2022 NASW-NJ Impact Report

FUTURE of CI AL

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FEATURED IN

NJBIZ FINALIST

NON-PROFIT OF THE YEAR! (1-100 EMPLOYEES)

2022

IMPACT

STATEMENT

Table of Contents 2

Letter from Our President and Executive Director

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Growing Together

4

How We Connected

5-6 7 8-10

Advancing Social Work Values Building Social Work Competencies Shaping the Future of Social Work

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Investing in the

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Why I Serve

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Chapter

Next Generation

From Our Leadership Friends and Colleagues, What a year this has been! This moment—indeed this past year—has proven how necessary the profession of social work is and how your individual contributions make our communities stronger, healthier, and more sustainable. We are inspired by our social work community, our members, partners, donors, and team who have risen to the unprecedented challenges of recent years. You have demonstrated resilience and dedication to the communities we serve, while simultaneously navigating vast challenges in your own lives.

Over the past year, the NASW-NJ community has been able to continue to lead across the state of New Jersey and the nation. We made critical strides in workforce issues, advocating with our state’s largest insurers, and protecting the rights of vulnerable and historically oppressed communities. We launched the first NASW office in the metaverse, where together we can learn, grow, and explore where our profession will go—and grow—in the future.

Hand in hand, our community has led in the call for investigation, reparations, and accountability in the wake of the ASWB Exam Report. You have shown an unwavering commitment to taking a hard stance, demanding change, leaning in to challenging conversations, and creating an equitable licensing system for all social workers.

This year, through your collective organizing, commitments, and passion, you have propelled NASW-NJ to become the second largest Chapter in the nation. While our strength in numbers alone is tremendous, we know that your strength and resolve in advancing social work and social justice is second to none.

We invite you to celebrate and look back on our collective victories in this report, as we enter 2023—a time where we imagine more innovation, more advocacy victories, and a more equitable community and profession of social work.

Leadership In solidarity,

2

Widian & Jennifer

GROWING Membership TOGETHER 1/1/20

NASW-NJ is the second largest and influential state chapter of NASW in the nation.

6,079 6,429

1/1/21

6,806

6,806

10/31/22

Total membership as of 10/31/22

# OF MEMBERS

At NASW-NJ, human connection is our primary focus.

You—our members—give of yourself in so many different ways and contribute so much to our communities and to strengthening the social work voice in New Jersey and across the nation.

Our focus continues to be evolving and enhancing how we support you in this critical work.

Over the course of the last year, you have come together as a social work community to share how you are working in your communities and organizations, creating change, building programs, supporting clients and navigating the evolving landscape of social work and our broader society.

You engaged in challenging conversations with our community and Chapter leadership through a variety of ways including participating in a 400+ social worker strong listening session surrounding the ASWB examination. You did so by making more than 1,300 calls to the Chapter each month, speaking directly to members of our teams about your unique challenges. Our team members spent an average of 4,000 minutes on phone calls per month. That doesn't even include time spent on Zoom calls, cell phone calls, and at in-person meetings. More than 800 members of our community received personal phone calls from our team welcoming you to the Association and sharing with us why you are here.

You raised your hand to lead 32 Community Conversations where we were vulnerable Student Members with one another, grew as a community, and challenged ourselves to grow together.

782

These activities shaped our work—and grew our community.

That’s powerful.

6024

We are stronger as an Association when more voices are at the table.

We’re stronger in our work when more of our profession raises their hands.

We are stronger together.

Nov. November 9, 2021

January 28, 2022 Health Care Social Workers Symposium

Jan.

Free symposium “Decriminalization of Drugs in NJ: A Dialogue”

Feb.

Regular Members

February 17

Meet with NJBIA re DCA

February 10

Meet with DCA/BSWE

Mar. March 1

Launch of Oral History Institute for Social Work

3

BUILDING How WeDIGITAL COMMUNITY

Connected

Membership does more than reflect the vitality of our Chapter—increased membership also increases our reach, impact, and collective voice.

And in 2022, we reached more people than ever before, as members shared our e-mails, social media posts, advocacy alerts, and spread the word about our work through word of mouth.

