National Association of Social Workers
Montana Chapter Policy Statements
MISSION
Montana NASW is a professional membership organization that defines
best social work practice, promotes, develops and protects the
social work profession and advances sound public policy that meets
human needs and improves the quality of life in Montana.
“Social workers should engage in social and political action
that seeks to ensure that all people have equal access to the resources,
employment, services, and opportunities they require to meet their
basic human needs and to develop fully. Social workers should be
aware of the impact of the political arena on practice and should
advocate for changes in policy and legislation to improve social
conditions in order to meet basic human needs and promote social
justice.” NASW Code of Ethics 6.04.
Funding Deficits for Human Services
Results of a survey of NASW-MT members show that the greatest concern among social workers in Montana in 2005 is state funding deficits and reallocation/reduction of state social service funds at the cost of serious human suffering.
MT-NASW supports and advocates a state economic policy that:
- Invests in “human capital:” A state financed
comprehensive system of preventive, rehabilitative, and curative
health care must
be adopted to ensure a strong economy, which in Montana is dependent
upon a healthy workforce.
- Increases state funds through taxation: Rehabilitated people
are able to find employment, pay taxes and lead normal lives.
- Allocates increased revenues to human services and education.
- Maximizes the leverage of the federal match that accompanies
Medicaid services: This strategy helps the state reinvest in
the current system. This match, on average, brings $3 of federal
money
for every $1 of General Fund that is spent for eligible services.
- Increases taxes on tobacco, alcohol and gambling: Often
these taxes affect the lowest economic class the most, but this
affect
is ultimately out-weighed by the revenue raised, and the concomitant
deterrent effect increased taxes has on these activities.
- State government spending is more effective than tax cuts
in stimulating demand in local economies and thereby generating
economic growth and jobs. Tax cuts for businesses and higher income
residents often end up in their individual savings accounts, while
government dollars are immediately spent in local economies on
salaries and services. Raising taxes, when done in a fair share
manner, to fund well-managed social programs and public education,
benefit working Montana families.
Child Welfare
NASW Montana supports policies that ensure every child their right
to a permanent nurturing relationship with (a) caring adult(s) who
convey to them an enduring sense of love and belonging. When addiction,
mental illness, or other circumstance interfere with a birth parent’s
ability to meet this responsibility we believe it is critical that
our public child welfare system have the resources needed to ensure
the child’s needs are met through parental rehabilitation,
extended family placement, or alternative permanent placement, in
that order of preference. We believe the needed resources include,
but are not limited to, the following:
- Funding of a plan that can quickly move our state toward meeting
national child welfare Council on Accreditation standards for
staff to child caseload ratios.
- Funding of a plan to work toward having
Bachelor in Social Work or Masters in Social Work level child
welfare professionals, with
specific
training in child welfare filling all line and supervisory
staff positions that work directly with children and families.
- On-the-job training that includes social work ethical standards,
cross cultural practice, and Indian Child Welfare Act requirements,
in addition to a plan to meet many other training needs for this
complex and critical work impacting the lives of our most vulnerable
children and families.
- Funding of a plan to work toward a diverse
staff and families reflective of the cultural and ethnic background
of the children
being served.
- Staff compensation commensurate with the knowledge
and skill level required for this critical work.
- Resources made
available to foster and adoptive parents that are respectful
of their partnership with the child welfare agency
and sufficient to help them achieve our common goal of ensuring permanent
nurturing relationships for the children entrusted to them.
- An
adequately funded and accessible mental health services system
that can support parent rehabilitation, specialized needs of
kinship, foster, and adoptive parents, and the recovery needs of children
traumatized by abuse and neglect.
In addition NASW Montana supports policies that bring multiple agencies
together at both state and local levels to overcome the fragmentation
of services between child welfare, education, youth court, corrections,
mental health and others.
Mental Health
The 2005 Montana Legislative Survey Results indicate that Mental Health issues rank high among the concerns of those social workers who completed the survey. These issues included Medicaid, CHIPS and MHSP programs and indicated a prescription drug plan was key to stability. Reimbursement for outpatient services, maintenance programs for mentally ill people and access to community mental health centers were included as concerns.
- Communities, states and nations have a responsibility to provide humane, respectful assistance to those who cannot care for themselves.
- Mental health services should be available to all people as a right.
- People recover from mental illness more quickly and completely in their own environment. Therefore, treatment should be encouraged on the community level and in the least restrictive environment.
- People with the most serious disabilities should be given priority when targeting limited public funds for assistance.
