Few career paths offer the same potential for truly rewarding work that social work does. Social work is a fast-growing field and it is also one that is always hiring. While the day to day work of a social worker can sometimes be trying, physically and emotionally, for those who are drawn to the work it is worth every moment.

Studying for a masters in social work online allows students to complete their studies at a slower pace than normal and for a lower cost. This makes it possible to study for the degree while still working at another job or looking after children at home.

Make A Real Difference

As a social worker, you will have the opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives. The role of social workers in society is to assist the most vulnerable and help them to live the most fulfilling lives possible. Assisting people in need in attaining the most that they are capable of is one of the most rewarding experiences in the world.

Broad social change is built upon the smaller acts of individuals. The sum of all these small actions is to change the general perceptions and prejudices which inhibit social progress. Many social workers feel that what they do allows them to make a difference, not just to individuals but to society as a whole.

New Challenges

Another of the more appealing aspects of a career in social work is that the role of social workers is constantly changing and evolving, regularly offering new challenges as well as potential applications for medical technology.

Approaches taken by the industry also change with the times, as our attitudes towards different illnesses and conditions, as well as the treatment protocols, change. As our understanding deepens, we adjust the way we apply this knowledge to the real world accordingly.

A Growing Industry

The overall field of social working has grown at a steady rate of roughly 19% a year, every year in recent memory. Vacancies for social working jobs are appearing all the time and, consequently, graduates can generally pick and choose what field they want to work in with the reasonable certainty that they will be able to secure employment.

As the United States faces an aging population and the unique set of healthcare challenges that this presents, there are now more retirement communities and similar organizations springing up than ever before. Each of these communities brings with them a number of social working jobs.

Give A Voice to Those Who Need It

As a social worker, you will be allowing those who are most vulnerable and who struggle most to make themselves heard to voice their concerns. You will act as a conduit between patients and the social work system itself. If this kind of work sounds appealing to you, then you should consider looking at MSW online programs.

Social work is among the most rewarding work out there. Not only is the work rewarding, there is also a good amount of job security and the ability to easily move around within the field.

A Utah couple have been charged with murder after the mother’s 13-day-old baby boy died after suffering severe abuse and neglect. The West Jordan Police Department confirmed Maria Elena Sullivan, 26, and Dylan James Kitzmiller, 21, were arrested Friday night and charged with one count of first-degree murder and three counts of child abuse. The negligent mother knowingly left her child under supervision of her violent boyfriend who reportedly ‘had thrown the baby around, slapped him in the face, bit his hands, swaddled him face down and once covered the baby’s mouth with his hand as he cried.’ READ MORE HERE

RICHARDSON, Texas – The father of a missing 3-year-old Richardson girl who was later found dead has changed his story of what happened to her. Wesley Mathews was taken into custody on Monday night for injury to a child, a first-degree felony. His bond was set at $1 million. Mathews was previously charged with child endangerment. He told police his daughter Sherin disappeared after he left her by a tree around 3 a.m. on Oct. 7 because she wouldn’t drink her milk. READ MORE HERE

Michigan rapist gets joint custody

MICHIGAN – A Sanilac County Circuit judge has granted parenting time and joint legal custody of an 8-year-old boy to a convicted sex offender who allegedly raped the child’s mother nine years ago. Christopher Mirasolo, 27, of Brown City was awarded joint legal custody by Judge Gregory S. Ross after DNA testing established paternity of the child, according to the victim’s attorney, Rebecca Kiessling, who is seeking protection under the federal Rape Survivor Child Custody Act. A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 17, 2017 at 1:30pm,. The case, initially reported on “The Steve Gruber Show,” a Lansing-based radio program, is believed the first of its kind in Michigan and possibly the nation. According to the victim and Kiessling, it was prompted after the county surveyed the victim regarding child support she had received this past year. READ MORE HERE

NOTICE

Dreamcatchers for Abused Children is organizing a #VictimsRightsRally to protest this injustice. Join us on October 17, 2017 at the Sanilac County (MI) Courthouse lawn from 12pm-4pm to protest Sanilac County Judge Gregory S. Ross’s decision to award joint custody and parenting rights to a convicted child rapist!

The mother was raped and impregnated at 12-years old by a 19-year old man who should have served a minimum of 25 years to life in prison for 1st degree criminal sexual conduct, but instead only served 6-1/2 months in county jail, and now, a Judge granted her rapist parental rights without a hearing. This is the first known case where the newly passed Rape Survivor Child Custody Act in Michigan will be argued, and demonstrates why a rape conviction should not be necessary to suspend or terminate parental rights.

PETITION: http://www.citizengo.org/en/signit/100841/view
RALLY EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/527874777557180/

Twelve more men have been charged as part of a huge investigation into historical child sexual exploitation in Rotherham. The men, aged between 33 and 38 and mostly from Rotherham, face accusations of rape and indecent assault and bring the number charged under the probe into sex gangs in the Yorkshire town to 21. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the most recent charges related to eight girls under the age of 16, over a five year period from 1998 to 2003. Senior investigating officer, Paul Williamson, said: ‘We have now charged 21 men with over 94 child sexual abuse offences and expect this number to increase as more victims come forward. READ MORE HERE

A Swedish man is being charged with raping 27 British and North American children after he allegedly forced them to perform sex acts – including bestiality – on camera. The man, in his 40s from Uppland county, allegedly told his victims – young girls from Scotland, the US and Canada – he would murder their families if they did not comply. Swedish prosecutors have charged him with rape despite the lack of physical interaction, due to the way the suspect used blackmail. READ MORE HERE

Cyberstalking is the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk or harass an individual, group, or organization. It may include false accusations, defamation, slander and libel. It may also include monitoring, identity theft, threats, vandalism, solicitation for sex, or gathering information that may be used to threaten, embarrass or harass.