HOW WE CONNECTED Email Messages:

Events:

6.8M

9,282 422.75 Number of Events: 135 Participants: Event Hours:

Website Visitors:

Social Media:

15.7K

164,400 Social Media Re ach: 500.8K account s across all platforms

6,271

3,398

3,092

2,425

489

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Social media gro wth in past 12 months: 22.7%

April 12

March 18 NASW-NJ Annual Awards Luncheon

March 09 Meet with NJBIA re DCA

4

March 29 Legislation Education & Advocacy Day (LEAD)

"Talking to Children About the War in Ukraine"

Apr.

May May 1-2 NASW-NJ Annual Conference

ADVANCING SOCIAL WORK VALUES

Advocacy

Our profession is diverse, ever changing and nuanced. There is no place or space social workers are not present. In 2022, our advocacy and outreach work focused on seven key areas where we felt the social work voice and action was most needed. These represent some of the most pressing and challenging issues our communities and profession face and issues that are directly related to our Code of Ethics, values as a profession, and our call to action as social workers.

Area 1: Social Work Professional Issues Addressing deficiencies and delays at the NJ Board of Social Work Examiners Advocating for student loan forgiveness and loan redemption programs Developing equitable paths to licensure following reports of ASWB licensing exam disparities Contributing to Intestate Licensing Compact for Social Workers Creating a pathway to insurance reimbursement for LSWs working under clinical supervision

Area 2: Racial and Social Justice Call for reparations for the descendants of enslaved Black people Furthering public safety initiatives and police reform Decolonizing social work and becoming an anti-racist profession

Area 3: Reproductive Health and Choice Securing passage of the Reproductive Freedom Act in New Jersey Protesting outside the Supreme Court following the overturning of Roe v. Wade

Area 4: Public Safety and Social Work Exploring and supporting social work roles in public safety and emergency response Highlighting the work of social workers leading transformative public safety initiatives in New Jersey

May 24

June 3

June 15

NASW-NJ Town Hall

Meet with NJBIA re DCA

Launch Self-Care Series

May 11

May 26

Abortion Access Rally in Trenton

Same Day Voter Registration Rally in Trenton

Jun.

June 11 March for Our Lives Rally in Roselle

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Area 5: LGBTQIA+ Issues Asserting and protecting the rights of all individuals in New Jersey regardless of sexual preference and gender identity Developing health and mental health trainings for clinicians who work with queer individuals Supporting the work of organizations providing life-changing services for transgender individuals

Area 6: Immigrant Issues Engaging in efforts to ensure immigrants who arrive in New Jersey are met with an array of health, mental health, and personal services to help them on their journeys

Area 7: Voting Rights & Access

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pov er pub ty rel ie lic s afe f ra t ty J reime inc bur rea s Gen sem ent es re Id e d e r n t it pa y Po rat R lice io

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Advocating for Same Day Voter Registration in NJ Opposing legislation that would allow police presence at the polls in New Jersey Encouraging social workers to engage in voter registration efforts to increase civic engagement

er

Legislative Advocacy

ti v

L ic Comensing pac t

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V O er safet lity CA y Stavt ote C e r rig Y elehealth Me

dem o add engcargacy & icti eme civic nt o y ns

wom R en's he al s oA C pubc i a l Ij A L th u lic s t i c & saf e ety

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dica re

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Federal Legislation Actions: 11 State Legislative Actions: 45

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NASW-NJ took action on state and federal legislation through testimony, public comment, and advocacy alerts:

i

gh beh a soc vior ts m ial w al he arria ork alth ge equa

L G B T QIA +

NJ

June 18

June 26

Poor People’s Campaign in Washington, DC

"Social Work Safe Space: The Overturning of Roe v Wade"

June 17 Juneteenth Rally in Newark

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June 30 Social Work and Reproductive Justice Event

June 24

June 28

Pro-Roe Protest at SCOTUS

NJBIA meeting with AG re DCA

LEARNING Social WorkTOGETHER Competencies Building

NASW-NJ continues to be the leading provider of social work continuing education and professional development programs in New Jersey. We’ve listened to your feedback and requests about the types of workshops and certificate programs you’re looking for, and in response we are in the process of developing certificate programs around both Grief and Older Adults, both expected to launch in the first half of 2023.

