Social workers and teachers need cultural competencies to help end the school-to-prison pipeline for students of color, says Shawntelle L. Fisher, MSW, MDiv, LCSW.

“This has to be centered around the idea of being culturally competent,” Fisher says. “I know sometimes it has become a cliché; we all want to be culturally competent. But we have to move beyond saying it to actually doing it and practicing it, especially in the classroom.”

Fisher is the founder and CEO of the nonprofit The SoulFisher Ministries based in St. Louis. Its mission is to respond to the needs of youth with incarcerated parents and to promote restorative justice for those currently or formerly incarcerated. The organization provides free after-school tutoring and enrichment for students in the Riverview Gardens School District, who have an incarcerated parent or are performing two to three grade levels below expectations.

Fisher leads the NASW Specialty Practice Sections webinar, Social Emotional Learning: The Impact of Deindividuation on Prosocial Outcomes.

Fisher notes:

• Culturally responsive practices embody cultural, political and professional ideology, which displaces monotonous teaching and focuses on student growth.
• Culturally responsive practices in classrooms recognize the cultural wealth, knowledge and skills diverse students contribute to schools.
• The implementation of culturally responsive practices avoids teacher-centered instructional practices and encourages a student-centered approach.
• Teachers should understand the intricacies of this construct as it relates to learning, teaching, the individual student, their families, their communities, and the commitment to student achievement as a reality.

Using the Social Emotional Learning model, schools are expected to prioritize three critical and interrelated components of mental health for their students: social (how we relate to others), emotional (how we feel), and behavioral (how we act) supports to promote overall well-being, Fisher says. “Our afternoon program is centered around social emotional learning, as is our reentry program. When a person is emotionally sound, they can perform better.”

Read the full story in the NASW Social Work Advocates magazine .

Four in five adults who reported being asked about their alcohol use at a checkup in the past two years and reported current binge drinking were not counseled to reduce their drinking, according to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report. Looking closer at the data, just 14 percent of women who binge drink said they received advice to reduce drinking, compared to 25 percent of men.

Why aren’t these much-needed conversations happening? Some healthcare providers say they feel uncomfortable talking about alcohol use with patients. Other factors include time constraints, as well as concerns about privacy and confidentiality.

The consequences of these gaps in patient care are serious – especially for women. Studies show women are more likely to experience problems such as alcohol use disorder, liver damage and certain cancers sooner and at lower levels of drinking than men do. And alcohol-exposed pregnancies can lead to a range of lifelong physical, behavioral, and learning problems, known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). There is no known safe amount, no safe time, and no safe type of alcohol use during pregnancy.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, an opportunity for social workers to make alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) part of routine care. If you’re not sure how to begin, consider screening all adult patients – including those who are pregnant – as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends. Using a validated screening instrument takes just a few minutes – and should be followed by a brief conversation with those who are drinking at risky levels, and referral to treatment when applicable.

NASW and the NASW Foundation are partners with the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work in the Collaborative for Alcohol-Free Pregnancy. This CDC initiative enlists leading medical organizations in a cross-discipline effort to encourage health professionals to use proven prevention practice in routine patient care.

Visit NASW’s Behavioral Health webpage for professional development resources. Additional clinical resources are available through our Collaborative partners:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention Efforts
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Prevention Program

  Diana Ling, MA is Program Manager; and Leslie Sirrianni, LCSW is Senior Research Project and Training Coordinator; Health Behavior Research and Training Institute, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin.

The obstacles and stresses that children with developmental disabilities and their families face can become overwhelming. The need to navigate a complex services landscape, get help from school officials, deal with social isolation and manage financial strains, among other challenges, often create daunting pressure for parents seeking the right support for children who learn or think differently.

“It’s really hard when you’re neurodiverse to live in a neurotypical world that isn’t set up for you, when people don’t understand your needs and there’s a constant need to advocate for yourself,” said Karen Zilberstein, a psychotherapist, author and NASW member based in Northampton, Mass.

“Sometimes the stress of coordinating with the systems and the responses they’re getting from the systems is what puts families over the edge,” she said. “The stresses can cascade and mount.

I know families where it’s affecting their mental and physical health.” The strains sometimes cause caregivers to lose sleep, she said, noting that studies have found higher rates of anxiety and depression among parents of special needs children.

While there may be no one, simple solution for the problems that neurodiverse youths and their families experience, social workers can play an important role in advocating for them and easing their difficulties—individually and as a profession. NASW has made it a priority to champion people with disabilities, including in its book of public policy statements, “Social Work Speaks,” that the organization “supports and is willing to take action with people who have disabilities in advocating for their rights to participate fully and equitably in society.”

