From April 2002 NASW NEWS
Copyright ©2002, National Association of Social Workers, Inc.

Economic Security Panel Named

The welfare reform bill will be a major focus of the panel.

NASW President Terry Mizrahi has appointed a seven-member Blue Ribbon Panel on Economic Security to amplify social work's voice on national issues of poverty and to contribute to the debate this year over reauthorization of the welfare reform law, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act.

"NASW seeks to be a visible leader in Washington and among the states in promoting policies that reflect social work values and support principles of economic justice, security and self-sufficiency," said Mizrahi in naming the panel members, who have extensive experience with welfare programs and policies.

Panel members will assist in bringing NASW's message on welfare policies to legislators and the media, and to association members so they can participate effectively in advocacy.

The panel will advocate three goals for the welfare reform bill's reauthorization: to change the law's focus from caseload reduction to poverty reduction; to improve assistance to families with multiple barriers to self-sufficiency; and to enhance the capacity of the welfare system infrastructure.

Panel members are:

  • Mimi Abramovitz, professor at Hunter College in New York, author of a recent study on welfare reform's effects on New York agencies.
  • Sandra Danziger, associate professor at the University of Michigan and director of the Michigan Program on Poverty and Social Welfare Policy at the university.
  • Cecilia Espinola, administrator for the Santa Cruz County (California) Human Resources Agency, who is on the Children's Commission and the board of the United Way.
  • Jan Hagan, president of the NASW New York State Chapter and a consulting editor for several social work journals.
  • Maureen Lane, an MSW student at Hunter College, a former welfare recipient who works with the Welfare Rights Initiative, a campus-based organization promoting access to education for welfare consumers.
  • Rufus Lynch, principal investigator for Maximizing Participation Project Extension, a welfare-to-work initiative of the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corp., former president of the NASW Pennsylvania Chapter and a community organizer and developer.
  • Michael Sherraden, professor at Washington University in St. Louis, who founded the Center for Social Development and has served as an adviser and consultant to numerous organizations, including the White House, the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Goals of the panel members include:

  • Being spokespersons for specific legislative proposals, including giving public testimony.
  • Participating in public events and coalition activities in their regions or states or in Washington, D.C., as feasible.
  • Assisting in identifying and promoting research and demonstration programs by social workers and identifying research gaps and opportunities for future social work research.

Panel members will serve from March 1 to Oct. 31.

For details: www.socialworkers.org/advocacy/welfare

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