Strengthening the Social Work Voice: The NASW Social Work Policy Institute Presentation to Idaho Social Workers April 8

1. Strengthening the Social Work Voice: The NASW Social Work Policy InstitutePresentation to Idaho Social WorkersApril 8, 2011 Joan Levy Zlotnik, PhD, ACSW Director, Social Work Policy Institute NASW jzlotnik@naswdc.org

2. Why Develop a Social Work Think Tank? ©2010 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

3. Why Develop a Social Work Think Tank? Social Work Reinvestment Initiative Goal: Secure federal and state investments in professional social work to enhance societal well-being.

4. Why Develop a Social Work Think Tank?

5. Social Work Policy Institute • Division of the NASW Foundation • Established October, 2009 • www.SocialWorkPolicy.org

6. Social Work Policy Institute Mission • To strengthen social work’s voice in public policy deliberations • To collect and disseminate information on social work effectiveness • To create a forum to examine current and future issues in health care and social services delivery

7. SWPI Mechanisms • Position papers and briefs • Symposia • Listening sessions • Briefings • Web-based resources and tools (e.g., social work effectiveness) • Collaborations with key stakeholders

8. Year One: SWPI Priorities • Solidifying Research/Practice/Policy Connections • Organize Information on Social Work Effectiveness • Promote Social Work Role in Psychosocial Interventions • Social Work & Comparative Effectiveness Research • Social Work Role in Hospice • Addressing Health Disparities • The Social Work Role in Long Term Care • Enhance Social Work Voice in Improving Child Welfare Service Delivery

9. Highlight of Activities • Hosted Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) Symposium and developed report and brief • Hosted Symposium on Hospice Social Work: Linking Practice, Policy & Research and developed report and brief • Created Research to Practice Brief on impact of caseloads on worker turnover and service delivery • Participate in CDC Knowledge to Action Think Tank • Advisor for National Child Welfare Workforce Institute • Analyze British SW taskforce report relevance for U.S. • Planning for Supervision: The Safety Net for Front-Line Child Welfare Practice ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

10. Convening Power of SWPI ©2010 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

11. SWPI Initiative 1: Comparative Effectiveness Research • Growing attention to what works for whom under what conditions • $1.1 billion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act • CER supports research assessing the comparative effectiveness of health care treatments • Conduct and synthesize research • Develop registries • Generate and obtain outcomes data

12. Review available information Convene stakeholders Federal staff Social work researchers Providers Funders Identify opportunities and challenges for social work Develop and disseminate action steps CER: How Does Social Work Fit?

13. Recommendations for Action CER Recommendations are Targeted to: • National Organizations • Academic Settings • Practice-Research Linkages • Engagement with Government Agencies • Enhancement of Research Methodology ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

14. Recommendations for Action ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

15. Recommendations for Action ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

16. Hospice Social Work: Linking Policy, Practice and Research SYMPOSIUM GOALS • To promote high quality psychosocial care in hospice • To explore social work’s contribution to building comprehensive End of Life (EOL) care • To identify research on social workers’ roles and intervention practices • To understand hospice regulations and the regulatory development process • To engage key stakeholders in dialogue and action planning ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

17. Hospice Social Work: Action Agenda Highlights To Enhance Social Work’s Contribution to Quality Hospice Care • Value and promote hospice social work credentials, competitive salaries, social work supervision and peer support and professional development opportunities. • Promote social work role on interdisciplinary team (IDT), including enhanced IDT research and training. • Engage patients and family members in care planning. ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

18. Hospice Social Work: Action Agenda Highlights Cont’d. To Enhance Social Work’s Contribution to Quality Hospice Care • Enhance relationships and information exchange between the social work community and CMS. • Promote culturally-competent care and outreach to diverse populations. • Ensure social work input into quality improvement and assessment strategies. • Strengthen attention to EOL and palliative care in the social work curriculum. • Enhance linkages between hospice social workers and other health care social workers. ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