Before exploring how social workers can help neurodiverse children and their families, it’s important to understand their unique struggles. Neither the problems nor the solutions come in one size for all, as these clients face their own specific circumstances and each state provides different resources and systems for obtaining support.

NASW members can read the full story here after logging in.

On February 22, 2022, Governor Abbott, relying on the Attorney General’s opinion, directed Department of  Family Protective Services (DFPS) to conduct investigations on medical procedures defined as “gender transitioning.”

On March 1, 2022, Lambda Legal and ACLU filed a lawsuit against the state on behalf of a family and a licensed psychologist to prevent Texas DFPS from conducting a child abuse investigation on a family who sought gender affirming health care for their transgender child. On March 11, 2022,  Judge Amy Clark Meachum blocked DFPS from investigating families solely on the basis of providing gender-affirming healthcare to their children. After the TRO was granted, Texas filed an appeal.

On March 18, 2022, NASW participated in the amicus brief, with several other child advocacy organizations, led by the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) in support of the emergency motion filed by Plaintiff-Appellees. On Monday, March 21, the Texas Third Court of Appeals reinstated the injunction to stop the state from proceeding with the investigations.

On March 23, 2022, the state of Texas filed an Emergency Motion for Temporary Relief with the state Supreme Court, again seeking to overturn the injunction (attached).

On March 25, 20922 NASW participated in in another APSAC’s amicus brief in support of [Appellees’] Response to Realtors’ Emergency Motion for Temporary Relief in the Texas Supreme Court, substantively the same as the previous brief.  Again, we supported reinstatement of the trial court’s injunction preventing enforcement of Governor Abbott’s Directive.

NASW’s Statement of Interest that was submitted in the case:

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), founded in 1955, is the largest association of professional social workers in the United States with 110,000 members in 55 chapters. Its Texas Chapter has over 5,000 members. NASW has worked to develop high standards of social work practice while unifying the social work profession. NASW promulgates professional policies, conducts research, publishes professional studies and books, provides continuing education and enforces the NASW Code of Ethics. In alignment with its mission to ensure the efficacy and quality of practicing social workers, NASW provides resources and develops policy statements on issues of importance to the social work profession. The NASW National Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning + Issues develops, reviews, and monitors programs of the Association that significantly affect LGBTQ+ individuals.

 Consistent with those policy statements, NASW, including its Texas Chapter, is committed to advancing policies and practices that improve the status and well-being of all LGBTQ+ people. NASW strongly advocates for the availability of culturally appropriate, comprehensive health and mental health services for LGBTQ+ people across their life span. [1] NASW asserts that discrimination and prejudice directed against any individuals on the basis of gender identity or gender expression, whether actual or perceived, are damaging to the social, emotional, psychological, physical and economic well-being of the affected individuals, as well as society as a whole. NASW supports the open availability of comprehensive health, psychological, and social support services for transgender people and their families that are respectful and inclusive, and provided by skilled, educated professionals who have been trained to work effectively with transgender people. [2] Furthermore, NASW supports children’s rights to be treated with respect as individuals; to receive culturally responsive services; and to express their opinions about their lives and have those opinions considered. [3]

• [1] Social Work Speaks, Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues 211, 215 -216 (11th ed. 2018-2020)
• [2] Social Work Speaks, Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People 323, 328 (11th ed. 2018-2020)
• [3] Social Work Speaks, Child Abuse and Neglect 35, 38 – 39 (11th ed. 2018-2020

NASW had previously participated in this case filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Courts at the lower level decided that the child and Ms. Golan (mother), had suffered extreme physical, sexual and psychological abuse by Mr. Saada (husband and father), and should be returned to their country of residence.  The main issue is this case before the U.S. Supreme Court is whether returning a child who has been exposed to extreme domestic violence to their country of residence would result in more harm.

Our brief highlighted clinical research that shows children exposed to domestic violence face a significant risk of suffering physical, psychological and  developmental issues.  The brief also argues that the harm done to children by exposure to domestic violence is too complex for a court to “solve” through ameliorative measures and does not mitigate the probability that the abuse will continue once the mother and child are repatriated.

A copy of the Golan v. Saada amicus brief is attached and can also be found in NASW’s LDF amicus brief database.

For more info:

NASW Communications Director Greg Wright

gwright.nasw@socialworkers.org

Thousands of unaccompanied minors arrived in the U.S. in February.

Shortly after Election Day, the new Biden-Harris Administration announced that immigration reform was one of its highest priorities. President Biden also pledged to rescind the inhumane asylum-seeker policies of the Trump administration ― the “remain in Mexico policy.” In February, the administration announced it would accept unaccompanied children, a reversal of Trump-era policy.

As social workers, we should be concerned about the welfare and protections of children. It should be noted that many of these children have been stranded in Mexico for a year, despite federal law granting them the right  to seek asylum at the U.S, border.

