Competency-Based Social Work Education: 25 Years of Innovation & Leadership

The white paper chronicles the 25-year history of one graduate school of social work’s efforts in competency-based curriculum innovation. The authors argue that curriculum change is organizational change and share their experiences with a variety of curriculum assessment, design, and delivery efforts. Beginning with the development of the first social work competencies (labeled Abilities), pioneering efforts in assessment and holistic curricular design and delivery are reviewed. A new, one-semester, social work generalist curriculum is introduced. Emphasis is placed on the importance of developing a competency-based curriculum that is integrated both horizontally and vertically and that engages the social work student in active learning strategies. Special attention is focused on the iterative process of curricular innovation across platforms (on ground, online, and intensive weekend) and on developing a curriculum that continually seeks to integrate macro and micro social work practice. The opportunities, challenges, and lessons learned that arose from these efforts are identified and the reader is invited to consider how these experiences may be applied to their own school

“Don’t Promise Something You can’t Deliver:” Caregivers’ Advice for Improving Services to Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism

Approximately 50,000 youths with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exit U.S. high schools yearly to enter adult systems of care, many of whom remain dependent on family for day-to-day care and service system navigation. As part of a larger study, 174 family caregivers for adolescents or young adults with ASD were asked what advice they would give service providers about how to improve services for youth with ASD. Reflexive thematic analysis identified a framework of five directives: (1) provide a roadmap to services; (2) improve service access; (3) fill gaps to address unmet needs; (4) educate themselves, their families, and society about autism; and (5) operate from a relationship-building paradigm with families. Education, health, and social service providers, as well as policymakers, can use these directives to better assist youth with ASD and their families in the transition to adulthood