview, and effectiveness. Analysis elements address issues related to the policy, such as trigger events, problem framing, social engineering, covert rationales, unintended consequences, target efficiency, and governmental responsibility.

This thought-provoking and reader-friendly text prepares students for class engagement, lobbying activities, meeting with legislators, and serving their local communities. It fulfills the basic need of all social workers to understand the historical roots of oppression, to advocate for their clients’ access to services, and to advance social and economic justice.

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For more information about all NASW Press titles, including books, eBooks, reference works, journals, brochures, and standards, visit the NASW Press website. If you have questions, please send an email to NASWPress@BrightKey.net or call 1-800-227-3590.

Increasingly, social workers are recognizing the impact of environmental health and climate change on the individuals and communities they serve. Recent federal initiatives can inform practice by helping social workers to understand vulnerabilities and opportunities at the local level.

Social workers can help families identify the connection between the environment and health, and they may support community members to advocate for solutions to environmental issues.

For example, heat-related illness during the summer months is preventable, but tragically leads to illness and death for hundreds of people every year in the United States according to the CDC. People living in urban areas face higher temperatures and concentrated exposure to heat because of the landscape, and particular neighborhoods within cities can be significantly hotter than others. On an individual level, social workers can educate individuals about the dangers of heat exposure in outdoor and indoor settings– especially for vulnerable older adults, children, and those who work outside– and help families gain access to air condition or cooling centers. At the community level, social workers may advocate for solutions such as increasing trees and vegetation in urban spaces and promoting public access to air-conditioned spaces.

Justice40

In January 2021, President Biden made a commitment across federal agencies through the Justice40 Initiative, created by Executive Order 14008, requiring investments to benefit underserved communities that historically have been overburdened by pollution and environmental hazards. The Administration identified 21 programs to start as pilot programs of the Justice40 initiative, and since that time, the number of covered federal programs has grown significantly.

The goals of the Justice40 initiative are to engage communities and residents in identifying local needs and work to advance sustainable solutions in seven specific areas: climate change, clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing, training and workforce development, remediation and reduction of legacy pollution, and the development of critical clean water and wastewater infrastructure.

Tools have been created by both the federal government and outside organizations to support implementation and tracking and ensure that the vision of Justice40 is fully realized.

The Administration created the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool to identify “disadvantaged” communities that would benefit most from engagement and investment. Harvard Law School maintains the Federal Environmental Justice Tracker to provide up-to-date information about federal government activity in this area. External groups have also recommended improvements to various aspects of the program to make sure that it benefits the communities in greatest need. For example, Urban Institute issued detailed recommendations in November 2022 in Positioning Justice40 for Success, A Policy and Practice Playbook.

Other Federal Initiatives

Other administrative actions and legislation have brought new opportunities such as:

• The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 committed historic investments to advance clean energy and address climate change at the state and community level. It also provides benefits to households, contractors, and others through incentives and tax credits to lower the costs for energy-efficient household upgrades. The RewiringAmerica website provides fact sheets and information for households to access savings available. Harvard Law School has created a detailed table of benefits of the IRA and eligible applicants for funding.  
• In 2021 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) established the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) to address the national health impacts of climate change.
• Advisory boards within the White House have been established to advance environmental justice progress:
  • White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council (IAC)
  • White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC)
  • White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
• HHS launched the Heath Sector Climate Pledge for health organizations to commit to reduce emissions and share climate resilience plans.
• The Environmental Justice Scorecard was created to track Federal agency performance on environmental justice, including on the Justice40 Initiative.
• In 2022, the Administration launched Heat.gov through an interagency collaboration to provide to provide tools and information to reduce the health risks of extreme heat.

The Biden Administration has taken significant steps in acknowledging the disproportionate burden of environmental hazards particularly on low-income and communities of color and facilitating solutions to address them. One issue plaguing communities is a lack of affordable access to clean water, a problem that social workers may come across in their work.

The HHS Administration for Children and Families supports the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program, which is a covered program under the Justice40 initiative. This program operates in 49 states, the District of Columbia, and 97 tribal areas and provides households with support to cover costs for drinking water and wastewater services.

It prioritizes households that are disconnected from water services, or at risk of disconnection, because of past due bills and nonpayment. It also aims to serve people with disabilities, households with young children or older adults, and those with high water costs relative to income. With knowledge of initiatives like the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program, social workers can connect households to supportive programs and help inform state level planning.