However, in a classic case of the law of unintended consequences, the administration’s good intentions have resulted in a looming crisis—a massive number of unaccompanied migrant children presenting themselves at the border seeking asylum.  This influx was triggered by asylum seekers in Central America having anticipated the end of the “remain in Mexico policy” and began making the long trek to the U.S. border.

Border patrols intercepted more than 9,400 unaccompanied migrant minors crossing the border in  February. The February data was the highest monthly total in border crossings by unaccompanied minors since a surge in migration began in the spring of 2019. The continuation of this significant spike has strained government resources and placed the Biden administration in the position of appearing to be unprepared for a surge that some say should have been anticipated.

While Department of the Homeland (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently announced new plans to accommodate increasing numbers of children arriving on the southern border, his announcement is in the face of  the Biden administration coming under fire and being accused of detaining children in inhumane conditions. The paradox of having their asylum policies seen as being the same as the previous administration is something that President Biden must address immediately.

It is a positive step that Mayorkas is opening new temporary influx center in Arizona to house the asylum seekers. Other centers are opening in Carrizo Springs, Dallas, and Midland, Texas. Though these facilities will not have the same oversight as permanent shelters operated by the Department of Health and Human Services, they are much better alternatives for housing and caring for children than U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intake facilities― which were designed for single adults.

More than  4,200 children were reportedly being detained in those facilities. The concern is that most of them remained beyond the 72-hour limit― as dictated by the Flores Settlement ― before being transferred to Health and Human Services (HHS) custody. This means that some are sleeping on gym mats with foil sheets and have not been permitted to go outside for days at a time.  An exacerbating factor to finding shelter space is the reduced capacity because of social distancing policies associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to be in compliance with the 72 hours retention limit, DHS intends to open new processing centers jointly operated by CBP and HHS. This plan will place children in HHS care immediately after Border Patrol encounters them. HHS also seek to open additional, temporary housing where unaccompanied children can be placed until they are released to family members in the United States or placed in foster care. The immediate dilemma for the administration is ensure they are treated humanely and locate housing.

A further step by the Biden administration to avert a humanitarian calamity was to direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)  to improve the process for managing the increasing number of unaccompanied migrant children entering U.S. border custody―primarily to respond to the reported overcrowding in Border Patrol holding facilities. FEMA states it will work with the HHS to “quickly expand capacity for safe and appropriate shelter, and provide food, water, and basic medical care.” Again, it is critically important that the administration coordinate with all relevant government agencies to gain control of the situation.

Addressing Root Causes of Mass Migration of Unaccompanied Migrant Children

There are many reasons why these children leave their homelands. Many are from families caught up in desperate socioeconomic conditions that include COVID-related economic crises; hurricanes that struck their countries late last year; gang violence, government corruption; and crop failures due to regional climate change. In fact, the proposed U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021  speaks directly to the importance of focusing on the root causes of migration.

One possible way reduce the number of asylum seekers making the arduous journey is to have them apply for asylum in their home countries –an Obama-era policy discarded by Trump. The new administration states that it will work with Central America’s “Northern Triangle” countries — Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador — to create processing centers in those countries that would screen migrants to see if they are eligible for humanitarian protections, including asylum.

The bottom line is that while it is a mistake to equate the Biden administration’s asylum-seeking policy with the callous Trump family separation approach, the administration does have a serious problem on its hands.

Social workers should be equally invested in urging the Biden-Harris administration to institute policies for unaccompanied migrant children and asylum that adhere to international humanitarian standards.

An article in a recent issue of the journal Social Work Research, co-published by NASW and Oxford University Press highlights these concerns. A study examined the sample of National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, which comprises representative American youths born between 1980 and 1984 (N = 7,771). Latent growth models revealed that teen parents had not only lower initial educational levels, hourly compensation, and annual wages, but also lower increases in educational level, hourly compensation, and annual wages over 10 years. Also, the latent growth mediation model found that initial educational level and changes in educational level mediated the negative association between teen parents and job achievement.

These findings suggest that social work intervention for teen parents should focus on supporting academic success in the long term and providing appropriate employment training programs for better job achievement. Future research may contribute by examining the long-term effect of being a teen parent beyond 10 years and investigating differences between teen mothers and teen fathers.

Study author:

Junghee Bae, PhD, is associate research fellow, National Youth Policy Institute, Sejong, South Korea; e-mail: bjh@nypi.re.kr.

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The journal Social Work is a benefit of NASW membership. It is available online or, at a member’s request, in print. Children & Schools, Health & Social Work and Social Work Research are available by subscription at a discounted rate for NASW members, either online or in print. You can find out more about the journals and subscriptions at this link.