Free CEUs available to each member

15 CEUs

Total number of CE programs offered

36

We also continued our Race, Responsibility & Reconciliation (RR&R) Series by offering a total of 8 CE credits in this series in 2022, including a workshop provided by nationally known expert, Crystal Bennett, on the topic of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Programs

Total number of CEU hours offered

245 Hours

Total CE program participants

3,698 Participants

Nearly 700 social workers from around the country took advantage of our Race, Reconciliation, & Responsibility Continuing Education offerings.

Shaping the Future of Social Work

Supporting New Clinicians

Social workers from across New Jersey and beyond convened for the 2022 NASW-NJ Annual Conference to earn CEUs while collectively shaping the future of social work.

Developing the next generation of social workers wouldn’t be possible without developing the next generation of clinical supervisors. In 2022, more than 200 experienced social workers took advantage of our highly regarded Clinical Supervision Course to advance their careers and prepare to train newer professionals entering the field.

In recognition of the hardships social workers have faced these past few years and the difficulties many social workers experienced obtaining CEUs during the pandemic, we launched registration for the 2022 NASW-NJ Annual Conference with a deep discount for NASW members—just $99 for the two-day conference and the opportunity to earn up to 21.5 CEUs! While we hoped to return to an in-person Annual Conference in 2022, the arrival of the Covid omicron variant dictated a return to the virtual conference format. This didn’t keep you away, though. Nearly 1,500 people attended the conference.

Aug.

August 18 ASWB Exam Listening Session

August 2 Civic Health Month Kick-Off

Clinical Supervisors Trained:

251

Total Clinical Sup. in our directory:

585

September 26

October 6

NASW-NJ ASWB Task Force Meeting

Health Care Workforce & Careers Panel

Sep.

Oct.

August 22

September 27

ASWB Session with Deans and Directors

NJBIZ Health Care Technology Panel

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DRIVING Shaping the INNOVATION FUTURE OF

SOCIAL WORK

Our profession, perhaps more than any other, is charged with balancing two stances: being present in the moment—sitting with our clients where they are, supporting them in the minutes, moments, and days immediately before them—while simultaneously looking ahead to future situations, systemic change, and how our profession will meet and address those societal issues that have not yet presented themselves.

The challenges of today and tomorrow require the best of social workers and the social work profession. And NASW-NJ is dedicated to working with social workers to shape the future—one where social workers will be called upon to lead boldly and leave our indelible mark on history, while simultaneously charting the course for our future.

The Future of Social Work Is… Developing the Next Generation NASW-NJ created a year of free career development activities for our student members, and we were excited to have you join us!

Monthly events created just for students that include networking, inspiration, and mentorship.

Student-only forums on our national “social” platform—giving you an opportunity to connect with other future social workers across the country.

Legislative Education & Advocacy Day—taking you to Trenton while you learn about advocacy in action!

Access to scholarships to help you on your educational journey.

Opportunities to volunteer on committees and run for Chapter elected office so that you can develop your leadership skills.

Support in career searches and licensing.

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The Future of Social Work Is… Embracing Technology THE METAVERSE The metaverse is a virtual reality (VR) space where users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users.

In past years, we’ve explored the intersection of social work and VR, highlighting the work social work and technology futurists have engaged in to create virtual spaces for social work training and practice.

This year, NASW-NJ further embraced the metaverse by launching an online Chapter office in the metaverse and hosting our first webinar in a virtual reality setting. As we prepare for the widespread proliferation of this technology, we pondered: What are the ways in which we, as social workers, can use VR and the metaverse in our practice, education, classrooms and beyond?

Why should we understand it? And why should we be at the table while technologists develop this platform?

Business Systems Over the past few years, you have shared with us that the business and technology components of our profession are ones you frequently have questions on and seek additional support with, and that you are looking for turn-key solutions to these issues.

This year, NASW-NJ presented that solution to you through our partnership with RingCentral— offering you discount access to the tools you need. We’ve worked with RingCentral to ensure they understand the technology needs of social workers, giving them a sense of the tools you need to be successful, the technology challenges you’ve shared with us over the years, and helping them understand the various ways they can position themselves to best support the technological needs of social workers. In turn, they’ve created solutions for you to safely communicate with your clients on compliant software, using secured, encrypted platforms from anywhere your business finds you— from your office, to home, and anywhere in between.