19. Hospice Social Work: Action Agenda Highlights Cont’d To Strengthen Research-Policy-Practice Bridges • Enhance social work research on EOL care supported by NIH and AHRQ • Build visible practice- and policy-relevant dissemination tools of research findings. • Ensure practice relevant and practitioner and consumer/family -engaged research. • Enhance involvement of social workers in interdisciplinary EOL research. • Pursue systematic reviews of hospice psychosocial research. • Advocate for increased funding for EOL research. • Promote partnerships among national and local social work and hospice entities. ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

21. NASW Activities: End-of-life and Palliative Care • Develop Comments and Letters to Influence Policy • Submitted comments to CMS advocating inclusion of advance care planning in Medicare annual wellness visit (2010) • Submitted comments advocating for inclusion of end-of-life and palliative care as a topic area in Healthy People 2020 (2009) • Congressional letter & member action alert to oppose hospice rate cuts (2008–09) • Submitted comments to CMS opposing downgrading of social work qualifications in revised Medicare Conditions of Participation (2008) ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

22. NASW Activities: End-of-life and Palliative Care • NASW 2010 Annual Practice ConferenceSocial Work’s Critical Role in End of Life Care • NASW Standards for Palliative and End of Life Care http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/bereavement/standards/standards0504New.pdf ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

23. NASW Activities: End-of-life and Palliative Care • Joint Commission: Participate in PTAC for Home Care (includes hospice) http://www.jointcommission.org/AboutUs/Fact_Sheets/advisory_groups.htm http://www.jointcommission.org/AccreditationPrograms/HomeCare/ • Hospice Foundation of America (HFA): Support live teleconference •  Mayday Fund: Endorsed chronic pain report (2009) http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/aging/2010/010610b.asp • Aging with Dignity: Promoted translations of Five Wishes (2007) http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/aging/2008/alzheimers.asp ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

24. NASW Activities: End-of-life and Palliative Care • National Healthcare Decisions Day: • Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Care Practice Recommendations: Supported development of two sets of recommendations • Phase 3, EOL care in assisted living & nursing home settings (2007) • Phase 4, home care (2009)—included extensive information on EOL care http://www.socialworkers.org/practice/aging/2010/010610a.asp ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

25. NASW WebEd www.naswwebed.org Free web-ed courses for social workers and other social service professionals. Membership in NASW is not required. Courses take approximately 90 minutes to complete; Learners can earn one CE for completing the test at the end of the course. ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

26. NASW WebEd www.naswwebed.org • Understanding Cancer: The Social Worker's Role • Understanding End of Life Care: The Social Worker's Role • Understanding Aging: The Social Worker's Role • Understanding Cancer Caregiving: The Social Worker’s Role • Achieving Cultural Competence to Reduce Health Disparities in End of Life Care • Promoting Adherence to Cancer Oral Medications: The Social Worker’s Role ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

27. Discussion • Ensuring social work’s place at the policy table • Strengthening research and policy connections • Identifying and reporting on social work effectiveness • Addressing critical policy issues for social work action • Supporting the Social Work Reinvestment Initiative • Optimizing the role of social workers in practice • Assessing challenges and opportunities to quality training and education

28. SWPI Reports • Comparative Effectiveness and Research and Social Work: Strengthening the Connection (full report, 2 page brief and executive summary http://www.socialworkpolicy.org/events/social-work-research-and-comparative-effectiveness-research-cer-a-research-symposium-to-strengthen-the-connection.html • Coming soon to SocialWorkPolicy.org – Hospice Social Work: Linking Policy Practice and Research – Report and 2 page brief ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

29. For More Information • Social Work Policy Institute http://www.socialworkpolicy.org • Social Work Reinvestment Initiative • http://www.socialworkreinvestment.org • NASW Center for Workforce Studies • http://workforce.socialworkers.org/ ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.

30. For More Information Contact: Joan Levy Zlotnik, PhD, ACSW Director, Social Work Policy Institute, NASW jzlotnik@naswdc.org Stacy Collins, MSW Senior Practice Associate – Health scollins@naswdc.org Chris Herman, MSW Senior Practice Associate – Aging cherman@naswdc.org ©2009 National Association of Social Workers. All Rights Reserved.