Social work’s expertise in addressing the social determinants of health extends to the natural environment, and recent federal actions support the work of social workers in both direct and indirect ways. Social workers can help bring awareness to opportunities through their work with individuals and families, and social workers themselves may be closely involved in community-level projects to improve the environmental conditions in their local area.

NASW supports these initiatives that promote health and well-being nationwide.

Eighty-eight years ago what was called “The Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935” hit Florida on August 29. With winds of up to 185 mph, its pressure was the most intense of any Atlantic hurricane to make landfall on record. The Lauderdale Daily News on Sept. 3, 1935, wrote the category 5 storm killed 408 people, and those “caught in the open were blasted by sand with such force that it stripped away their clothing.” 

In September 2022, Hurricane Ian was the deadliest hurricane to strike the state of Florida since the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. Ian caused damage from Cuba north through Florida, through the Southeast and up the coast to make what USA Today called “a devastating landfall” in eastern Canada. 

Dawn Brown, MSW, executive director of NASW-Florida, said when the state issued its first early warning, she began sending emails and postings to alert all members and keep them informed, something she continued throughout the storm. 

“There was an email sent to all members along with a social media post on Facebook that alerted members, future members and the community that our chapter office would remain open as long as it was safe and we had power,” she said. 

Brown said throughout the process she also asked for guidance from her chapter executive colleagues and board members, as well as the NASW national office. 

“We held an emergency board meeting to discuss the impact of Hurricane Ian and community resources along with needs that were identified,” she said. 

When asked if there were volunteers to help when individuals or a community needed it, “everyone wanted to help,” she said. 

The state was smart to quickly grant approval for out-of-state social workers, Brown said, and she assisted in helping them connect with groups like the American Red Cross and Volunteer Florida. The chapter also essentially partnered with colleagues and everyone would shop for donations, she said. “We collaborated to help communities in need.” 

Read the full story in NASW Social Work Advocates magazine.

Hope is Power

By Laetitia Clayton, Editor (swadvocates@socialworkers.org)

On his first day in office, President Joe Biden got to work on executive orders to meet some of his administration’s immediate priorities. It’s a weighty list that includes actions to “control the COVID-19 pandemic, provide economic relief, tackle climate change, and advance racial equity and civil rights, as well as immediate actions to reform our immigration system and restore America’s standing in the world.”

Because social workers are involved in some way in each of these priorities, two of the topics are covered in this issue of Social Work Advocates: climate change and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In the cover story, social workers discuss the varied effects climate-related events have on people and communities, which often involve our most vulnerable populations and people of color. Environmental justice is a social justice priority for NASW and should be for every social worker.

The second feature article explores the ongoing effects of COVID-19—now that we’re a year into the pandemic. One thing is evident: Social workers have shined during the health crisis in myriad ways. Learn how in this issue. You can also read about a few of the social workers Biden has appointed to top positions in his Cabinet, as well as other stories about NASW activities and the social work profession.

There are many things to celebrate this year, but also more tough times ahead—with racial equity one of the top challenges we face as a country. Positive things are happening there, too, however. Overall, there is hope where there was little before—and that is the power we need to see us through.

Please visit our new digital magazine at https://www.socialworkers.org/News/Social-Work-Advocates. Write to us at swadvocates@socialworkers.org

The February–March issue of Social Work Advocates includes:

Climate Change: Social Work Addresses Environmental Impacts on Physical and Mental Health

Environmental impacts on communities and ecosystems involve things we depend on, like water, energy and transportation. Climate change also affects humans’ physical and mental health, making it a social work priority.

The Path Forward: Climbing the Hill Together

Social work must take bold, deliberate actions that bend the arc of justice toward liberation for all, writes NASW President Mit Joyner.

NASW Applauds Social Workers Through Advocacy

The COVID-19 pandemic has affirmed social workers’ essential role in emergency response, and highlighted our skills and flexibility, writes NASW CEO Angelo McClain.

NASW Delegates Approve Goals for Next Three Years

NASW’s Delegate Assembly approved its priority goals for the next three years, as well as revisions to 14 public policy statements that had been under review. Delegates also considered two proposed changes to the Code of Ethics.

More in the February–March 2021 Digital Issue:

• Feature article: Like Never Before: Social Workers are Essential
• Viewpoints: Guidelines for Social Workers Visiting and Working Inside Corrections Facilities
• Social Work In the Public Eye
• Backstory: Travel Lessons: An Explorer is Born

To read the full digital edition, visit SocialWorkers.org.

Getty images

From Terry Werner, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers Nebraska Chapter:

The Nebraska Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers is here to help residents recover from one of the greatest disasters in the state’s history. We have seen first-hand and through photographs the incomprehensible devastation many people have experienced.

