Wednesday, January 4
From the Pen of the Executive Director: January 2012
As we begin a new year, it’s good to reflect on the eventful 2011 year we had in the association.
Legislative Accomplishments
The 2011 year began with several legislative accomplishments including a state income task that was a start in solving the state’s current fiscal crisis as well a repeal of the death penalty in Illinois. NASW Illinois worked actively with the Responsible Budget Coalition to achieve this. During the same week, the Illinois General Assembly passed SB3539, a landmark legislation repealing the death penalty in Illinois. On March 9, 2011, Governor Pat Quinn signed Public Act 96-1543 into law (http://ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?name=096-1543). Two Illinois legislators were vital in getting this historic piece of legislation passed: Illinois Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) and Illinois State Representative Karen Yarbrough (D-Maywood). They were both presented with the NASW Illinois Chapter’s 2011 Legislative Award at the statewide conference in November.
A record number 900 social workers and social work students descended upon Springfield, Illinois, to participate in the 2011 Social Work Advocacy Day. This year, we exceeded our numbers yet again and established a record for attendance. Our large numbers could not have come at a more important time. Illinois Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon opened the morning session with an inspiring message regarding the importance of advocacy. She was followed by a panel comprised of experts and leaders in the human services arena: Michelle Saddler, secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services; Michael McRaith, director of the Illinois Department of Insurance; Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability; and Stephanie Altman, programs and policy director of Health and Disabilities Advocates. NASW Illinois Legislative Consultant Phil Milsk moderated the panel. The panel represented the most knowledgeable professionals in our state about the challenges of the state budget, funding human services, and reforming healthcare and Medicaid. They provided even greater insights during the respective breakout sessions.
The NASW Illinois Chapter’s Licensure Task Force convened several times during the past fiscal year, developing two proposed rule changes regarding the addition of cultural competence training to be included in the 30 CEUs required for licensure renewal; they also discussed the cap on online CEUs. These proposed changes now have to make their way through the administrative process at the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation, the governor’s office, and Joint Committee on Administration Rules (JCAR). These proposed rule changes would not take effect until 2013 licensure cycle.
If you want to know more about the chapter’s legislative efforts, be sure to sign up for our NASW Illinois Legislative Action Alerts. Over 9,000 people received our many alerts this past year. You can help us advance our 2012 Legislative/Policy Agenda.
EAPrefer
In conjunction with NASW Assurance Services Inc., the chapter launched in November a new exciting benefit. EAPrefer, a program that helps Illinois members put their experience and expertise as social workers to use as an employee assistance program (EAP) professional, allows members to assist others as well as earn additional income. EAPrefer allows EAP network providers to easily match qualified social workers with clients who need them. Complete details can be found at http://eaprefer.org/ or calling a program representative at 1.866.307.2325.
Greater Content in Online Networker Magazine: Faster,Expanded Access to Social Work News and Information
2011 was the first full year that the Networker magazine appeared entirely online. Not only has this shift saved the chapter in printing costs, it also has allowed us to increase our publication frequency to monthly, as well enhance the magazine’s content. For example, the Networker has included eight private practice–related articles, eight school social work articles, seven book reviews, three articles on aging, one on mental health, six on ethics, and eight of our long-running ‘Since You Asked’ articles. The past year’s articles can be found in the Networker archives at: http://www.naswil.org/news/networker/archives.
We have also improved the NASW Illinois Weekly Update, our weekly, virtual social work newspaper this past June. The Weekly Update links members to news related to the social work profession and the human service sector. Still haven’t signed up for these updates? Sign up in three easy steps!
- Go to: http://paper.li/NASWIL/1306282408.
- Click on the blue square on the right-hand side of the screen that says 'Subscribe'.
- Enter your e-mail address into the box.
Our revamped website continues to provide the most recent social work professional news.
The NASW Illinois Chapter’s social media presence in 2011 continued to grow. Our iPhone and Android app are extremely popular, and our number of followers on twitter (@naswil), our ‘likes’ on Facebook, and the numbers of members on LinkedIn continue to grow.