Cyberstalking is often accompanied by real-time or offline stalking. In many jurisdictions, such as California, both are criminal offenses. Both are motivated by a desire to control, intimidate or influence a victim. A stalker may be an online stranger or a person whom the target knows. He may be anonymous and solicit involvement of other people online who do not even know the target.

Cyberstalking is a criminal offense under various state anti-stalking, slander and harassment laws. A conviction can result in a restraining order, probation, or criminal penalties against the assailant, including jail.

How to deal with all forms of online harassment

There are a number of terms to describe online harassment including cyber bullying, cyber stalking and also trolling. Is there any real difference between these terms?  In short the answer is NO. The term I prefer to use to describe all persons engaged in online harassment is cyber stalking. The term cyber bully does not really describe either the type of people or harassment activities they engage in online and is strongly identified with younger people. When you search for a definition of the two you will find the primary distinction made is one of age. If adults are involved then it is termed cyber stalking. When children and young adolescents are involved then it is termed cyber bullying. Legally speaking the law also does not view them differently other than taking into account the legal age of the persons involved. READ MORE HERE

Nearly all states have bullying laws in place, many with cyberbullying or electronic harassment provisions. This article covers cyberbullying in the context of criminal law. See Specific State Laws Against Bullying and What to Do If Your Child is Bullied to learn more.

CYBER BULLYING VS CYBER STALKING

Report Cyberbullying | StopBullying.gov

Telling the difference between flaming, cyber-bullying and harassment

1.7 billion boys and girls across the globe suffer mental or physical abuse each year

From fist fights at school to murder and sexual abuse, each year nearly three in four children worldwide experience some form of violence, which has long term health and economic costs, a report said on Tuesday. The study by India-based advocacy group Know Violence in Childhood found that an estimated 1.7 billion boys and girls across the globe suffer mental or physical abuse each year, with children in Africa bearing the heaviest burden. “Childhood violence damages individuals, families and communities in both rich countries and poor,” the group’s co-chair Shiva Kumar told a media briefing, warning of the long-term harmful social, health and economic consequences. READ MORE HERE

Preventing child abuse can be difficult, especially since we feel often helpless against widespread abuse. So we created this one-stop guide to promote child abuse prevention by compiling a complete list of resources as an information gateway. We have included tips to educate adults and children, information about the different causes and forms of abuse, and how to respond when you suspect child abuse.

I was abused as a child but was able to rise above my troublesome past to become a functioning adult. Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy to overcome a painful childhood, and as a result of their abuse, many children grow into insecure, dysfunctional adults. As a father of two small children, I wanted to make sure to end the cycle of abuse. I know the importance of teaching my children how to protect themselves by educating them on what is okay, and what is not okay.

There are no easy answers, but hopefully, this guide can help you spot child abuse, such as the shaken baby syndrome, or spot children that have been neglected, provide information about prevention programs, and learn the steps to report the abuse to child welfare services. READ MORE HERE

SEATTLE – The Seattle Archdiocese has paid $1.3 million to settle a sex-abuse lawsuit involving a former member of a religious order who taught in its schools. A man sued the archdiocese in 2015, alleging the church knew Edward Courtney abused students at two archdiocesan schools in Seattle but later recommended him for a teaching job at a public school outside Tacoma. The man alleged Courtney abused him in 1981 and 1982 at the public school. READ MORE HERE

JASPER, Florida — A man faces child cruelty charges, after his 19-month-old daughter was reportedly left outside during Tropical Storm Irma. Police in Jasper, Florida arrested 36-year-old Angelo Mitchell Monday. The Hamilton County Sheriff says the toddler’s mother reported the child missing at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday from their Jasper home. Officers and deputies searched the area and used a tracking dog to try to find the child, but came up empty. Around 11:30 a.m. Monday, a passerby discovered the child, lying in the yard of a home nearby. The little girl was discovered about 400-500 yards from her house. The sheriff says the 19-month-old suffered the whole night through the storm, exposed to the wind and rain, and was purple in color. READ MORE HERE

Suicide attempts among young adults between the ages of 21 and 34 have risen alarmingly, a new study warns. Among people over 21, the rate of suicide attempts rose 21.5 percent, increasing ‘significantly’ from 2004 to 2013. Suicide attempts are up across the board in the US, but young adults with lower education levels are at especially high risk. Deaths from suicide are on the rise as well, but not as dramatically as suicide attempts. Researchers from Columbia University think that economic and career instability may be leading more young adults to attempt suicide than ever. READ MORE HERE

Why Are Suicide Rates Rising?

U.S. Suicide Rate Surges to a 30-Year High

Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents

Dramatic Increase in Teen Suicide

Epidemiology of Youth Suicide and Suicidal Behavior 

About Teen Suicide – Kids Health

SEATTLE – The mayor of the US Pacific Northwest city of Seattle quit Tuesday after after his younger cousin became the fifth man to accuse the politician of sexual abuse. Ed Murray, 62, who had already confirmed he would not be seeking a second term, will step down effective of 5:00 pm Wednesday. Joseph Dyer, a 54-year-old dialysis technician, said Murray forced him into sex for about a year while the two shared a bedroom in the New York home of Dyer’s mother when the alleged victim was 13. READ MORE HERE