In days ahead we expect more power outages, personal and community losses, and other challenges.  We understand that in a disaster there are tremendous mental health stresses, which do not end when the cleanup is over. Licensed clinical social workers are in every community and willing and ready to help flood victims.

For instance NASW member Cathy Saeger has been providing mental health intervention services and case management in Fremont since Friday, in coordination with the Fremont Area United Way. She is just one of many Nebraska social workers doing their part.

We ask readers to share this advice: Social Workers Offer Tips for Coping with Stress from Disasters

We also encourage flood victims to contact the Nebraska Disaster Behavioral Health on their hotline at 1-800-464-0258.

NASW members and fellow social workers are urged to work closely with local Red Cross, Salvation Army and others coordinating disaster relief efforts across the state.

Disaster Relief Resources:

 
Contribute to the Social Work Disaster Assistance Fund

Fremont Area United Way – 402-721-4157 – to donate & for mental health intervention and case management

Nebraska Emergency Management Agency

Local Salvation Army

American Red Cross – Nebraska and Southwest Iowa

Omaha Public Schools Foundation Disaster Relief for Flood Victims

 South Dakota

The South Dakota Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is here to help with the devastation and loss at Pine Ridge. We have seen first-hand and through photographs, the incomprehensible hardships so many people are experiencing. Now the business, personal, and community losses, present additional challenges in the days ahead.

We understand that in a disaster there are tremendous mental health stresses, which do not end when the cleanup is over. Licensed clinical social workers are in every community and willing and ready to help flood victims.

NASW realizes the immense stress surrounding these disasters. We offer tips for coping with this stress here, Social Workers Offer Tips for Coping with Stress from Disasters

We also encourage flood victims to contact the Avera Behavioral Health Hotline at 1-800-691-4336.

The South Dakota State University Extension has also compiled informational resources for flood recovery.

NASW members and fellow social workers are urged to work closely with local Red Cross, Salvation Army and others coordinating disaster relief efforts across the state.

Disaster Relief Resources:

Contribute to the Social Work Disaster Assistance Fund
SDSU Livestock Loss Assistance
South Dakota FEMA Public Assistance
South Dakota United Way Locations
Salvation Army Flood Relief Fund
Salvation Army South Dakota Locations
American Red Cross – Dakotas Region
Sioux Falls Community Foundation Flood Recovery Fund
Pine Ridge Reservation Emergency Relief
Oglala Sioux Tribe Emergency Relief

Contact Terry Werner at twerner.naswne@socialworkers.org 

When Samantha Teixeira was at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work earning her MSW and then her Ph.D., she and a young black man walked up to a high school where the entry door was locked.

Teixeira

“He rang the bell, and they wouldn’t let him in,” she said. “He looked at me and shook his head. ‘They’re not going to let me in,’ he said. ‘You ring it.’ I rang the bell, and a white woman walked up and let us in.”

That was just one memory from when Teixeira, now assistant professor of social work at the Boston College School of Social Work, worked with youths participating in the city’s Homewood neighborhood improvement and cleanup project named Junior Green Corps.

“Imagine being treated that poorly,” she said. “The biggest thing I learned from them is I got a glimpse of what it means to belong to a marginalized group and be stigmatized. When they said where they’re from — Homewood — they were stigmatized.”

“I was working with (these young people) for several years, and to see them shake off those assumptions and get to work, it was just stunning. To watch how they persevered in the face of that was a privilege. It was very powerful for me.”

A lot of social workers think of clinical and macro work as being separate, Teixeira said, but issues affect casework.

“If you work with a client one-on-one, then send them out into an unclean environment, there’s an effect,” she said. “Research over and over supports the fact that neighborhoods matter for everyone, particularly for young people. It affects physical health and mental health.”

Teixeira had been working with child welfare clients after earning her bachelor’s, and “kept observing that all the cases were from the same neighborhoods with the same types of housing where there were also poverty and public health issues.”

When beginning her master’s work, Teixeira focused on macro social work.

“I understood the things I was seeing fell under the umbrella of social justice issues,” she said.

From the neighborhood level, like the Junior Green Corps project, to larger national or global levels, social workers play a role in helping develop sustainable communities and empowering people and their communities to help address their needs, said Lawrence Palinkas, a co-lead for one of the 12 Grand Challenges for Social Work: “Create social responses to a changing environment.”

From the February 2017 NASW News. Read the full story here.

