Upfront : Regional news at a glance

Federal Reserve District, 5th

Integrating Technology into Effective Social Work Practice

Increasingly technology is being used to support effective social work practice. This seminar will explore a variety of ways in which information technology can help implement and sustain effective services. In combination with local organizational support and coaching, information technology can provide consistent training, certify basic competencies, help plan services, support supervision, and monitor progress. Multiple examples will illustrate meaningful uses of technology in practice settings. Participants will explore opportunities and implications for education and practice

I Like To Meet People

I like to meet people of all kinds - old or young, famous or unknown, well-educated or illiterate, brilliant or stupid, good or bad, Negro or Chinese, foreign or American. They are all needed to make up this world in which we live, so why not get to know them? One can enjoy living much better if he knows those with whom he associates. There are so many interesting people to meet that I know I shall never tire of meeting them

Transforming Indiana’s Behavioral Health System for Children and Their Families

State (Boggs, 2005) and federal (New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, 2003; SAMSHA, 2005) policy calls for the transformation of mental health care to achieve the promise of recovery so that individuals are able to live, work, learn, and participate fully in their community. Access to effective treatments and support services are necessary to realize this promise (NFCMH, 2003). Transformation is by definition more than reform; it “represents the bold vision to change the very form and function of the mental health service delivery system to better meet the needs of individuals and families it was designed to serve .... it will be a complex process that proceeds in a non-linear fashion and that requires collaboration, innovation, sustained commitment, and a willingness to learn from mistakes” (SAMHSA, section 5, 2005). Why is transformation needed? What does transformation mean for the behavioral health system for children, youth and their families in Indiana

Marginalized Students\u27 Perspectives of School Consolidation: A Case Study in Rural West Virginia

While prior research provides evidence that school consolidation impacts student achievement, the economic efficiency at state and district levels, dropout rates, participation in extracurricular activities, curriculum offerings, and the length of bus rides, “little is known about what happens in consolidated schools to impact student learning,” (Blake, 2003, p. 21) and little attention has been given to studying students’ lived experiences of consolidation. This qualitative case study explored these issues by attempting to understand students’ transition to a consolidated high school, as well as their current experiences with and perceptions of consolidation in a rural community in West Virginia. The data collected included observations of and interviews with six students, along with reviews of pertinent student documents. Data collected also included interviews with seven teachers and one administrator who were identified by the students for inclusion in this study. The purpose of this case study was to add to the body of knowledge concerning the ways economically marginalized students, who are perceived as at risk of school failure, experienced and perceived school consolidation in a rural community. Through an analysis of the data, factors that enabled and/or constrained students’ success were identified. Three themes emerged: supportive relationships with principals, teachers, and others who had high expectations; expanded curricular opportunities; and participation in extracurricular activities

Systems of Care

The System of Care (SOC) model of service delivery supports accessible, effective behavioral health services and supports for young people with mental health needs and their families. The SOC model provides a framework for cross-system collaborative service systems that are child centered, family focused, community based, and culturally competent. SOC collaborative infrastructure supports access to a comprehensive array of individualized services that are delivered in the least restrictive settings with family members involved at all levels of planning and delivery of services. Over the last twenty years, local and state level cross-system collaborative SOCs have developed across Indiana, and access to intensive home and community based services has improved. The attached slides review SOC values and principles, statewide progress, national and state impact, and related translational implementation research. Presented in masters level social work community practice courses, the slide deck includes an activity, application of the SOC model to real world challenges