2016 Belmont Undergraduate Research Symposium. Social Work. Moderator: Jennifer Crowell, MSSW, PhD. April 14, :30-3:00 p.m.

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1 12:30 12:50 p.m. Expunction: A Remedy for Collateral Consequences John Bick, Kendall Brown, Rachel Craig, Latrya Gordon, Emily Morris, and Meredith Parker Over the past decade in Davidson County, criminal records of 128,000 citizens remained in the criminal justice system, despite these individuals not being prosecuted in a court of law. These records may consequently appear on the individuals background checks, potentially impacting their ability to secure employment. Senate Bill 1896 and House Bill 1752, sponsored by Senator Dickerson and Representative Love, propose that the court offer the automatic expunction of an individual s charges in the case of dismissal, nolle prosequi, or no true bill. As social workers, social justice is a preeminent value of our profession. Current policy inhibits equal access to expunction due to socioeconomic factors, as individuals are often unable to access their right to petition the court regarding expunction after two years. The proposed bill negates this inequality by creating a mechanism for automatic expunction without requiring a petition. Our presentation will address the limitations of current expunction legislation alongside the financial consequences of the proposed bill. We will also explore possible recommendations for change to better support the proposed legislation. To conclude, we will identify how these limitations and recommendations coalesce with the NASW Code of Ethics. Informing officials and citizens of individuals rights to expunction in the case of dismissal, nolle prosequi, or no true bill will ultimately further social equality within our criminal justice system. 12:55 1:15 p.m. TN Control of Refugee Resettlement: An Expense to refugee Well-Being Amber Bassck, Mary Grace Capps, Shanty Luna, Kate Patterson, and Katie Ward In 2014, 13.9 million people were displaced globally due to war, conflict, natural disasters, economic uncertainty, and a lack of educational and employment opportunities. Only 69,986 of these people were admitted as refugees to the United States. Tennessee received only 2% of these 69,986 people. In Tennessee, the Office for Refugees is operated through Catholic 1

2 Charities which partners with World Relief and the Nashville International Center for Empowerment to assist in refugee resettlement. These agencies provide effective resources and assistance for successful integration, early employment, and self-sufficiency for these refugees. Senate Bill 1614/House Bill 2150 is attempting to reacquire the Tennessee Office for Refugees from these nonprofit organizations in order for the state to take control of funding from the federal government for refugee resettlement. If passed, this bill nearly guarantees a decrease in funding for these organizations that provide vital assistance for effective refugee resettlement. We will explore the possible strengths and limitations of this legislation, demonstrating its negative impact on the resettlement organizations as well as the refugee population. Furthermore, we will include possible compromises or additions to the legislation that could benefit the refugee population and the state government rather than just one or the other. This bill does not uphold any of the six core values written by the National Association of Social Workers and should not be passed into law. By funneling funding through the state government rather than the resettlement organizations, there will be a decrease in resources and opportunities for successful integration for the refugee population. 1:20 1:40 p.m. An Analysis of Suicide Prevention Training Programs in Schools Kate Black, Nat Hubert, and Kate Rolman In the state of Tennessee, more than nine hundred and fifty people, including an average of fortyfive youth, commit suicide each year. In this state, suicide is the third leading cause of death of people between the ages of ten and twenty-four. Senate Bill 1992 and House Bill 2071 introduced by Senator Kerry Roberts and Representative Mary Littleton would require all school personnel to be trained on suicide prevention. If this bill passes and becomes law, all school personnel in the state of Tennessee would be required to attend the annual in-service training in suicide prevention. This analysis will review the current laws regarding suicide prevention and policy in Tennessee public schools, as well as how the implementation of this bill will benefit public school systems across the state. We will investigate how this bill will give school personnel access to suicide prevention training materials as well as the department of education s model policy on suicide prevention. We will also include recommendations on amendments to 2

3 this bill that could benefit those involved. This bill encompasses the six social work values in accordance with the National Association of ers and therefore, we support this bill becoming law. With suicide affecting many of today s school age children, suicide prevention training is vital and should be required for all school personnel. 1:45 2:05 p.m. Over the Counter Birth Control? Implications for Tennessee Breanna Adams, Mackenzie Apel, Megan Naiser, and Julianna Regan It is estimated that in Tennessee fifty percent of pregnancies are unplanned or mistimed. The Federal and State government in 2010, spent 530 million dollars on these pregnancies. Tennessee State Senator Steven Dickerson has proposed an over the counter birth control bill (SB1677) that will provide birth control for women without necessitating a prescription from a physician. If paned, this bill will allow pharmacists to offer birth control over-the-counter after having women fill out a screening tool. Insurance coverage for the medication will not be affected, however there will be an annual fee determined by the individual pharmacist. This analysis will discuss the benefits, fiscal and social impact, and possible negative effects of implementation of the bill. The relationship this bill has to Professional Values will also be explored. Having birth control more readily available to individuals over the age of 18 will decrease the number of unplanned and mistimed pregnancies while also decreasing government expenditures on pregnancies in the state of Tennessee. 2:10 2:30 p.m. Training School Personnel on Suicide Prevention Gabby Choate, Courtney Ferguson, Holly Higginbotham, and Mallory Zimmerman Suicide is currently the third leading cause of death among youth in the state of Tennessee. This is concerning because suicide is a preventable issue. Equipping our school staff is vital for the 3

4 wellbeing of Tennessee s youth. Acknowledging the issue, Senator Kerry Roberts proposed a bill to ensure that measures are being taken to prevent possible tragedies. The purpose of Training School Personnel About Suicide Prevention Act (SB1992) is to train and educate school staff and faculty on ways to identify and prevent suicide among students. This bill requires school systems to adopt a specific policy on suicide awareness and for personnel to attend an annual in-service training that will provide materials on prevention, intervention and postvention. We will unpack both the strengths and limitations that are associated with this bill, exploring: material needed, funding, possible outcomes and other logistics related. We will address how this bill supports the National Association of Values and Code of Ethics and share why we believe this is worthy of passage. We will also suggest recommendations for change and improvements that will serve to strengthen this important piece of legislation. 2:35 2:55 p.m. Foster Parent Visitation Continuation Elizabeth Goodlin, Erin Santomenna, and Erica Taylor Currently in Tennessee, there are no laws in place protecting the visitation rights of foster parents who have formed connections with their previous foster children. SB 1724 as introduced, would permit a foster parent to petition the court system for visitation rights with a foster child who has been removed from their home by no fault of the foster parent, if the court finds that harm would come to the child if visitation is not granted. Reasons for this separation might include the biological parents regaining custody, the children moving in with family, or even a child moving school systems. This analysis will evaluate how this bill coincides with the National Association of ers core values such as the importance of human relationships, dignity and worth of the individual, and social justice. Many children in the foster care system move from foster homes numerous times which makes it difficult to find consistency in daily life and in the affection of a caregiver. This bill would support and strengthen the connections that a child has made with their foster parents after the child has been removed from the home for reasons out of the control of the family. Foster children are vulnerable to not having stable family connections, adequate or consistent education, or strong relationships. If passed, this bill would offer some 4

5 protection for these children from further harm by focusing on supporting relationships and raising awareness of this problem. 5