- Studies show that people can and do recover from mental illness, thus treatments should target rehabilitation and integration into one’s community as a goal.
- Early intervention is more effective, therefore is encouraged in any mental health system.
- Social workers support ombudspersons and other advocacy mechanisms.
- The mental health system must include multiple types and levels of providers, to meet various needs. The client has a right to choose from a variety of providers.
Systems to establish accountability for mental health services must be designed to ensure simplicity of procedures and administration. Required documentation should be limited to what is essential. Systems for accountability should not become ends in themselves.
Long Term and Health Care
MT-NASW supports a universal right to health care, regardless of
age, income, disability, race, national origin, gender, sexual orientation,
ethnicity, or geographic location. Specifically, MT-NASW supports
the adequate funding for programs that allow equal access to care
and the availability of services provided by professionally trained
social workers and health care staff. Every effort should be made
to not only continue but improve existing health care services in
Montana. Programs and initiatives such as the CHIP program, Medicaid,
consumer-patient protection, long term care, health care financing
and quality care are basic to the continued health of the citizens
of Montana.
Public Assistance
NASW supports policies on the administration of welfare benefits
and programs that:
- Promote self-sufficiency through post-secondary
education and vocational training for low income people resulting
in a livable
wage and opportunities
for economic advancement;
- Provide quality subsidized day care, reliable
transportation and continued health care benefits during the
transition to independent
employment.
- Recognize the crucial role substance abuse, domestic
violence, health and mental health issues and illiteracy play
in the lives of
some FAIM recipients.
- Increase the availability of income to families through
a child support collection effort and through promotion of
earned income tax
credit programs;
- Oppose all punitive sanctions that impact self sufficiency
measures against FAIM recipients;
- Collect data to document impacts
on child development, employment, and increases in child abuse
and termination of parental
rights.
Overall, NASW believes that the most promising strategies to improve
public welfare lie beyond the FAIM program. As a state, we should
concentrate on creating economic opportunity, strengthening families,
and maximizing the ability of everyone, not just those on welfare,
to contribute to society.
Lesbian, Gay and Bi-Sexual Issues
It is the position of MT-NASW that same-gender sexual orientation
should be afforded the same respect and rights as other-gender orientation.
Discrimination and prejudice directed against any group are damaging
to the social, emotional and economic well being of the affected
group and of society as a whole. MT-NASW supports anti-discriminatory
legislation in the areas of employment, housing, professional credentialing,
licensing, public accommodation, child custody and the right to marry.
Discriminatory statues, policies, and actions that diminish the quality
of life for lesbian, gay and bisexual peoples and that force many
to live their lives in secrecy should be prevented and eliminated.
American Indian
NASW-MT supports policies that acknowledge the importance of sovereignty,
self-determination, and self-governance for Native American people
and their tribal nations. The First Nations Peoples historically
have suffered egregious treatment at the hand of the United States
government. They were forced to give up their way of life, their
right to self-governance, and their land as well as their cultural
traditions, beliefs and practices. Instead they were forced to assimilate
to a lifestyle and values that contradicted their own. These injustices
continue to impact generation after generation of indigenous peoples,
seriously jeopardizing their sovereignty. Future policies must attempt
to resolve these injustices.
NASW-MT supports policies and programs that adhere to the following:
- Recognizes a person or group’s cultural diversity, acknowledging
that there are many differences among Native American tribes
and each tribe is capable and the most appropriate for deciding
their
needs, in addition to programs, services, and resources.
- Sovereignty requires, as a precondition, the right to spiritual,
emotional, and physical health. One does not have sovereignty
if one does not have the ability to determine their own means of
healing.
Thus, policies and programs must honor the Native American practices
of healing in the spiritual, emotional, and physical realms as
well as preserve and foster their native language.
- Supports the incorporation
and use of traditional medicines and healing practices within
their employing agencies and advocate
for funding
parity with payers.
- Recognizes that the overall well-being of indigenous
peoples is tied to their economy. Self-sufficiency of indigenous
people and
their
tribal nations is imperative to their future. Economic empowerment,
expansion and subsequently employment opportunities for the
people on tribal lands (as directed by tribal authorities) are
means to
achieve self-sufficiency.
- Advocates for culturally appropriate education
and training of Native American peoples so that they can be
the ones to fill positions
on
their lands or places of their choosing.
E-Mail: naswmt@mt.net
(406) 449-6208
25 S. Ewing, Suite 406
Helena, MT 59601
Fax 406/449-2533 |
