In July, Ann Waybright, WASSW President, represented Washington State at the School Social Work Association of America Delegate Assembly in Denver.
Please click here to find more information about an online class that meets the Washington State certification requirements for School Social Work. The course will be offered online during Summer 2014 through Eastern Washington University
You are thoughtful, kind, caring, compassionate, a problem solver, a good listener, empathetic, and highly valued! Thank you for all that you do! This week is all about you and the profession that you have chosen to dedicate yourself to! School Social Work Week 2014 is a chance for you to spend some time celebrating you and all of the hard work that you do! We hope that you are able to take some time to reflect on your work this past year and realize just how valuable you are. If you looking for some ways to celebrate this week, here are some suggestions:
Several members attended the first ever WASSW Lobby Day on Friday, January 31st, 2014 in Olympia. At the beginning of January, WASSW members scheduled appointments with various representatives and senators. Members choose who they wanted to meet with. Some members met with legislators from their own district. Other members chose to meet with legislators who have sponsored or co-sponsored bills that were closely related to our profession.
Some examples of bills that are of particular interest to our profession are HB 1336 – Increasing the capacity of school districts to recognize and respond to troubled youth, HB 1424 – Enhancing the statewide K-12 dropout prevention, intervention, and reengagement system, HB 1688 – Establishing a requirement and system for reporting incidents of student restraint and isolation in public schools, SB 5117 – Regarding family involvement coordinators in public schools, SB 5333 – Providing mental health first aid training to teachers and educational staff, SB 5570 – Concerning school funding, and SB 5571 – Increasing public awareness of mental illness and its consequences. In addition some of the legislators that members met with also serve (or have served) on various committees such as the House Education Committee, the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee, the Joint Select Committees on Education Accountability and Addressing School Funding, and the K -12 Dropout Prevention Workgroup. In all, members met with representatives, senators, and staff from seven different offices. Those offices include Senator Rolfe – 23rd Legislative District, Representative Fey – 27th Legislative District, Representative Farrell – 46th Legislative District, Representative Gerry Pollet – 46th Legislative District, Senator Frockt – 46th Legislative District, Representative Mark Hargrove – 47th Legislative District, and Representative Pat Sullivan – 47th Legislative District. Key talking points were the current state of mental health needs of students in our schools, the necessity for continued identification, prevention, and intervention services for at-risk students, and the role that School Social Workers play in supporting students and families who are faced with these challenges. Members explained the current lack of recognition that School Social Workers have in the Washington Administrative Code. Members also asked for support in developing a bill for the next legislative session that would write School Social Workers into the Washington Administrative Code – similar to what School Counselors were able to accomplish in 2007. Almost all of the members of the legislature that we met with agreed to schedule follow up meetings to develop a plan of action. The current legislative session is predicted to end in March or April. Next steps include setting up follow up meetings with those that showed interest and developing a detailed plan of how to go about meeting the goal of being written into the Washington Administrative Code. Our work is far from over and cannot be accomplished without the help of our membership. We highly encourage you to contact one or more of the above legislative offices in addition to your own legislators to express your desire to have this bill developed. The more voices that we have, the better chance we have at reaching our goal. As School Social Workers we are very good at advocating for our students and families in need. This is the one time that we need to advocate for ourselves. If we do not take the time to advocate for ourselves, no one else will. Please join us in Olympia on Friday, January 31st, 2014. We will be meeting with various politicians and public servants at their offices to discuss our needs as a profession and to ask for support with our efforts to grow our numbers and recognition in the state. Among agenda items to discuss are the need to fully fund basic education, the need to understand the mental health needs of students in the school setting, and the need for the legislature to recognize and codify into law the importance of the role of school social workers in public schools. We already have meetings scheduled with Rep. Eric Pettigrew of the 37th Legislative District and Senator Christine Rolfes of the 23rd Legislative District. This is an ongoing process that we will continue to work on over the next few weeks. Please consider joining us for this very important day. We will be posting additional information soon. As always, if you have questions please contact us. When: Wednesday, March 26, 2014 from 6-9 PM
Where: The Museum of Flight Why: To celebrate our profession As members of WASSW we thought it would be nice for us to sit together during this celebration. At this time we have decided to reserve one table for WASSW members. If you are interested in joining other WASSW members at this table, please send an email to eromanuk@yahoo.com. After notifying us, you will be asked to send the cost of one ticket to our treasurer ($65 - the reduced rate, checks can be made out to WASSW). Space at each table is limited to 10 people. Seats will be reserved on a first come basis - don't hesitate to let us know and turn in your ticket money as soon as possible! For more information on this event, please visit NASW Washington. The WASSW Conference will be October 11 and 12 in Federal Way Washington. For more information and to register, click HERE.
The School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA) has awarded Senator Patty Murray (WA) their 2013 Children's Champion Award for her ongoing efforts to fight for the federal programs and services that support our neediest students and families.
For more than two decades in the US Senate, Senator Murray has been a tireless voice for programs and services supporting children in public schools, including children in military families and children with disabilities. Senator Murray has used her leadership as Chair of the Senate Budget Committee to speak on behalf of the "children and families whose voices do not get heard." This has become increasingly challenging in our current fiscal climate. In a political environment that continues to push for cuts to our non-defense discretionary programs, Senator Murray has not wavered in her strong stance to protect these programs that have already bore the brunt of cuts in recent years. Advocacy for these programs, services and safeguards for children remains critically important, particularly in light of our country's increased child poverty levels. In addition to leading the Senate Budget Committee, Senator Murray has also maintained a strong position on the Senate Appropriations Committee, which ultimately funds federal programs, as well as the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which authorizes federal education, health and social services programs. Using her leadership role on these Committees, Senator Murray has continually stood up for children and has repeatedly proven herself an unwavering champion. To acknowledge Senator Murray as a champion for children and families, SSWAA presented her with the Children's Champion award during their annual Summer Legislative and Leadership Institute. SSWAA members work in schools to address students' social, emotional, and behavioral concerns that limit their ability to benefit from their education. school social workers provide positive behavioral support, academic and classroom support, and consultation with teachers, parents and administrators to enhance the school's ability to meet its academic mission, especially where home, school and community collaboration is the key to achieving student success. For more information, contact SSWAA Executive Director, Frederick Streeck, FStreeck@SSWAA.org |
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