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• MSSWA Region 8 Winter Meeting 1/27/26

  • When
    01/27/2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 2:30 PM
  • Location
    The Piggy BBQ, 123 Third Street East, Thief River Falls

  Registration is closed

  
  

  MSSWA Region 8 Winter  Meeting 2026

  When: January 27th

  Time: 12:00-2:30

  Where: The Piggy -  Address: 123 3rd St E., Thief River Falls 

  
  

  "The Ever Changing Role of the School Social Worker" 

  The role of the school social worker is always changing and each individual might be taking on different tasks and roles throughout their school district. We are excited to be addressing these differences within the school districts. We will be discussing a variety of topics such as macro practice within your school district, supporting staff/school goals, our role in supporting teachers, if/when we hold people accountable, how to address burnout, and professionalism. 

  Please come prepared to discuss what's going well in your role and any challenges you may have had past or present with like minded individuals who want to help each other grow! 

  Please RSVP by January 15th! 

  Contact Jeri Nomeland (jnomeland@nwric.com) or Katelyn Larson (klarson@grygla.k12.mn.us) if you have any questions. 

  
  

  
  
  

  
  

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• MSSWA 2026 Virtual Winter Conference

  • When
    02/10/2026
  •  
    7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Virtual via Zoom

  Register

  
  

  2026 MSSWA Virtual Winter Conference   

  Tuesday, February 10th, 2026

  7:30am to 4:00pm  

  Earn 7 CEUs 

  Brochure

    

  Documenting with Integrity: Legal, Ethical and Practical Perspectives 

  Presenters:

  Laura Tubbs Booth and Christian Shafer Dr. Karen Goodenough

  School Law Attorneys Executive Director NASW - MN & ND

  
  

  Megan Lagasse, MSW, LICSW Kris Christensen, MSW, LICSW

  MDE, Student Support Personnel Specialist St. Paul Public Schools

  
  

  Julie Beaufeaux, LICSW, LSSW

  Anoka Hennepin Schools

  
  When:  02/10/2026, 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
  

  Location: Virtual via Zoom. Zoom link will be provided a few days prior to the conference

  Schedule of the Day

  7:45am - 8:00 am Welcome & Housekeeping

  8:00am-10:00 am Documentation - The Rules, the Reasons, the Reality

    Laura Tubbs Booth and Associates

  
  

  10:00-10:15 am    Break

  10:15-12:15 pm    Clear, Consistent, and Ethical: Documentation in   Schools Through the Lens of the NASW Code of   Ethics

    Dr. Karen Goodenough

  
  

  12:15-12:45 pm    Lunch Break

  12:45 - 3:45 pm    SSW Documentation: Developing Sustainable   Procedures

    Megan Lagasse, MSW, LICSW 

    

         Documentation in School Social Work- Building, Implementing, & Sustaining the System

  Kris Christiansen, MSW, LICSW and Julie Beaufeaux, LICSW, LSSW

  
  

   3:45 pm         Q&A 

  
  

  7 Ethics CEUs (2 can be used for Supervision)

  Registration: click here to register

  (depends on selected options)

  Our Early Bird Rate ends January 23rd

  	Through January 23	After January 23
  MSSWA Member	$90	$125
  Non-Member - Includes MSSWA Membership	$155	$190
  Related Service Professionals, School Psychologists, Administrators & Other Professionals (Does NOT Include MSSWA Membership)	$175
  Retired MSSWA Member (Must have a Retired School Social Worker MSSWA membership).	$15
  Student Rate (must include a copy of student ID). MSSWA Membership for graduate students (not working in the field) & undergraduate students join MSSWA at no charge.	$15
  Board Members (Board members must have active MSSWA membership).	$15

  *Presenter rates are available. For more details and to receive you code, please reach out to msswafandm@gmail.com

  
  

  This Winter Virtual Conference WILL be recorded! Zoom login and Google Conference Folder link will be emailed to you no later than Monday, Feb 9, 2025

  Documenting with Integrity: Legal, Ethical and Practical Perspectives 

  The MSSWA Winter Virtual Conference focuses on one of the most critical - and often misunderstood - aspects of school social work practice: documentation. Across legal, ethical, and systems-level perspectives, this full-day virtual conference will support licensed school social workers in strengthening consistent, accurate, and defensible documentation practices.

  Participants will deepen their understanding of why documentation matters beyond compliance, including its role in advocacy, service coordination, evaluation, and professional protection. The morning sessions provide a strong foundation in both the legal requirements and the NASW Code of Ethics as they relate to documentation in school settings. Participants will examine legal rules governing documentation, confidentiality, access, and compliance, alongside an ethics-focused exploration of how the NASW Code of Ethics informs documentation decisions. Together, these sessions support participants in understanding what documentation must include, what ethical standards require or allow, and how to navigate competing expectations within school environments using both legal and ethical frameworks.

