Train—and keep—a child welfare workforce that will make a difference!

Charting the Impacts of University-Child Welfare Collaboration addresses the challenges of implementing workforce development initiatives designed to recruit students into the public child welfare field. Edited by Dr. Katharine Briar-Lawson, Dean of the School of Social Welfare at the University at Albany in New York, and Dr. Joan Levy Zlotnik, PhD, ACSW, Executive Director of the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research, the book reflects the ongoing effort to counteract the “de-professionalization” phase of the 1970s and 80s that has impeded child welfare service delivery. A panel of practitioners, educators, and researchers focus on training and administrative funding, collaborative practices, delivery of educational content, preparation challenges faced by educators, and future challenges.

Charting the Impacts of University-Child Welfare Collaboration examines strategies for specialized educational efforts supported by federal Title IV-E and Title IV-B Section 426 funding. The book addresses the process for preparing and maintaining a professional workforce, including collaborations between social work educators and their partnering public child welfare agencies that have led to experimental and innovative changes in practice and curricula. Topics include:

• determining a graduate's emotion capacity for child welfare service
• delivering educational content in human behavior in the social environment courses
• determining the return on funding investments
• using cognitive-affective models of student development
• using design teams to promote practice innovations, systems change, and cross-systems change
• and an examination of the California Collaboration, a competency-based child welfare curriculum project for MSW candidates.

Charting the Impacts of University-Child Welfare Collaboration is an essential resource for continuing the campaign for workforce development and re-professionalism in child welfare practice. The book is invaluable for educators and professionals working to develop reliable, relevant, and competent staffing.