Competency-Based Education

The HPPAE model is grounded in a series of geriatric social work competencies developed by social work and aging experts from across the country and field-tested at demonstration sites. These competencies are fully aligned with CWSE’s Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. Read more about the history of the development of the geriatric social work competency scale here.

An important characteristic of these competencies is that they address practice at both micro (direct service) and macro (policy, research, and advocacy) levels. Social workers who demonstrate leadership in aging need to be proficient in both areas because of the complex and fractured nature of aging-care services and resources. These competencies are also used to guide and evaluate both the program and the students’ learning, including the selection of agencies as field sites and the learning assignments in those sites.