  The afternoon learning shifts from theory to practice, integrating state-level guidance with district-level implementation. Participants will explore how documentation expectations translate into sustainable systems within a school district, including procedures for progress notes, risk assessments, maltreatment reports, and external legal documents. Through real-world district examples, attendees will gain practical strategies for developing, refining, and embedding documentation procedures that align with legal standards, ethical responsibilities, and professional licensure expectations.

  Throughout the day, participants will receive practical guidance, real-world examples, and actionable tools to establish, refine, or advocate for documentation systems that are legally sound, ethically grounded, and sustainable within complex school settings.

  Learning Objectives:

  1) Participants will understand and apply the legal requirements, ethical responsibilities (NASW Code of Ethics), and confidentiality standards that govern documentation in school social work practice.

  2) Participants will analyze current documentation practices and use legal, ethical, and licensure-informed frameworks to navigate competing expectations, advocacy needs, and system limitations within school settings.

  3) Participants will gain practical strategies and tools—grounded in state guidance and district-level case examples—to develop, implement, and sustain consistent, system-wide documentation procedures.

  Questions? Contact:

  Kate Adams

  pdchairs@msswa.org

  www.msswa.org

  
  

  Our Early bird rates will be available through Jan 23rd.  Regular Registration closes on Feb 4th.  This will be a HARD CLOSE on Feb 4th at 5pm. 

  
  
  
   

  
  

   

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• MSSWA Day at the Hill 2026

  • When
    03/03/2026
  •  
    8:15 AM - 3:15 PM
  • Location
    Education Minnesota, 41 Sherburne Ave, Conference Room 6, St Paul, MN 55103

  Register

   

  

  
  

  The 23rd Annual

  MSSWA Day at the Hill

  "School Social Work Advocacy in Action: Human Rights, Justice, Change, Inclusion, and Empowerment"

  Virtual & In Person

  Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026

  8:30am to 3:15pm

   at

  Education Minnesota, 41 Sherburne Ave, Conference Room 6,

  St Paul, MN 55103

  **Click HERE for Day on the Hill Brochure**

  **CLICK HERE TO REGISTER**

     

  What is Day on the Hill?  Day at the Hill provides an opportunity for school social workers to come together to elevate the profession of social work and to educate state lawmakers about how school social workers address student barriers to academic success in cost effective ways. 

  Up to 6 CEUs awarded for those attending in-person (Virtual Participants earn 3.5 CEU's). This is a staff development/Board of Social Work approved opportunity, not a political lobby day. 

  Who should attend? 

  • Current or past school social workers 

  • Students interested in the field of school social work 

  • Friends and supporters of school social work and public education 

  
  

  In-Person Cost: Includes breakfast, lunch and t-shirt. 

  $55.00 for MSSWA members

  $85.00 non-members

  $40.00 for BSW and MSW students 

  Virtual Cost:

  $30.00 MSSWA members

  $60.00 for nonmembers

  (A t-shirt can be purchased for an additional $20 + $6 for shipping)

  
  

  Agenda: 

  8:00-8:30  Check in, Breakfast, Networking

  8:30-9:00  Welcome and Introductions - Christy McCoy

  9:00-10:30 Keynote Presentation - Julia Decker ILC

  Title:  From policy to practice, how school social workers can advance equity for immigrant students in an era of uncertainty. 

  10:30-10:40 Break

  10:45-11:30  Advocacy in 2026: MN Department of Education, EDMN

                          and MSSWA 

  
  

  11:45-12:30  Lunch & Preparing for visits 

                         Special Guest Student Panel on Mental Health and Young

                         Men of Color

  12:30 - 3:15  Visits with Legislators

  
  

  School social workers play a critical role in advocating, promoting and impacting the realization of educational equity and social justice for all! Day on the Hill is one avenue in which all of us can engage as true change agents on a macro level! REGISTER TODAY!!!! 

  Keynote Presentation: 

  Description: General overview of immigration law basics and major policy developments since January 2025 with focus on impacts on students/schools; practical guidance for professionals working with impacted communities and families; resources for responding to federal enforcement and accessing information; why talking to state legislators about these issues matters  

  Learning Objectives:

  • Recognize additional nuances in immigration statuses

  • Prepare for aggressive enforcement actions

  • Build resiliency against normalization of ICE violence

  
  

  
  

  This conference is coordinated by:

  Christy McCoy MSW LICSW

  MSSWA Legislative Chair

  School Social Worker

  Como Park Senior High School

  
  * REGISTER BY FEBRUARY 17TH TO ENSURE A MEETING WITH YOUR REPRESENTATIVE

  No cancellations or refunds after 3/1/26
  Register by February 25, 2026

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