Hi everyone,

My name is Abe Goetz and I'm the chapter president of NASW-IA.  I would like to briefly introduce myself and the return of the monthly newsletter. 

Prior to becoming chapter president, I volunteered in a number of roles including president-elect, secretary, delegate to two NASW Delegate Assemblies, and have served on the Education Committee, Student Committee, Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE), and the Government Relations Working Group.  In addition to my volunteering with NASW-IA, I work full-time as a clinical social worker in my solo private practice.  The following month's newsletters will introduce the rest of our great board.

SURVEY

On behalf of the NASW-IA Chapter Board, thank you all for taking the time to complete the membership survey.  We received feedback from over 10 percent of the membership! 

We heard about a lot of the good things the Iowa chapter is doing such as the CEU events and annual symposium, advocacy alerts and legislative updates, and of course the wonderful work of our Executive Director Denise Rathman. 

We also received valuable feedback about what we could be doing better.  After reviewing the results as a chapter board and executive committee, here are some of the goals and ways we plan to address this as well as what we are already doing:

• Membership dues being too high
  • Submitted a national bylaws amendment proposal to bring the decision over membership prices to the Delegate Assembly, rather than the National Board.
  • Submitted a national bylaws amendment proposal to bring 60% of membership dues back to the chapter rather than only 45% remaining within the chapter (and the majority of the rest going to national).
  • Please also note there may be options for discounted rates for those experiencing financial hardship.
• Starting back up the monthly newsletter and including Iowa specific information including policy changes. 
• Creating more opportunities for macro social workers
• Planning roundtable events in our rural branches. 
• Considering creation of affinity groups for private practice social workers, macro social workers, and/or retired social workers. 
• Planning for having a monthly opportunity for ethics consultation with the NASW-IA Ethics Committee. 
• Creating a mentorship program for student and new social work professionals

HOW YOU CAN HELP

NASW - IA requires a huge number of volunteers to move these plans forward.  NASW-IA has one full-time employee and two part-time employees running the entire state chapter.   The board, committees, and many of our events are run primarily through volunteers with staff support. 

Please consider -

• Volunteering with one of our committees, joining the board, or offering your expertise in other helpful ways. 
• We currently have an open position for Northeast Branch Chair. 
• Please spread the word of our CEUs, encourage your colleagues/classmates to join (or better yet, get your employer to sponsor memberships!) - we are primarily funded through membership dues and income provided by CEU events

LOCAL EVENTS AROUND THE STATE:

• SE Branch Roundtable - 10/24/2024 -  (via zoom)
• Ethics in Social Work: Am I Doing the Right Thing? - 3.0 Ethics - 10/25/2024 - 9:00 AM - 12:15 PM
• Student Committee Networking Event - 10/26/24 5:30-7:30pm at the Mickle Center - Halloween costume contest and Bring Your Own Craft (BYOC).
• Navigating Abuse with Survivors - 11/13/2024 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
• Quad Cities Social Event 11/14/24 - 5:30-7:30pm - more info to come (in person)
• SW branch event: Holiday Grief and Roundtable 11/14/24 - Noon to 1p (via zoom)
• Clinical Supervision for Social Work: Monitoring and Mentoring Mental Health Professionals - Initial 6.0 Supervision - 11/15/2024 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
• Iowa City Social Event - 11/18/2024 - 5:30-7:30 - In person & more to come!
• Traditional Chinese medicine: traditional medicine in the modern world - 11/20/2024  5-7pm (via zoom)
• What's Always Been at Stake: Examining the Impact of the Socio-Political Climate on the Social Work Practice - 12/2/2024 5:30 PM - 8:45 PM
• Three Secrets to Successful Supervision - 3.0 Supervision - 12/6/2024 9:00 AM - 12:15 PM
• Addressing Implicit Bias: The Social Workers' Ethical Responsibilities - 12/10/2024 - 1:00 PM - 4:15 PM

To register and find more events visit https://naswia.socialworkers.org/Events/Events-List-View

MEMBER BENEFIT -

Did you know that…

NASW members receive discounts at UPS for shipping and printing? NASW members have access to flat discounts - no matter how much you ship, when you ship, or where it’s going. Remember this when you prepare any holiday shipping!

NATIONAL NASW NEWS -

NASW Responds to Preferra Insurance Company RRG Lawsuit

Please see NASW's response regarding some of the events transpiring with Preferra by clicking here.  Please know at the chapter level we have limited control over this, but continue to advocate to the national board about our concerns regarding this important membership benefit. 

IOWA NASW NEWS -

Good news: Thanks to you all's advocacy and the tireless lobbying of Executive Director Denise Rathman, Iowa has passed the interstate compact!  Here is the most recent update regarding the compact: "The Social Work Licensure Compact has been enacted in at least seven states and has reached activation status, however multistate licenses are not yet being issued. The implementation process for the compact will take 12 to 24 months before multi state licenses are able to issued."  More info can be found by clicking here.

Bad news: The Iowa Board of Social Work merged with the Iowa Board of Psychology and the Board of Behavioral Science into what is now called the "Iowa Board of Behavioral Health Professionals.   The new board consists of two social workers, two psychologists, one LMFT, one LMHC, one behavior analyst.

SEEKING LEADERSHIP -

Serve your professional organization! We are currently accepting applications for multiple board positions for the FY 2025-2026. The following board positions will be open:

• President-Elect - three-year term: 1 year as president Elect (7/1/25 - 6/30/26) and 2 years as president (7/1/2026-6/30/2028).
• First Vice President for Education & Training - Two year term 7/1/25-6/30/27
• Central Branch Chair - Two year term 7/1/25-6/30/27
• Southwest Branch Chair - Two year term 7/1/25-6/30/27
• Southeast Branch Chair - Two year term 7/1/25-6/30/27
• BSW Student Representative - One year term - 7/1/25 - 6/30/26
• MSW Student Representative - One year term - 7/1/25 - 6/30/26

One Non-board position is open:

• Committee Chair Leadership Identification and Nominations (LINC)- Two year term 7/1/25-6/30/27

For more information contact Myke Selha, LINC chair at LINC.Naswia@socialworkers.org

2024 AWARD WINNERS

Congratulations to our 2024 award winners! These wonderful individuals have gone above and beyond in their service to others. Thank you for your wonderful example!

Derly Beacom - Emerging Social Worker of the Year

Quanda Hood - Public Citizen of Excellence

Sheri Floyd - Catherine G. Williams Award

Julia Rose - Social Worker of Excellence

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Contact Us                       

515-277-1117

Nasw.naswia@socialworkers.org

Naswia.socialworkers.org