For more info visit: Ringcentral.com/naswnj

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The Future of Social Work Is… Building upon our past to inform our future The history of the social work profession is long and deep—marked by the deeds of advocates who led us, teachers and who inspired us, colleagues who mentored us, and coworkers who uplifted us on the hardest of days. Their stories are those of change agents, leaders and helpers—generations of social workers who uplifted communities and the legacies they have built.

The stories of these social workers enrich our understanding of our past, allow us a glimpse into the lives of those on the front lines, and help us understand how our profession changes the lives of everyday people, families, and communities across our nation. These narratives also allow us to learn from the past, while encouraging us to draw inspiration from social workers whose dedication, passion, and insight have improved social and human conditions.

In order to document and preserve these stories for generations to come, NASW-NJ introduced “Stories of Change: The Social Work Oral History Institute” in collaboration with StoryCorps during Social Work Month 2022.

Launching with the stories of 16 prominent New Jersey social workers, these narratives will be preserved for generations to come in the American Folklife Center at the U.S. Library of Congress.

Learn more about the Social Work Oral History institute on our website: https://naswnj.socialworkers.org/News/Institute-for-Oral-History

Or visit the Oral History Institute on the StoryCorps website: https://archive.storycorps.org/communities/social-work-oral-history-institute/

The Future of Social Work Is… Transforming Our Profession “It is not acceptable for social workers to labor under intolerable working conditions and financial strain because they work with the poor and oppressed.”

-Steve Burghardt , PhD, MSW Dr. Steve Burghardt, author of the book "The End of Social Work: A Defense of the Social Worker in Times of Transformation," joined us at our Annual Conference for an in-depth discussion of social work's future and how we can advocate on behalf of our profession.

Improving social work salaries Establishing the practice of paid field placements Furthering loan forgiveness for our profession Elevating social work voices by gaining more seats at the table Creating a diverse and robust pipeline of new social workers

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Giving Back to the Profession: During this season of celebration and giving thanks, NASW-NJ is thankful for you—our members!

Your work and service is especially essential during these times and you make a difference to thousands of people. Thank you!

You can help keep social work generations strong by sponsoring a student’s membership in NASW. Student membership costs $60 and helps provide students with connections to mentors and colleagues, as well as networking and other benefits. Don’t take our word for it. This is what Imani W. had to say about why student membership is important to her:

a student " Gaining membership has allowed me to build community. I am able to take advantage of the free LSW examination course, which is a great tool to help me further my career. Job postings and community chats have been beneficial in connecting with like-minded social workers, as well.

-Imani W., MSW

"

Will you join us in connecting our students to their premier professional organization?

You can make a secure donation here: https://form.jotform.com/naswnewjersey/sponsorship All of us at NASW-NJ give thanks to you for your service and membership. We now ask you to invest in the future of social work and sponsor a student’s membership today.

If you would like to sponsor a particular student, please email Helen French at: hfrench.naswnj@socialworkers.org otherwise we will choose a student on your behalf.

2021-22 SPONSOR A STUDENT CAMPAIGN

106 Nearly $6,500

Student Memberships Sponsored: Value of Student Sponsorships:

Thank You for Your Generosity!

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Investing in the NEXT

GENERATION We asked a few recent social work graduates to share how membership in their professional organization helped launch their new careers. Here's what they had to share:

Brittany Macaluso, MSW As a recent (May 2022) MSW graduate, the NASW-NJ has been extremely instrumental to the development of my social work career thus far, and I have no doubt it will continue to do so. I first learned about NASW-NJ when I was a BSW student at Monmouth University. Shortly after joining the organization, they reached out to me to see if I was interested in participating in a video called Social Work Generations they were creating for Social Work Month —I had the distinction of being the youngest member of the Chapter and they wanted to hear about my inspiration and influences to enter the field and my thoughts about the profession’s future.

Currently, I am in my first role as an MSW, serving as the policy and advocacy director at the Lesniak Institute for American Leadership. As I have grown from student to young professional, my relationship with the NASW-NJ has shifted. I now interact with the Chapter not just as a member, but as a community partner. In the past several months NASW-NJ has partnered with my organization to participate in our March for Our Lives rally and a Mental Health Roundtable. I have also had the opportunity to present a Community Conversation about Wrap Around Community Schools for NASW-NJ’s members.