While North Carolina has reaped benefits from this boom, especially a low unemployment rate during a time of national employment downturn, the boom has also meant the state must deal with an influx of workers and dramatic impacts on mostly rural social service systems. Views and information on the changing social landscape of western North Dakota swings wildly between euphoria over economic success and hysteria over the rise of crime and the rapid change in social climate. A clear picture of what is happening in the “oil patch” of western North Dakota is vital.

To that end, the authors of a recent article in Social Work, a journal published by NASW, conducted research on the social climate and social services response to the oil patch boom. They used a primary focus group with county social service directors from across the state, and a follow-up focus group with social workers operating on the edge of oil activity; Bret A. Weber, Julia Geigle, and Carenlee Barkdull published their findings in “Rural North Dakota’s Oil Boom and Its Impact on Social Services” in the January 2014 issue of Social Work.

The authors note that extractive industries, e.g., mining, drilling, etc., have long experienced periods of rapid expansion and decline, or booms and busts, with the attendant changes in economic prosperity, population growth, job opportunities, and demands on public services and facilities. Communities that experience sudden booms may also experience long-term declines in the aftermath. Particularly in North Dakota, there have been three cycles of oil booms, and the public sector has dealt with them in various ways. Because of little response during the first boom (1951-1955) to housing shortages and such, the public sector chose to make more public investment in social and physical infrastructure during the second boom (late 1970s through early 1980s). Unfortunately, the subsequent bust left the public sector footing the bill for infrastructure that had become obsolete. Now during this cycle, the public sector has shown reluctance to invest in physical and social infrastructure.

The authors chose to outline their focus group results into three categories: Challenges, Benefits, and Challenges to Solutions. The authors take “community resilience theory” approach toward looking at moving from challenges to solutions, in the hopes that this will give social workers more usable tools to help in the situation in the western North Dakota oil patch, and in other similar boom situations.

Of particular note to the authors is the problem of housing in the area. Prior to the boom, western North Dakota had faced a steady decline in population for almost a century. When the boom began, there was very little spare housing, and some housing had been vacant for years. This has led to a dramatic increase in rental prices, resulting in displacement of long-time residents. Furthermore, the authors noted that their focus group didn’t exhibit agreement on the nature of homelessness. For instance, if a person who may work in two or more different locations in a week’s time lives in a mobile home, is he considered homeless or just someone who’s well-adapted to the nomadic nature of his employment? What if he has school-age children? Housing, homelessness, and the strain on social services due to the sudden increase in population are all discussed in this article. They also mention the effects of the boom on Native American populations, how the legislature is responding to the boom, how the media are reluctant to discuss the challenges brought on by the boom, and other issues of interest. All of this has implications for social work practice in boom areas.

To quote from the article:

Lesson drawing from this study suggests that social workers and human service professionals might leverage their advocacy efforts with local and state officials by developing a laser-like focus on housing as both correlate and cause of many other social issues requiring greater attention and resources. In addition, advocates have the opportunity to help build community resiliency through the process of “naming and framing” housing-related problems in ways that could lead to better solutions for North Dakota’s more vulnerable groups, who have already been or are currently being displaced.

On May 19 and 20, tornadoes tore through the Oklahoma City area, causing deaths and injuries and affecting thousands of residents. The storms left a path of devastation in surrounding towns, including the cities of Moore and Shawnee, and leveled homes and buildings.

This photo, taken on Southwest 149th St. in Oklahoma City, shows some of the damage caused by tornadoes that hit the area on May 19 and 20.

It was the first time NASW member Lauren Black experienced a tornado, having moved to Moore from Massachusetts about a year ago. She said she was aware she was moving to a tornado-prone area, but during her first Oklahoma summer she barely even saw rain.

“I’ve heard how a lot of people in the news ask why would anyone live in Oklahoma because of the tornadoes, but it’s like so sporadic,” Black said. “The odds of a tornado this big, you just think that’s crazy, I’ll never have to go through that.”

Black, a youth career services coordinator for Add Us, recalled leaving work early the day the EF5 twister hit Moore. She said she heard cautionary weather reports about a severe tornado potentially approaching, and was vigilant about checking the stormy skies.

“I went home, turned on the news and thought, ‘We’ll be OK.’ No sooner than I thought that than my boyfriend and I heard a tornado (had) touched down in Moore.”

Black and her boyfriend left home and drove south to a friend’s house in Norman, Okla., away from the tornado’s northeastern path.

“It looked like a huge black rain cloud stretching to the ground,” Black said. “I was in survival mode — it felt like an out-of-body experience.”

