Sheryl Brissett-Chapman, LICSW, ACSW, EdD Receives NASW Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. Brissett-Chapman honored for dedication to field of social work

Washington-- The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is pleased to honor Sheryl Brissett-Chapman, LICSW, ACSW, EdD with the NASW Lifetime Achievement Award for her impact on the profession and on society.

Through her innovative practices, Dr. Brissett-Chapman has created healthy and supportive environments for children and youth. With particular interest in children living in foster and adoptive care, she has dedicated many years of her career to improving the connection between youth and the child welfare system.

“Dr. Brissett-Chapman believes social workers must lend their voice to the voiceless,” says Joyce Higashi, LICSW, DCSW, executive director of the NASW – DC Chapter. “She has devoted her career to children, youth and families at risk for entanglement in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.”

In the 1970s, Dr. Brissett-Chapman established a community-based youth development center in New York City that catered to the needs of delinquent girls. She also served for several years as the associate director of the Division of Child Protection at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington , DC . During her tenure at Children’s, she led a model sexual abuse pediatric hospital trauma team.

Perhaps her crowning achievement is the transformation of Baptist Home for Children from a group home for adolescents that cared for 66 children annually to a thriving center – the National Center for Children and Families (NCCF) – that serves more than 1,900 children in the Washington area.

When Dr. Brissett-Chapman arrived as executive director in 1991, she was challenged by a fiscal disaster, a small, unfocused staff and sub-code facilities. She approached the Board of Trustees with the need to change the organization and a plan to transform the community from an “old orphanage” to a contemporary and responsive institution serving children and youth.

Since 1991, NCCF has flourished to become a state-of-the-art facility, adding dormitories, conference centers, computer labs and youth activities centers. The small staff has grown to a motivated group of 160, assisted by more than 800 volunteers. NCCF offers eight programs designed to serve the needs of the community – residential facilities, a domestic violence emergency shelter, independent living and treatment foster care programs for delinquent and maltreated youths, a model community school in Washington, DC, a community program serving children of incarcerated parents, transitional programs for homeless families, parenting education, and father outreach.

In addition to her professional service to children and youth, Dr. Brissett-Chapman is an adjunct professor at Howard University School of Social Work. She also provides field instruction at NCCF to social work students from Columbia University , Howard University , and University of Maryland .

Dr. Brissett-Chapman’s contributions to social work also include her ability to create arenas for critical exchange and proactive dialogue. She co-edited the Child Welfare Journal on African American Children in the Child Welfare System, and in 1995 she organized the first national African American Child Welfare Summit in St. Louis .

Dr. Brissett-Chapman has served on many boards that allow her to continue her important work. These include: Montgomery County Mental Health Association Board of Directors, Child Welfare League Board of Directors and Montgomery County Commission on Children and Youth. She also served as the president of the Washington , DC Chapter of NASW from 1990-1992.

A graduate of Brown University , Dr. Brissett-Chapman received her Master of Social Work from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work. She received a Master of Education and a Doctor of Education from Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

It is with great pride that we confer this award on Dr. Brissett-Chapman, as she has dedicated a lifetime to advancing the profession and social work practice.

For more information about Dr. Brissett-Chapman, or to set up an interview, please contact NASW Communications at media@naswdc.org or 202-336-8228.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 150,000 members. It promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.