Linda Haskell, a former social worker, will be commemorated in an annual lecture on Nov. 7 Download image

Arizona State University’s College of Public Programs is hosting a free lecture on the state of social work in child welfare to explore how new technologies relate to good judgment.

The Linda Haskell Memorial Master Class 2008 will present “Challenges to Practice and Knowledge in Child Welfare Social Work: From the Social to the Informational?” on Nov. 7. The lecture takes place at the University Club of Phoenix, 36 E. Monte Vista, Phoenix.  The three-hour event starts at 8:45 a.m. with a complimentary breakfast.

“We are most grateful to the Haskell family for having supported this effort for more than a dozen years. The Masters Class has been invaluable to all human services professionals and services in Arizona,” said Emilia E. Martinez-Brawley, John F. Roatch Distinguished Professor and professor of social work in the College of Public Programs. “This master class allows discussion of professional topics in the areas of social and public programs.”

This year’s keynote speaker is Nigel Parton, Foundation National Society for the Protection to Children chair and applied childhood studies at the University of Huddersfield in England. Parton has taught courses in social work, health and the behavior sciences at the undergraduate and postgraduate, qualifying and post-qualifying levels. He has also written four books and many articles on child care.

The lecture will also feature a panel of two respondents: Maureen Domogala, Childhelp Children’s Advocacy Center director in Phoenix and Angie Roberts, Human Services Policy Advisor under Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano. They will discuss how Parton’s presentation applies to child-welfare practices in Arizona.

Parton will discuss the impact of new information and communication technology systems in the field, specifically addressing the shift from a narrative to a database way of thinking and operating to an informational mode and how the “social” may have been overshadowed by the “informational.”  Parton will also identify a number of key challenges that need to be considered in the future.

The Linda Haskell Memorial Master Class is an annual event supported by William and Rose Haskell in memory of their daughter, Linda, a social worker who was killed by a drunken driver in California. Lecture topics in the past have included second language competency for social workers, health-care issues for seniors and grandparents as primary caretakers of children.

Lecture seating is limited and must be reserved.  For more information or to register, call (602) 496-1564 or visit http://copp.asu.edu/do/distinguishedprofessor.

What: The Linda Haskell Memorial Master Class 2008

Where: University Club of Phoenix, 36 E. Monte Vista, Phoenix

When: 8:45 to 11:45 a.m., Nov. 7

Admission: Free

Information: (602) 496-1564 or http://copp.asu.edu/do/distinguishedprofessor