RESEARCH & THE PROFESSION Two Nationally Recognized Intervention Programs The SSW is involved in national efforts to enhance knowledge and use of evidence-based interventions in social work settings.
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Two examples of these efforts with national reach are described below. National Center for Child Welfare Curriculum Development on Evidence-Based Treatment has successfully implemented Partnering for Success (PfS) in Baltimore County
Cross-Cutting
with the Department of Social Services and seven mental health provider agencies. Partnering for Success is a multi-dimensional approach to child welfare and mental health responses to the mental health needs of child welfare involved clients. Program launches are planned for New York City, Maine, and Oklahoma.
CROSS-CUTTING INITIATIVES
The National Wraparound Implementation Center (NWIC) is a formal partnership between the SSW’s Institute for Innovation and Implementation, University of Washington School of Medicine (UW); and Portland State University School of Social Work (PSU). The Center provides comprehensive support for implementing model-adherent, high quality Wraparound services for youth with behavioral health needs and their families. In the past two years, we have provided training and TA on Wraparound in 12 states, 11 of which were statewide wide-scale implementation.
RESEARCH & FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT The School continues to grow extramural support (see chart below).
EDUCATION
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
COMMUNITY IMPACT
THE PROFESSION
DIVERSITY
RESEARCH
2015 Strategic Plan Update
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CROSS-CUTTING INITIATIVES OVERVIEW This section describes several initiatives that reflect more than one of the Strategic Plan goal areas. These cross-cutting initiatives highlight the synergy that is accelerating several efforts within the School.
COMMUNITY IMPACT & DIVERSITY The School continues to deliver community-based interventions with diverse populations. Below are a few of the highlights from the past year:
Family Connections Baltimore (FCB)
EDUCATION, THE PROFESSION & RESEARCH
In 2014, FCB served 89 families, including 264 children.
Interdisciplinary Opportunities: Spotlight on Health Interdisciplinary collaborations are being nurtured and grown at the School of Social Work. With increased national focus on health care, social workers need to be prepared to be part of an interdisciplinary healthcare team. Several field placement opportunities in healthcare settings allow social work students to learn alongside students from the other health professions. Examples include the field partnership between the BSW program and the School of Nursing for the Governor’s Wellmobile, as well as an Interprofessional Internship at Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services for students at the Universities at Shady Grove.
Faculty are leading three newly funded initiatives that expand opportunities for interdisciplinary training within the School:
Positive outcomes for families include:
• Significantly decreased caregiver report of depressive symptoms
• Parental sense of emotional well-being and social functioning
• Perceived parental satisfaction and efficacy in the parenting role
• Decrease in reported stress in the parent-child system, a risk factor for child safety
• Decrease in levels of trauma symptomatology reported by caregivers
(1) Public Health Social Work Center: The HRSA-funded Public Health Social Work Center is under the leadership of Associate
Promise Heights
Professor Ed Pecukonis. The Center provides leadership training for the next generation of public health social workers and updates faculty knowledge and skill in public health practice.
Promise Heights organized several events following the death of Freddie Gray to support their community partners coping with the tragedy. The efforts included a “Community Conversation about coping with loss and violence” and a food giveaway at Furman L. Templeton Elementary.
(2) Behavioral Health Workforce Instruction, Support and Education (BHWISE): Associate Professor Paul Sacco’s HRSAfunded project will provide stipends for MSW students interested in providing behavioral health services for children, youth, young adults and their families.
(3) Health Education and Leadership Scholars Program (HEALS): Associate Professor Mel Bellin and Professor and Associate Dean Carolyn Tice were awarded a five-year grant by the Council on Social Work Education to support stipends, specialized healthcare training and education opportunities for students interested in becoming leaders in the healthcare system.
EDUCATION & DIVERSITY
SWCOS SWCOS was presented with UMB’s 2015 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award at the University’s annual Black History Month celebration. They were recognized for their extraordinary contributions to the Community Schools Initiative at James McHenry Elementary and Middle Schools. The Center for Positive School Climate and Supportive Discipline has been funded by the Open Society Institute (OSI)-Baltimore. The Center will partner with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), school districts and teacher preparation programs to collaborate on school climate efforts. The Center is further interested in disproportionately high rates of suspensions and expulsions for children of color and children with disabilities.
Several activities this year exemplify shared efforts to promote diversity and education goals. A few of these activities are described below.
THE PROFESSION & COMMUNITY IMPACT
Faculty Teaching Development Series The Office of Academic Affairs is planning teaching development workshops on facilitating effective conversations about diversity in the classroom.
New Course A new course planned to be offered in spring 2016 is SOWK 764, “Multicultural Perspectives: Implications for Practice.” This course offers an intensive examination of the dynamics of racism and other forms of oppression in our society. The course will be co-taught by two alumni, Megan Leshack and Duane Haley.
Health Promotion Community Collaboration led by Promise Heights The BUILD (BOLD, UPSTREAM, INTEGRATED, LOCAL, and DATA-DRIVEN) Health Challenge awarded grants to groundbreaking projects that aim to improve health in low-income communities. Healing Together: Preventing Youth Violence will develop a comprehensive youth violence prevention plan for the Upton/Druid Heights communities in West Baltimore. The group was awarded $75,000 to kick-off its efforts.