Most recently, because of my passion for policy advocacy and my MSW specialization in policy practice with a specialization in contemporary social issues, I have been invited to sit on the NASW-NJ Legislative Action Committee. Being part of a state-wide community of social workers through the NASW-NJ has been great for my career development. I cannot wait to see how I will be able to work with NASW-NJ, as a member and community partner, to continue to help grow my career.

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Investing in the NEXT

GENERATION Resia Cooper, MSW On August 12, 2021, I received an email that no incoming graduate student to a social work program wants to hear: “Your field placement has fallen through, and we are not sure we can secure a replacement for the semester.” My MSW journey as a full-time advanced-standing student was scheduled to begin in just 2 weeks; time was not on my side.

Franticly seeking a new placement, I reached out to NASW-NJ to see if they could accommodate a remote intern. On September 3, I had my first interview with Jennifer, and shortly thereafter, joined the team as the 8th intern they hosted that year. Little did I know how many doors this experience would open for me.

During my field placement, I had the pleasure of learning from a team that helped me to identify social work initiatives that were important to the profession and the expansion of our field. I strengthened my leadership skills by learning when to jump in to take initiative, supporting my peers and future colleagues, and seeing what our professional association had to offer.

The internship provided me several traveling and networking experiences that solidified my love for community engagement, conference planning and participation, connecting with others, and building my network. When I attended the Millennial Social Work Conference in Atlanta, I saw first-hand the power of supporting up-and-coming, young social workers and the fun of tabling at an event—a memory I will carry with me for a lifetime.

I was also able to use advocacy skills I developed to bring a state legislator to my University and host a robust conversation on a bill that would impact social workers in New York. With support and guidance from Chapter staff, I no longer felt intimidated by the prospect of preparing policy briefs and tracking legislation. I felt empowered.

NASW-NJ not only provides support for their student interns, but also works tirelessly to provide all social work students with opportunities for growth and advancement. I graduated from Fordham University with my MSW on May 24, 2022. On June 1, I started a full-time position with NASW-NJ as the new Engagement Coordinator. I would love to connect with you to share more about our work and profession association and look forward to doing so in my new role.

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Investing in the NEXT

GENERATION Leah Rousso, MSW I consider myself extremely fortunate to have completed my advanced MSW field placement at NASW-NJ. My time as an MSW intern with the NASW-NJ was certainly one for the books! I was able to learn about the legislative process, participate in rallies and marches, gain an appreciation for the importance of maintaining a broad spectrum of professional competencies, see first-hand how a membership organization runs, and so much more.

One of the most memorable projects I was involved in allowed me to give back to social work students through my internship—the development of a program for other students to learn about nontraditional social work jobs and better understand their vast social work career options. I also had the opportunity to craft testimony for a bill pending in the NJ legislature, track the state’s legislative calendar, attend professional conferences, and plan and moderate a live webinar about animal-assisted social work!

Interning with the NASW-NJ allowed me to develop my professional skills and learn what it really means to be a macro social worker, as I saw the many areas the organization was involved in. It was also inspiring to have fellow students look to me as an expert for information about the NASW, social work licensing, legislative issues, and other areas I gained knowledge in through my internship.

My field placement with NASW concluded this summer, and I have just completed my final semester as an MSW student. My time learning and growing with NASW-NJ is not at an end though—in addition to being a member, upon the completion of my internship, I was extremely lucky to be hired by the NASW-NJ as a part-time continuing education associate. In this role, I will have the opportunity to do research about prominent and influential social workers from across the country, identifying emerging issues and best practices, as we seek speakers and presenters for NASW-NJ’s upcoming conferences and events. It’s exciting to be able to engage in this work and I look forward to continuing to grow my professional skills with NASW.

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Why I SERVE Dr. La'Tesha Gasby, Ph.D, MPA, MSW, LCSW Becoming an NASW-NJ member in 2018 changed the trajectory of my professional career. I'd previously been a student member of NASW while completing my BSW over 24 years ago and never got around to rejoining. To be frank, I didn't see the benefit of becoming an NASW member because it seemed like it was a gatekept organization where I wouldn't have much of a voice or impact. My perception changed one morning over coffee with our Executive Director, Jennifer Thompson. I can't recall what brought us together that weekday morning, but I am so glad I accepted her invitation.

