Michael Lyle details several gains that advocates state were made during the legislative session to advance the well-being of children in Nevada.

• Senate Bill 284, stopped child welfare agencies “from intercepting and using the child’s federal benefit, which could be social security disability, (Veterans Affairs) benefit or a death benefit to cover the cost of that child being in foster care.” Nevada was the sixth state to pass this type of legislation.
• Senate Bill 183, prohibits child welfare agencies from assigning more than 30 children to a caseworker, making exceptions to allow siblings to be assigned to same caseworker.
• Senate Bill 165, created a profession of licensed behavioral health and wellness practitioners by the Board of Psychological Examiners for the supervised clinical use of prevention and early intervention strategies relating to children’s mental health.
• Senate Bill 460, expanded pre-kindergarten programs by extending eligibility for state-funded pre-K and raising the household income for eligibility to 250% of the federal poverty level.

This month you can take action to show support to the social workers you know – even small things can have a big impact. Here are some ideas from CASAT On Demand:

• Acknowledge the Importance of Social Workers
  The work has a way of wearing on people, and while self-care for social workers can help, they often need community support as well.
• Spread the Word
  Hop on your social media and help spread the word, or give a shout out to a social worker you know.
• Go Grassroots
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) highlights many ways that you can use this month to boost social awareness and maybe even recruit new social workers.
• Get Out and Vote
  Even if there isn’t a voting opportunity in the near future, you can make a difference by encouraging people to register to vote.
• Say Thank You
   A simple act of kindness and appreciation can go a long way.

You can also bring awareness to the work Social workers do by joining in on the National Association of Social Workers social media campaign:

Realistic Job Preview

You can ask them about their job or there are online resources
to learn about what they do:

Cuyahoga County, Ohio Children and Family Services.