Black has stayed with friends since the storm while her home — which suffered significant damage — undergoes repairs. She said her social work skills have helped her deal with the situation as the shock wears off.

“I was able to recognize the shock in myself, and through blogging about my experience I’ve found an outlet for it, which helps” she said. “I almost feel like I’m doing process recording, like during my MSW internship.”

The whole thing was pretty scary, said NASW-Oklahoma Executive Director Mary Jo Kinzie, adding that Black is one of three NASW members in Oklahoma to date affected in some way by the storms. The chapter has been doing outreach to members to offer assistance, and working with the Red Cross to help develop strike teams as necessary to respond to different areas around Oklahoma City that need intensive services.

“Citizens have gotten very smart about developing response teams, and the Red Cross statewide disaster response team is pretty phenomenal,” Kinzie said. “We are working on keeping Red Cross information on our site fresh, up to date and relevant.”

She said the chapter also is assisting with lost-pet notices.

“I receive lost-pet notices by email, and we have learned from previous disasters people will not leave to safety (after the storm) if they can’t get their pets out,” Kinzie said. “We have to be sure people are safe.”

Although a lot of energy was spent in the first couple of days after the storm passed, she said the challenge will be to sustain that energy to rebuild what was lost.

“What we have to remember even when the last stick and stone is picked up, you’ve got pretty much a multiple square mile area that nobody can live in again,” Kinzie said. “There will be ongoing needs. There will be suicides, attempted suicides, depression and PTSD to deal with.”

But there is hope, Kinzie said.

“I’ve lived in Oklahoma all my life; there are all kinds of weather nemeses here to deal with,” she said. “And we want to survive.”

Lend a Hand

Out-of-state social workers can help the Oklahoma Chapter in providing mental health services. “Those interested in doing mental health counseling, get connected,”said  Mary Jo Kinzie, executive director of the NASW Oklahoma chapter. Social workers can contact the chapter for more information, and like them on Facebook to receive regular updates. Visit naswok.org

From the July 2013 NASW News

Social workers volunteered to aid the recovery effort for those impacted by Hurricane Sandy, which caused severe structural damage and flooding in the mid-Atlantic region in late October.

Hurricane Sandy approaches the New Jersey shore in late October. NASW members in New Jersey and New York volunteered to help with the recovery efforts.

NASW New Jersey Chapter Executive Director Walter Kalman said more than 200 NASW members responded to the chapter’s initial call for volunteers to aid the American Red Cross in its disaster recovery.

The chapter, with its offices on the second floor of an office building in North Brunswick, found itself literally in the middle of Red Cross disaster relief operations.

The building’s first and third floors were unoccupied, so the owner donated use of the floors to the Red Cross for its statewide operations center following the storm, Kalman said.

The chapter aided the Red Cross by offering its training room and logistical support services. One hundred cots were set up in the building to give volunteers a place to sleep. The chapter also went to work seeking mental health and shelter volunteers for the Red Cross by emailing and calling members of its Disaster Mental Health Network.

“Red Cross volunteers came from as far away as Texas,” Kalman said. By late December, activity at the building was still high, he said.

The New York City NASW Chapter office was only a block away from damaging floods, said Chapter Executive Director Robert Schachter. He said social workers were instrumental in helping four major hospitals discharge patients to safer facilities during the storm.

New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn took an active role in helping the city respond to the storm damage. On Dec. 6, she was a guest speaker at the chapter’s sixth annual Leadership Awards dinner.

Quinn took a moment to thank the chapter for its help in soliciting volunteers to work at the city’s emergency shelters through the local Medical Reserve Corps and the American Red Cross, Schachter said.

The storm relief effort will be analyzed as part of the ongoing efforts of the New York City Chapter’s Disaster Trauma Committee, he added.

The New York State NASW Chapter also asked members to reach out to the American Red Cross to aid in the recovery efforts in New York City and throughout the state.

Also, Enrico DeGironimo, CEO of Ocean Partnership for Children, Inc., in New Jersey, said he and his staff volunteered and provided disaster crisis counseling to storm victims at a mobile hospital that was set up in the business’ parking lot.

“We also provided counseling support to area shelters,” DeGironimo said. “We had the mobile hospital in our parking lot for two weeks and had EMT’s, nurses and doctors sleeping in our conference room. Volunteer nurses and EMT’s came from the entire northeast region to help out.”

DeGironimo is the Region IV Representative to the National NASW Board of Directors and a past  president of NASW-NJ.

From the February 2013 NASW News