The Social Work Policy Network remains committed to sharing key news updates, policy changes, action opportunities, events & more - with content particularly focused on social justice, equity, and systemic change.
Whether you are a new or returning subscriber, we are excited that you're here!
The Social Work Policy Network remains committed to sharing key news updates, policy changes, action opportunities, events & more - with content particularly focused on social justice, equity, and systemic change.
Thank you for your continued support of the Social Work Policy Network!
Professional Opportunities
Community Outreach Coordinator - City Green (Clifton, NJ)
Policy Analyst - New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children (Hybrid: Jersey City, NJ)
Senior Manager, Middlesex Harm Reduction Center - New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition (New Brunswick, NJ)
Executive Administrative Assistant - American Pride Rises (Remote)
Community Organizer - League of Women Voters of New Jersey (Hybrid: Trenton, NJ)
National Policy News Highlights
Native American students miss school at higher rates. It only got worse during the pandemic
The Associated Press
“Out of 34 states with data available for the 2022-2023 school year, half had absenteeism rates for Native American and Alaska Native students that were at least 9 percentage points higher than the state average.”
These 26 States Have Restricted Gender-Transition Treatments for Minors Since 2021
The New York Times
“The challenge to a Tennessee law before the Supreme Court this week traces its roots to the spring of 2021, when Arkansas became the first state to pass a law prohibiting gender-transition treatments for minors.”
Illinois’ AG Said It’s Illegal for Schools to Use Police to Ticket Students. But His Office Told Only One District.
ProPublica
“The attorney general’s office, which had been investigating student ticketing in one of Illinois’ largest high school districts, found that Township High School District 211 in Palatine broke the law when administrators directed police to fine its students for school-based conduct, and that the practice had an “unjustified disparate impact” on Black and Latino students.”
Medicaid Work Requirements: Current Waiver and Legislative Activity
KFF
“With Donald Trump returning to the presidency and Republican control of the Senate and House, work requirements are likely to be back on the agenda—through federal legislation or Medicaid waivers. Although past legislative attempts to incorporate work requirements into Medicaid statute failed, plans from Republican and conservative groups continue to support federal legislation to allow or require work requirements in Medicaid.”
Regional Policy News Highlights
Vacancies, diminished duties of prison oversight boards spur demands for change
The New Jersey Monitor
“An advocacy group that recently found New Jersey prisons routinely flout restrictions on solitary confinement recommended a reasonable reform — more oversight, with every facility getting its own independent board of trustees to address its unique needs. What many reformers don’t know is that the state’s prisons already have civilian boards of trustees tasked with such oversight. Yet the boards…have multiple longstanding vacancies that critics say have undercut their watchdog role.”
Community FoodBank of New Jersey partners with DoorDash’s project DASH to reach food insecure seniors in Atlantic City
ROI NJ
“The state’s largest anti-hunger, anti-poverty organization, The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, was selected to receive nearly $500,000 from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority through the Atlantic City Food Security Grant Program. The funds will be used to address food access challenges experienced by senior residents of Atlantic City through an innovative home delivery project, in partnership with DoorDash’s Project DASH.”
Hospital and nurses’ labor dispute continues to boil
NJ Spotlight News
“Nurses who voted to organize with the union 1199SEIU in the summer of 2022 said they have been ignored by the medical center that they said dictates every aspect of their employment, from wages to health and retirement benefits.”
Millburn, NJ was ordered to build affordable housing and didn't. It's back in court.
Gothamist
“Millburn Township’s three-year resistance to a 100% affordable, 75-unit housing development on its Main Street has only intensified in the last few months. In August, Essex County Superior Court Judge Cynthia Santomauro ruled against the town, ordering leaders to go forward with the project. But since that order, the project has not moved forward.”
Spring Course Highlight
Criminal Justice Policy & Social Justice (34:833:557:90)
offered by the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
Mondays, online, 5:40 to 8:40PM
This course is being facilitated by Rutgers MSW alumna, Marleina Ubel, of New Jersey Policy Perspective!
"The criminal legal system doesn't exist in isolation; it is intertwined with multiple aspects of American life, including housing, employment, education, child rearing, and healthcare, particularly for lower-income and otherwise marginalized groups. In this graduate-level course, we explore the intersection of the criminal legal system, social justice, and public policy. We will bridge theory and practice to uncover the criminal legal system’s far-reaching impact on other systems and the consequences of its encroachment. Students will engage with guest speakers from various backgrounds and explore the impact of the criminal legal system on policy decisions and potential avenues for reform. Students will then translate their knowledge into comprehensive policy proposals aimed at rectifying disparities and promoting social justice."
Upcoming Event
Why an equity lens is critical in the design and deployment of AI
Presented by The Brookings Institution
Monday, December 9th, 2024
2:00pm - 3:30pm
**online**
"In 2023, the Center for Technology Innovation (CTI) at Brookings launched the AI Equity Lab, an interdisciplinary, cross-sector research and policy project aimed at finding solutions that lead to more inclusive artificial intelligence. Since its inception, the AI Equity Lab has engaged more than 60 distinguished experts who understand the intersection between AI and society to collaboratively assess and determine the opportunities and risks AI presents in critical areas, including education, health care, journalism, and criminal justice.
"On December 9, 2024, join the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings for an event with CTI Director and AI Equity Lab co-chair Nicol Turner Lee, who will provide an update on the work of the Lab and moderate a panel of experts who will share more about their findings and discuss why the framing of equity in human-centered AI is critical to advancing more democratized and ethical models.
"Viewers can submit questions for speakers by emailing events@brookings.edu or via X (Twitter) @BrookingsGov using #AIEquityLab."
Click here to register, and learn more about the speakers here.
Webinar: Examining the Long-Term Impacts of Cash Transfer Programs on Low-Income Households
Presented by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Research on Poverty
Wednesday, December 11th, 2024
2:00pm - 3:00pm
**online**
"A growing number of local governments and nonprofit organizations across the United States are experimenting with guaranteed income programs, often with the goal of supporting low-income families and individuals. The results of many of these newer efforts are still being measured and assessed, but there are earlier programs that can provide insights into long-term effects. In this webinar, [the] presenters will share research on cash transfer programs begun or conducted in previous decades, including Native American tribal casino dividends, the Mincome project, and the Alaska Dividend."
Click here to register and learn more about the speakers.
Highlight of the week:
HIV & AIDS Awareness Month
Each December 1st is World AIDS Day, a tradition that started in 1988 (years after the first reported cases of AIDS occurred in 1981). Since its inception, 32 million people around the world have died from AIDS-related illnesses. By speaking truth to power and acknowledging the risk factors for transmission, the world has taken great strides toward reducing the cases of AIDS and HIV. Destigmatization of AIDS and HIV allows those who are diagnosed or at risk to seek treatment. No longer is HIV a death sentence, and with your help, accessibility to information and education about HIV/AIDS will bring attention to a once vilified diagnosis.
This month, take some time to learn about:
- what is HIV and AIDS?
- how HIV is transmitted?
- where can you get tested for HIV?,
- the history of the US AIDS crisis in the 80s,
- improvements in HIV treatment,
- organizations that advocate for those with HIV/AIDS, and
- today's HIV/AIDS advocates.
You May Also Like
In this edition of the Rutgers School of Social Work alumni magazine, Partnering for Change, you'll read about our new dean, meet some of our recent graduates, and learn how our faculty are addressing some of social work's "Grand Challenges."
The Social Work Policy Network remains committed to sharing key news updates, policy changes, action opportunities, events & more - with content particularly focused on social justice, equity, and systemic change.