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Partnerships Project Goals & Primary Activities

Develop productive working relationships between Aging & Disability (A/D) Network agencies and social work (SW) programs.

  • Provide a one-day orientation to familiarize agency staff and SW faculty with the philosophy and practice of person-centered (PC) and participant-directed (PD) approaches and services, the changes occurring in long-term services and supports (LTSS), and the options counselor competencies designed by the NRCPDS and the Administration for Community Living (ACL), and to review the planned change model for infusion of competencies and teaching resources in curriculum.
  • Conduct webinars and teleconferences to facilitate ongoing discussions between agency staff and SW faculty regarding project progress and to strengthen SW program-agency partnerships through other initiatives such as joint conferences, in-service training, and continuing education.

Educate a cadre of SW faculty to infuse PC/PD competencies within BSW and MSW curriculum.

  • Based on the Department of Labor competencies for options counselors, develop PC/PD competencies and curriculum resources for infusion in required generalist and advanced-level courses.
  • Meet with SW faculty at the CSWE Annual Program Meeting, on conference calls, and during webinars to discuss curriculum assessment procedures, craft strategies to engage key faculty stakeholders, and problem-solve how to address barriers to infusion.

Prepare students with PC/PD competencies to work effectively within the A/D Network.

  • Infuse PC/PD competency-based content and teaching resources into SW programs’ generalist curriculum (at least one micro and one macro generalist course) and into at least one course in the advanced-level curriculum.
  • Create stipended field placements in the A/D network agencies where students will acquire PC/PD competencies to work effectively with older adults and people with disabilities.

Evaluate the training and the competency-based resources.

  • Document SW faculty rationale for curricular change strategies and strategies used to infuse and sustain PC/PD competencies in the SW curriculum.
  • Conduct SW faculty surveys to measure the following outcomes:
    • number of required generalist and advanced/specialized courses in which PC/PD competencies are infused and the number and types of resources used to support competency attainment (e.g., readings, assignments, case studies, exercises)
    • number of students impacted by these classes, in field placements, and who received a placement-related stipend
    • number of graduates who secure jobs within the A/D Network
    • extent to which infusion of PC/PD competencies and content is sustained or institutionalized within the curriculum

Disseminate PC/PD competencies, curricular resources, and best practices to the national SW education community.

  • Post teaching resources on the Gero-Ed Center and NRCPDS websites to ensure national dissemination and sustainability.
  • Present workshops and papers on lessons learned regarding curriculum infusion of PC/PD competencies.