2011 NASW Illinois Chapter Statewide Conference
Over 600 attendees participated in this year’s statewide conference. They were treated to a conference that included over 70 workshops and an outstanding exhibit hall. Technology, the hard work of the NASW Illinois Chapter staff, and the many volunteer presenters who shared their expertise and knowledge with their colleagues made the 2011 conference our most successful in recent years. A full description of the conference can be found at: http://www.naswil.org/news/chapter-update/2011-nasw-illinois-chapter-statewide-conference-summary/.
CEU Trainings
During 2011, NASW Illinois Chapter districts held 49 district events around the state (both CEU and networking). A total of 29 events were held at the NASW Illinois Chapter office, which including 10 licensure reviews courses and seven ethics trainings.
During 2011, all NASW Illinois Chapter members continued to earn free CEUs for all in-house courses (ethics workshops excluded).
2011 Social Work Awards
In February, the chapter presented its 2011 Emerging Leaders Awards to four emerging leaders at a luncheon during the February 2011 Board of Directors meeting. The awardees included the following:
- Robert B. Campbell, MSW, LCSW, QCSW
- Shelley Milosevic, MSW, LSW
- Amy Terpstra, MSW
- Chasity Wells-Armstrong, MSW, CADC
At the 2011 NASW Illinois Chapter Statewide Conference in November, Candi Gray (NASW Illinois Chapter Vice President and chair of the 2011 NASW Illinois Chapter Awards Committee) presented the 2011 NASW Illinois Chapter Awards. Recipients included the following:
- Legislative Award: Illinois Senator Kwame Raoul and Illinois State Representative Karen Yarbrough
- Public Citizen of the Year – Benjamin S. Wolf, JD
- Social Worker of the Year – Mary Garrison, MSW, LCSW, ACSW
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Richard L. Jones, PhD
Shared Interest Groups (SIGs)
There are currently five active SIGs in the NASW Illinois Chapter, all of which have had significant programming during 2011:
- Older Adults
- Retired Social Workers (RSW)
- Mediators Network
- International Activities Network (IAN)
- Student Network
- Social Work Field Directors
Chapter SIGs are maintained and sustained by members. SIGs can be formed around a particular practice area or geographic area around the state. Over 30 SIG meetings took place this year. SIG activities have ranged from networking events to CEU programming to hosting a social service exchange between Hamburg, Germany, and Birmingham, England.
NASW Political Action Committee (PAC) Illinois
The NASW PAC Illinois, whose mission is to strengthen the involvement of social workers in the political process, has been enhanced with a new board and revised bylaws. The PAC now has its own website at http://naswilpac.org/. The PAC also played an important role in the aldermanic campaigns (both the primary and the runoff) of James Cappleman, LCSW, an NASW Illinois member who was elected to the Chicago City Council as alderman of the 46th ward. A reception of his behalf was held at the chapter offices back in February. NASW Illinois members volunteered for his campaign as well. Concerted effort is currently being made towards developing PAC leadership and conducting political organizing and training.
NASW Illinois 2011 Marketplace Guide
During this past fiscal year, the chapter produced the first ever 2011 Marketplace Guide, a comprehensive buyer’s guide of social work resources. The guide represents a variety of products and services used by social work professionals. We were able to attract many advertisers for this inaugural issue and hope to expand the guide in 2012.
Thanks to NASW Illinois Volunteer Leadership and Professional Staff
The NASW Illinois Chapter Board of Directors, which is elected by the membership, plays an important role in setting the direction and policy of the association. We thank chapter president Yolanda Jordan and her leadership team around the state for all of their hard work this past year.
We are a member association, but the day-to-day operations and successes we experience are due in large part to the chapter’s professional staff. Illinois is fortunate to have committed professionals serving the membership. They include in Chicago, Kyle Hillman, manager of financial services and conference-special events; Christina Polus, manager of events and education; Nina Nguyen, manager of membership and communications; as well as our public affairs consultant Phil Milsk.
Best wishes for the holidays and the New Year!
Joel L. Rubin, MSW, CAE, has served as executive director of the 7,000 member Illinois Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) since October 1999. He has over twenty-five years of nonprofit management and fundraising experience including extensive work with boards of directors, committees and volunteers, and advocacy around a wide variety of social work, human service, and international political issues. Joel is a graduate of the Wexner Heritage Fellowship Leadership Program and a current adjunct professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago Jane Addams College of Social Work as well as Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work.
