NASW Foundation National Programs

NASW Social Work Pioneers^®

Haskell Jacobs

Jacobs earned his MS degree from Columbia University of Social Work in 1942; he had earned an LLB degree in 1930 from Syracuse University College of Law.

Jacobs major pioneering effort was relating the legal profession to the social work profession. He also brought to his job considerable content on group work and its effectiveness in administration, in supervision, and in teaching. He was the chief of the policy coordination office of the Assistance Payments Administration of Social and Rehabilitation Service, HEW. Prior to that he was the chief of the bureau of technical services and the assistant chief of the division of program standards and development and the supervisor of the Legislative Standards Unit, Bureau of Public Assistance. These jobs were all interrelated and he served particularly well in helping to relate the importance of law and social work in the delivery of services in the administration of public welfare programs.

Prior to his work in Washington, DC, he served as a social- legal consultant to the New York State temporary emergency relief administration. He began his practice of relating social work and law together in Syracuse, New York. He served as a case worker-social legal consultant in Syracuse department of public welfare. He worked as an attorney in the law firm Levy, Shulman, and Murray in Syracuse, New York and as a case worker with the Children's Bureau and the SPCC.

He was a teacher and was well known for courses in law and social work. His publications related his experience in family and child welfare services both in New York and in Washington. He received two superior service awards in the department of Health Education and Welfare and as research director for the advisory council on public assistance and in 1966 for exceptional leadership in the development of policy on medical assistance (medicaid).

Jacobs was a member of the various professional associations: NASW, National Conference of Social Welfare, the Metropolitan Washington Chapter of NASW, and he was also a delegate to the NASW assembly on three occasions. He belonged to the New York State bar.

He was interested in group dynamics and related activities and constructed, over the years, a great number of workshops and institutes in this area. He was active in his community. Jacobs served as advisory counsel of the Health and Welfare Council in Virginia; the Family Services of Northern Virginia; the Arlington Health and Welfare Council; and the Arlington Committee of 100. He served on the complaints committee of the Group Health Association of Washington, DC.

His hobbies throughout the lifetime were painting, fun collages, grandpop art collection, needlepoint, taking movies, making ojos de Dios (eyes of God), swimming, travel and community activities. Mr. Jacobs died in Virginia.