Jennifer encouraged me to get active in the Chapter and assured me that all views and voices were warmly welcomed.

I reluctantly submitted a proposal to present at the 2019 NASW- NJ annual conference in Atlantic City and my presentation was accepted. My training was well received and I was asked to present at another local NASW event. I was receiving consistent emails from the Chapter and attended a few networking events that yielded some great new connections.

By this point, I was energized and engaged and wanted to serve the Chapter in a more impactful way. Because I am politically active, I became involved in the PACE Committee and served 1 year before being selected by the Board of Directors to serve as Chair. I was also the first African American and woman to serve the Chapter in this capacity!

Working on the PACE Committee presented some unique challenges because I'd never acted in this capacity before, but my Committee members and the Chapter leadership were there with me every step of the way.

Due to my work on the NASW-NJ PACE Committee, I was selected by NASW NJ President, Mit Joyner, to serve on the NASW National PACE Committee in 2021. In 2022, I was voted in as Secretary of the Committee.

If this wasn't enough, I was supremely honored by the Chapter to be the 2022 NASW-NJ Emerging Leader of the Year.

If you would have told me in 2018, that my NASW journey would be filled with these exciting twists and turns, I would not have believed you! This Chapter has brought some amazing professional and personal relationships into my life and the trajectory of my career will never be the same.

During this time of reflection, at the end of the year, I am supremely grateful for the passion, advocacy and work of the Chapter. Salud!

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2022 Sponsors Thank you to our partners and sponsors.

We couldn’t do this work without you.

Chapter Leadership Unit Leaders Afifa Ansari Sarah Delicio Jeanne Koller

Shalini Basu Melissa Donahue Hannah Korn-Heilner

Tina Maschi

Dina Morley

Vimmi Surti

Miguel Williams

Ethics Committee CHAIR, David Rosen Tiffany Mayers

Chris Heer Juan Rios

Darcella Sessomes

Committee on Nominations and Leadership Identification (CNLI) Jenny Conger

Anthony Francis

Anthony Gallo

Judyann McCarthy

Sarah Miller

Hina Rehman

Finance Committee Priscilla Carmona

Anthony Gallo

Dawn Konrady

LASA Committee Natalie Bembry Jesselly de la Cruz Erica Goldblatt Hyatt Ameerah McCoy

Carrie Conger Lakeesha Eure Brittany Macaluso Susan Menahem

Elizabeth Lawrence

NASW-NJ ASWB Taskforce Edward Alessi DuWayne Battle

Dawn Apgar Emmanuel Bioh

Marla Blunt-Carter

Lana Church

Zakia Clay

Andrea Cole

Ralph Cuseglio

Jenny Dunkle

Christine Heer

Christa Hogan

Tawanda Hubbard Robin Mama Phylis Peterman Laura Quiros

May Lewis Widian Nicola Dean Potter Kathleen Ray

Svetlana Shpiegel

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Chapter Leadership PACE Committee CHAIR, Fred Samson

TREASURER, Anthony Gallo

Kathy Dixon

Allison James-Frison

Terry Lyons

Miriam Stern

Board of Directors President, Widian Nicola First Vice President, Carrie Conger Secretary, Tiffany Mayers

President Elect, Lisa Lawson Second Vice President, Jennifer Sorensen Graduate Student Representative, Matt Sato

Regional Representatives, Lana Church, Veronica Grysko-Sporer, Oninye Nnenji, Courtney Wise

Chapter Office Executive Director, Jennifer Thompson Director of Education & Development, Helen French Engagement Coordinator, Resia Cooper Continuing Education Assistant, Leah Rousso

Director of Advocacy & Communications, Jeff Feldman Membership & Education Specialist, Willis Williams Executive Assistant, Britta Shrewsbury Graphic Designer, Katherine Girgenti

NASW–NJ CHAPTER OFFICE 100 Somerset Corporate Blvd, 2nd Floor, Bridgewater, NJ 08807 Ph: 732.296.8070, www.naswnj.org info.naswnj@socialworkers.org