NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF FORENSIC SOCIAL WORK

Executive Council President: Suzanne Dowling Suzdowlinglcsw @gmail.com Past President: Stacey Hardy-Desmond Stacey.hardy-desmond @unlv.edu Vice President: Kathleen Carty kcarty@cox.net Secretary: Susan McCarter smccarter@uncc.edu Treasurer: Robert Butters Rob.butters @socwk.utah.edu Councilors: Elgie Dow elgiedow@charter.net Elton Louis elouis@charter.net Viola Vaughan-Eden Violavaughaneden @cox.net Executive Director: Paul Brady pbrady@nofsw.org

Open Court
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NOFSW Strategic Planning & Survey

In conjunction with NOFSWs 2010-15 strategic planning process, Executive Board VicePresident, Kathleen Carty, spearheaded a survey of the NOFSW national membership. So, first, thank you to Kathy and to each and every one of you who responded! We know it took time and effort and want you to know that your responses are valued and will serve to shape the future of NOFSW. We learned more about who you are, what you want, and how you want to contribute to this organization. And, still there were some surprises, so lets get to the survey results! Surprisingly we discovered that while 49% of those who responded to the survey are NOFSW members, 44% are not. And many of those individuals indicated that they are interested in membership. Thirty-four percent of respondents learned about NOFSW from a friend or colleague, whereas 35% discovered us on-line. The Criminal Justice field is where most respondents are currently employed 61.1%; followed by Prisons/With Incarcerated Persons (40.7%), Universities (29.6%); Child Custody The survey evaluated your interest in Forensic Social Work certificate programs approved by NOFSW. The responses to certificate programs were mixed: for those who were interested in

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JFSW Launched! Keynote Speakers NOFSWs 28th conference Sol Gothard Award

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(23.6%); Research & Evaluation (22.7%); Divorce Mediation (11.6%); Civil Justice (9.3%), No experience in forensic settings (3.7%) and Other (18.5%).

obtaining a certificate, 23.5% responded a definite yes, 31.4% responded no, and 28.8% responded unsure or maybe. We

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Keynote Speakers for 2011 NOFSW Conference

For the past three years, a handful of veterans of capital mitigation have been training and mentoring mitigation investigators, lawyers, and paralegals across the country as well as internationally. Within this handful, are only a couple of are clinical social workers. For the 2011 national conference, NOFSW has assembled a panel of national experts who will present a dynamic, experiential keynote address/workshop. workshop.strationsWho better The keynote workshop will feature: to deliver the keynote address at the 2011 NOFSW national con- Janet Vogelsang, MSW, BCD, ference? Testifying Clinical SW Expert Scharlette Holdman, Mitigation Specialist, Director Of CCA Denny LeBoeuf, Esq., Director John Adams Project NYC Marjorie Brittain Hammock, MSW, LISW-CP, Rebecca Kendig, PhD, Mitigation Specialist

Strategic Plan- 4 ning, continued

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JFSW Launched!
ing evidence-based and ethicallyinformed practice, improving services for victims and offenders of crime, and setting guidelines and practice standards for the provision of forensic mental health services. The Journal of Forensic Social Work addresses a broad range of issues faced by social workers and other professionals who practice in the justice arena. The journal was established to provide a forum for important policy and social justice issues within forensic practice as well as the dissemination of empirical research on legal issues, systems of care, and on the management and treatment of victims of crime and criminal offenders. The journal addresses contemporary forensic practice issues to provide practitioners, social researchers, and students with leading-edge information in an everevolving field. History of NOFSW Guay Chatfield, Viola Vaughan-Eden, & Rob Butters The Evolution of Forensic Social Work in the US: Implications for 21st Century Practice Tina Maschi & Mary Lou Killian Forensic Social Work Practice Standards: Definition and Specification Carlton Munson Ethics of Practicing Forensic Social Work Viola Vaughan-Eden & Rob Butters Testifying about Mitigation: When Social Workers & Other MH Professionals Face Aggressive Cross-Examination Stan Brodsky & Joanne Terrell Attitudes toward the Treatment of Sex Offenders: A SEM Analysis Wesley Church II, Fei Sun, & Xiao Li Disproportionate Minority Confinement in the American Juvenile Justice System Susan McCarter

The Journal of Forensic Social Work is the principal journal guiding practitioners and researchers involved in day-to-day practice issues with the legal system. The journal is devoted to increasing the general knowledge base, promot-

www.tandf.co.uk/journals/WFOR

Keynote Speakers for 2011 NOFSW Conference

Jan Vogelsang, MSW, BCD is the author of The Witness Stand: A Guide for Clinical Social Workers in the Courtroom. She is a licensed clinical social worker, has practiced for over 22 years, and is qualified as a clinical social work expert in 12 states. Jan has worked on the Zacarias Moussaoui and Eric Rudolph cases as well as several other well-known capital trials. Scharlette Holdman is largely credited as the individual who first brought social workers into litigation and is widely acknowledged as one of the best educators on mitigation in the country. Denny LeBoeuf is the Director of the ACLUs John Adams Project and also chaired the postKatrina Orleans Parish PD Board from 06-07. Marjorie Brittain Hammock has been a practicing social worker for 49 years and is a Gold Card member of the NASW for her work with children, adults, families, and communities. Rebecca Kendig is a Mitigation Specialist with the Capital Post Conviction Project of Louisiana and serves on the Youth Empowerment Project Board.

