NASW-TN Children & Families Connections
April 2020 Newsletter
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Welcome to NASW-TN’s e-newsletter focused on supporting your work with children & families in Tennessee. Monthly issues will be emailed to our members and shared with the public through our Facebook page and website. Each issue will include a theme for that month, the latest information and research related to children & families, as well as tools and resources you can use in your practice.
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April is Child Abuse Prevention Month!
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National Child Abuse Prevention Month recognizes the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect and promotes the social and emotional well-being of children and families. During the month of April and throughout the year, communities are encouraged to increase awareness and provide education and support to families through resources and strategies to prevent child abuse and neglect.
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Resources on Child Abuse & Child Welfare
NASW provides a variety of resources to assist our members. Click the button below to easily access some of the information NASW offers in relation to child abuse prevention and child welfare.
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Coronavirus Resources for Social Workers
Social workers, like many health and behavioral health professionals, are concerned about the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on their well-being, the people to whom they provide services, their families, and others in the community.
Below are resources to support social workers in this role. As the situation continues to rapidly evolve, NASW will continue to monitor developments and work to protect social workers and the clients we serve.
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NASW-TN regrets the delay in hosting our Annual Awards ceremony that was originally scheduled for March 24 at Social Work Day on the Hill. We will be highlighting our award winners in this and future issues of Children and Family Connections."
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BSW Student of the Year
Lietza Ortega Garcia
Memphis, TN
Ms. Garcia is a BSW Student from Memphis, TN. Academically, she will complete a double major in Social Work and World Languages. She has been interning with Latino Memphis where her zeal for learning and self-discovery is fueled by her perseverance as a first generation college student. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Lietza serves as a community advocate and persists as a leader among her peers.
Colleagues are impressed with her agility in practice with client engagement, assessment and referrals. Ms. Garcia embodies generalist social work practice as an emerging social worker. This student received a perfect performance evaluation during her first academic term in social work field practicum resulting in the highest rating. She works with immigrant families and the undocumented population in a case management capacity supporting access to information and services.
Her earnest dedication to public service is evident in her commitment to excellence in her service through advocacy for social and economic justice. This work includes strengthening community partnerships, enhancing essential service provision and collaborative work with colleagues. Lietza Garcia is an advocate for social change to advance Tennessee.
-Nomination by: Kenya Anderson, LMSW, Clinical Assistant Professor & BA Field Director at the University of Memphis
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MSW Student of the Year
Megan Dew
Johnson City, TN 37604
Ms. Dew is in her second year as a MSW student at East Tennessee State University. Ms. Dew demonstrated core social work attributes prior to coming to our program. Ms. Dew chose to work as a Family Intervention Specialist with Youth Villages, providing behavioral support in the home to at-risk youth and families involved in the justice system. She concurrently invested in social justice community activities through the Holston Valley Unitarian Church (HVUUC) where she organized and advocated for marginalized groups as well as provided additional leadership as a sexuality educator for youth, ages 14-17. These formative experiences launched her into pursuing her MSW.
Ms. Dew's leadership and values naturally segued into being elected President of the ETSU Master of Social Work Student Association (MSWSA). Under her leadership, MSWSA promoted social work university and community visibility through several volunteer efforts. Ms. Dew is also in her second year working as a Diversity Educator Coordinator at ETSU. She used her social justice knowledge and skills to mentor undergraduate students to become peer educators and focused on enhancing civil dialogue through several pathways (e.g., interfaith dialog, racism, Safe Zone training, World Aids Day, human trafficking, etc.).
Ms. Dew’s exceptional successes reflect a commitment to the values and mission of our field that override the challenges of maintaining her status as a full-time student, working a 20-hour a week graduate assistantship position, pursuing a certificate in alcohol and drug abuse counseling, while also attending to her student leadership positions.
Nomination by: Donna Cherry, PhD, East Tennessee State University, and her internship supervisors
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Continuing Education Update
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As a result of the pandemic, the Tennessee Chapter is modifying our continuing education events and practices to better serve our members as the response to COVID-19 unfolds. This update is designed to share an overview of our programming during the next two months. We will send out email blasts for each event.
- Our June 19-20, 2020 Licensure Exam Preparation is going to be moved to a virtual platform.
- Branch Meetings – We are working with our Branch Chairs to schedule virtual branch 1 or 2 hour ceu events.
- We will be partnering with the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network to provide a two hour suicide prevention training virtually that meets the new requirements for all licensed social workers.
- NASW-TN will be hosting member forums to address your questions related to providing services as the pandemic continues, and designing addition offerings based upon your practice concerns.
As mentioned above, watch for email blasts for each event. Also, please visit our website
www.naswtn.org
for updates. And join us via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Reminders about Tennessee Continuing Education Requirements
LBSW = 9 LMSW = 12 LCSW or LAPSW = 15
- Licensees have a full calendar year to complete the above training. (January 1 - December 31)
- All levels of licensure must have at least 3 hours in Ethics annually, and 2 hours related to Suicide Prevention every four years beginning January 1, 2020..
- Two Thirds of the hours can be earned through distance learning including web based activities..
- The TN Board of Social Workers allows LIVE webinars to count as your face to face continuing education hours.
Please let us know if you have suggestions for other ways we can support you during this unprecedented time.
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Free civil legal help is available through resources provided by Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services.Visit
ww.HELP4TN.org
or call
1-844-HELP4TN
to talk to an experienced Tennessee attorney for free legal advice and referrals.
NASW, Tennessee Chapter helps support the inclusion of information on social services through this website.
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Free, one-stop resource for TN families to raise healthy and happy kids. kidcentral tn features articles on health, education, development and more. It also includes a searchable directory for state-sponsored services for children &families.
The site is maintained by the Tennessee Commission and Children and Youth.
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