Policy Issues
NASW Response to Hostile Rhetoric on Somali, Afghan, and Other Immigrant Communities
We, the NASW Maine Board stands with our Maine immigrant neighbors and the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC), who in their statement below, believe in America’s promise that our identity is shaped not by where we came from, but by what we stand for: hard work, solidarity, generosity, and the courage to build better lives for ourselves and our children. That promise is undermined when the government singles out whole populations based on their nationality or race, labels them as dangerous, and denies them the same rights and dignity afforded to others.
We call on social workers in Maine to honor principles described in our Code of Ethics and enshrined in our laws: equality, the right to due process, and the right to seek refuge from persecution. We urge social workers to take the Maine ICE Watch verifier or the hotline training courses being conducted over the next several months. These two-session evening trainings are establishing a network across the state to help respond to ICE procedures and protect our immigrant families.
The verifier training addresses legal, safe, and non-confrontational responses, information gathering, documentation, and submission to a database to provide a more thorough understanding of ICE activities in our state. The hotline training covers procedures for responding to calls for general information, direct service information, ICE sightings, and detention support.
Information about immigrants' rights and these trainings can be found at the Maine ICE Watch Resource Hub.
If you have questions about the verifier or hotline training, contact: Amy Coha (amycoha@gmail.com) or Julie Schirmer (jschirme4@gmail.com).
Did you miss Understanding Maine's November Referendums - A Social Worker's Guide? You can watch the recording here.
A message from our President and Policy Co-Chair Julie Schirmer, LCSW, ACSW regarding LD 1298: Alternative Pathways for Social Work Licensing
The outcome of our Alternative Pathway for Social Work Licensing bill wasn’t what we had hoped. Despite working until the final hours of the legislative session, the bill died on the legislative table last Wednesday. The Senate had passed the proposed Alternative Pathway, but the House voted instead for a study (39–108). When the chambers don’t agree, a bill dies.
Being at the State House, witnessing the process, and seeing the forces both supporting and opposing the bill was a powerful experience. It’s taken a few days to reflect and translate that into lessons for our next attempt. I keep returning to the words of one of my policy mentors, Norbert Goldfield, who reminds us that it often takes five years of advocacy to pass transformational policy.
Interestingly, around the same time as Maine’s decision, National NASW leadership issued a statement urging states to abolish the ACSW exam for both bachelor’s and master’s levels of licensure. The national momentum is growing.
Unfortunately, none of the behavioral health bills made it into the state budget. With potential federal cuts looming, many legislators were hesitant to move forward with any bills carrying a fiscal note.
I want to give deep thanks to Charlotte Warren and Betsy Sweet of Moose ridge Associates, who were fierce and strategic advocates for our legislative priorities. And thank you to Senator Rachel Talbot Ross and Representative Lydia Crafts, whose integrity and persistence helped keep these issues front and center throughout the session.
Lastly, thank you to Kate Marble and Melanie Tompkins, our current and incoming NASW ME Policy Committee co-chairs. Your steady leadership and commitment to keeping both members and lawmakers informed made a real impact. And thank you to all of you who had conversations with your legislators, who showed up, and who spoke up. Your advocacy helped build understanding of the need for a more equitable, diverse, and accessible behavioral health workforce.
As Martin Luther King Jr. said:
“The ultimate measure is not where [one] stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where [one] stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
We are now better prepared for the challenges ahead—and more committed than ever to standing up for our profession and the communities we serve.
With gratitude,
Julie Schirmer, LCSW, ACSW
President and Policy Co-Chair, NASW Maine
Below we have accumulated some letters that we have sent in support or opposition to policy changes that have been proposed recently in lieu of being able to attend and testify in person.