Cuts to Social Services Will Hurt Families, the Elderly
from The Chicago Tribune
 Severe cuts will have serious adverse consequences not only to social workers who are most needed now, but to children, families (including veterans and their families) as well as an elder population who sometimes are caregivers themselves. Social workers are a primary resource for people who suffer from mental illness or addiction, families who need emotional or financial support, or children who need improved educational environments and communities to break the cycle of poverty. Slashing budgets to human services at a time of economic crisis is not effective public policy. More
Related story: Illinois Budget Fix Heads to the Senate (The Chicago Tribune)
Illinois State Budget Crisis
from NASW IL
 For the latest budget updates, please go to naswil.typepad.com. More
Rod Blagojevich, David Hernandez Discussed at Meeting on Narcissism and Antisocial Behavior
from The Chicago Tribune
The subject of the brown-bag lunch was narcissism and antisocial behavior, a potent personality combination that shows up often in recent news stories, according to an expert who addressed the session. "Power is an aphrodisiac," said Phillip Elbaum, an assistant professor in Loyola University's department of psychiatry. "These people get a high." The characteristics that attract can also repulse when behavior gets too extreme, said Elbaum, who spoke in Northbrook to the local chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. More
Teen bullying: Tormented Boy's Short Life Ends in Suicide
from The Chicago Tribune
Iain Steele's parents know their son had other problems, but they believe the harassment contributed to a deepening depression that hospitalized the 15-year-old twice this year. On June 3, while his classmates were taking final exams, he went to the basement of his Western Springs home and hanged himself with a belt. His death stunned the quiet suburb west of Chicago and unleashed an outpouring of support for his parents, William and Liz, who say greater attention should be paid to bullying and its connection to mental health. More
An Adult Too Soon: New Law Gives Foster Youths more Time to Grow Up
from The Chicago Tribune
Danielle Campbell did not get to ease her way into adulthood. While many young people today are propped up by Mom and Dad well into their mid-20s, for young adults who leave foster care–like Danielle – there is no such safety net. "Nothing prepares you for how tough it is," she said. "You're hungry, you have nowhere to stay ... and that's when it hits you: There's no one to call." But thanks to new state legislation passed last month, the transition just got easier for the almost 1,400 or so youths who leave foster care annually in Illinois without a family connection. More
Illinois Member Osvaldo Cabellero Profiled during LGBT Pride Month Celebration
from National Association of Social Workers
Looking back now I believe that my initial interest in the profession came from a personal experience of having people in the helping profession assist me in dealing with and learning about my illness when I was diagnosed as HIV positive at the age of 19. They helped me deal with that personal trauma while I was in the military away from my family, slowly coming out of the closet in an environment that really was not supportive. More
Why Do Some Teens Behave Recklessly?
from
TIME magazine
It has long been assumed that the cavalier behavior of teenagers — driving too fast, engaging in unprotected sex, dabbling in illicit drugs — is due in part to their characteristic disregard for mortality. Teens, as any beleaguered parent of one can attest, usually operate under the presumption that they know it all and will live forever. Or, do they? A new study published in the recent issue of the journal Pediatrics would suggest precisely the opposite. More
Caregivers: Alzheimer's Other Victims
from ABC News
When his mother Lawanda was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Blane Wilson swore he would not put her in a nursing home. "It's like adopting another child," Georgia Wilson, Blane's wife, says about Lawanda, 78. An estimated 44 million Americans provide unpaid care to a loved one, according to a study by the by the National Allegiance for Care Giving and the AARP. Of those, 23 percent are providing care for someone with Alzheimer's, dementia or other forms of mental confusion, according to the same report. More
Partnership to Improve Central Illinois Foster Care
from The Daily Vidette
In an effort to enhance foster care services in Central Illinois faculty members of ISU's School of Social Work/Center for Adoption Studies recently established an endearing partnership with the Department of Children and Family Services. The Permanency Enhancement Project partnership has emphasis on the reduction of Central Illinois children who enter and remain in long-term foster care without a family. More
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