This dynamic, experiential keynote/workshop will include topics such as:

Mitigation: Specialists & Investigators Clinical Social Work Experts and Others Mitigation Team Roles How to be Qualified as an Expert Witness Qualifying Rounds in Capital Cases Mitigation Testimony: Ex. Zacarias Moussaoui

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NOFSWs 28th Annual Conference Forensic Social Work: Global Horizons

The National Organization of Forensic Social Works Annual Conference offers a professional program that reflects a broad range of practice, research, policy, and advocacy interests including those addressing criminal and civil/ family legal domains including: family or community mediation, mitigation in capital cases, jail/ correctional setting services, risk management for service providers, restorative justice, legal and ethic issues, child welfare issues, guardianship and dependency issues. The Judge Sol Gothard Lifetime of Distinguished Service Award will be awarded for the first time at the 2011 Annual Conference in New Orleans. This award is given on a periodic and exceptional basis by the Board of Directors of NOFSW to an individual who has exhibited a lifetime of service to others as exemplified by Judge Sol Gothard. Book your travel, hotel, and conference registration now! You wont want to miss NOFSWs 28th Annual ConferenceForensic Social Work: Global Horizons! 28th annual conference presentation topics include:
Global Perspectives in Forensic Social Work: GPS Views from Canada and the United States Cook Co. Mental Health Court Frontline Public Defender Teams Building a Collaborative Relationship in the Forensic Setting Dissociative Disorders in CourtInvolved Adolescents Critical Incident Stress & Debriefing with Child Welfare Workers Forensic Considerations of Sex Offender Treatment Providing Mental Health Services to Female Inmates Defining Sexual Assault for the Profession Rather than Jurisdiction

Doubletree Hotel, New Orleans 1-800-222-8733 $139 (+ tax) for single or double $159 (+ tax) for triple or quad (NOFSW rate)

Pre-conference Workshops, Keynote and Plenary Addresses, Roundtables, Panels, Papers, Networking Opportunities, and Social Sessions will be held for practitio- Conference Registration Fees: ners, policymakers, lawyers, professors, students, and community NOFSW Members: $325 Non-members: $425 members. Pre-conf. Workshops: $125 Continuing Education credits will Retired NOFSW Mbrs.: $200 Students: $125 be available. Student members of NOFSW can have their conference registration fee waived by volunteering for a minimum of six hours and attending the volunteer orientation session on Saturday afternoon. Students who are also presenters can schedule their volunteer shift so that it does not conflict with their presentations.

April 17-20, 2011

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Open Court Co-Editors: Susan McCarter smccarter@uncc.edu Cynthia Edwards ccedwards121@hotmail.com

Next Open Court will be published June 1, 2011 Get your copy in by May 1, 2011!
To submit to Open Court, email your articles to the co-editors by the deadline (one month prior to publication). All submissions become property of NOFSW.

Sol Gothard Award

Judge Sol Gothard, JD, MSW, ACSW, was elected to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal for the State of Louisiana in 1986 where he served as Senior Judge until his retirement in 2005. He formerly served 14 years as Chief Judge of the Juvenile Court, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Before being elected Judge in 1972, he practiced law for more than 10 years and was a social worker for 16 years in a variety of settings. He received his MSW from Case Western Reserve University and a JD from Loyola University, New Orleans. Judge Gothard has served on Boards of Directors for numerous organizations, including the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC), American Humane Associations Children's Division, National Organization of Forensic Social Work (NOFSW), and Louisianas SPCA. He is currently vice-chair of the Louisiana Animal Welfare Commission and President of the Council for Family Court Reform. From our Japanese colleagues: 16th World Congress for the International Society for Criminology - Global Socio-Economic Crisis and Crime Control Policies: Regional and National Comparison August 5-9, 2011 in Kobe, Japan (submission deadline: 02/28). For more details, visit: http://hansha.daishodai.ac.jp/wcon2011/index_en.html

What do you think of the new Open Court? Does your contact info need updating? Want to get more involved with NOFSW?

See you in New Orleans!

April 17-20th

www.nofsw.org

NOFSW Strategic Planning & Survey, cont.

also heard you loud and clear that you want to increase your level of expertise in this field (see the keynote address line-up below!) All in all, wed like explore both of these ideas with you more and get additional input from you. Let us know what types of trainings youd like. We have begun working on what a certification program would look like so if you support (or oppose) this endeavor please add to the certification discussions in NOLA! Another avenue we are actively pursuing is to develop institutes in Social Work and the Law (supported by 66.5% of the respondents). We continue to partner and support work between forensic social workers and attorneys, building collaborative relationships. The strategic planning process continues with work on the mission and vision, membership, institutes and certification, journal (launched!), and communication via an updated website (under constructtion) and online newsletter (check!)
Consider getting involved. Join NOFSW today! Attend this years national conference! Realize yourself and your potential as a forensic social worker!