Leading Social Work Journal Commemorates Tenure of Esteemed Editor

Aug. 24, 2010 - PRLog -- Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, a top-ranked professional social work journal published by the Alliance for Children and Families, has announced the retirement of its long-time editor, Dr. William Powell. Families in Society has released a Request for Applications (RFA) to seek his replacement for a June 2011 appointment.

Peter Goldberg, Alliance president and CEO, shared his admiration for Powell: “We want to extend our enormous appreciation and gratitude to Bill for his leadership and dedication to Families in Society for the past 25 years, 10 of which have been spent as the editor. He has been a tireless advocate for the journal and the Alliance in addition to his work as a scholar and social work practitioner. We wish him the very best as he retires and embarks on new challenges and adventures.” Goldberg further noted, “Although his contributions will be missed, there will be new opportunities for someone else’s wisdom, perspectives, and skills as we seek his replacement.”

Powell, who assumed successive positions with the journal as book review editor, associate editor, and, since 2000, editor, is currently a professor and former chair for the Department of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. Within UWW’s social work program, itself the largest in the state and one of the largest in the country, he coordinated the Graduate Achievement Program in Gerontology. Powell has extensive clinical experience in geriatric medical and psychiatric social work, including several years as a supervisor at the Fort Wayne State Hospital in Indiana. Additionally, he worked as a research specialist on a National Institute on Aging project in long-term care. He is widely published on topics such as advanced directives, aging, spirituality, and the art of social work practice.

“Upon deciding to retire, this begins a bittersweet departure for me but one that can result in further growth for the journal that I have long since come to love,” shared Powell. He added, “The role of editor asks that one learn to see more broadly and deeply and know that knowledge must necessarily inform and reshape practice. If we do not change the world just a bit, what will we have gained? In the end, the responsibility entails a necessary humility—it is the work of others, for the sake of others, that an editor tries to encourage.”

The RFA is available on the journal’s website, http://www.familiesinsociety.org/new/Forms/rfa.asp. Interested applicants should have a vision and facility for developing and collaborating on editorial direction and policy, as well as maintaining the quality, utility, and availability of the journal to key audiences in practice, academia, and policy.

Founded in 1920, Families in Society is the oldest social work journal in the United States and continues to serve as an important source of expert, interdisciplinary information for professionals in social work and related fields such as psychology, nursing, and behavioral health. The journal’s articles are informative, instructive, reflective, and, periodically, controversial. Typically, they examine a broad range of human service activities, such as advocacy; family-life education; public policy; agency administration; professional training and education; and group, family, and individual counseling.

Families in Society scholarship is routinely distributed via national and international partners to supplement research compilations on a variety of topics. Recent examples include the Administration on Aging and the Children’s Bureau within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Veterans Health Administration in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Foster Family-Based Treatment Association, International Foster Care Organisation, Better Care Network (UNICEF/Child Protection Sect.), Integrated Policy & Legislation Team (Canadian Ministry of Children and Family Development), Australian Association of Social Workers, Center for Victims of Torture, Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program, Protective Services Training Institute of Texas, and Milwaukee Public Schools.

The Alliance for Children and Families provides an in-house editorial and support staff which publishes the quarterly print journal and its companion website, Families in Society Online. The Alliance is the United States’ largest association of private, nonprofit human service agencies and organizations. Its mission is to build the capacity of its members to serve and advocate for children, families, and communities. Its members annually serve more than 3.4 million people with a wide array of programs and services. The Alliance is headquartered in Milwaukee.

For additional information about Families in Society or the Alliance for Children and Families, please visit http://www.FamiliesInSociety.org/About.asp

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Now in its 91st year, Families in Society focuses on the art, science, and practice of social work and is one of the most respected professional journals in North America on social and human services.