Welcome to the Post-Master's Certificate Program in Equity-Minded Practice!
Welcome to the Post-Master's Certificate Program in Equity-Minded Practice!
Please read the information below and then click on the "modules" link on the left side of this page to get started.
We draw from the paradigm of equity-minded practice Links to an external site. in social work education to conceptualize this certificate program, which will support DCF supervisors and managers’ development of knowledge and skills integral to critically culturally competent, intersectional, and anti-oppressive practice (Johnson, Slayter and Simmons, 2021-In press). Equity-mindedness is the perspective or mode of thinking and practice exhibited by practitioners who call attention to patterns of inequity in client processes and outcomes (Council on Social Work Education, 2020). These practitioners take personal as well as institutional responsibility for the success of their clients, and critically reassess their own practices through engaging in reflectivity and reflexivity (Schön, 1983; 1987). Practitioners in this mode are intersectionality-conscious and aware of the social and historical context of oppressive practices in child welfare and ancillary systems. Our certificate program honors the need for social workers to be aware of a range of social identities, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, disability, sexuality, socioeconomic status (SES), and immigration status.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of the certificate program, participants will be able to:
- Explain how their social identities inform their child welfare practice
- Use data to identify inequitable processes and outcomes by social identity statuses
- Discuss influences of various child welfare practices on processes and outcomes related to social identities
- Exercise agency to contribute to equitable processes and outcomes for clients and colleagues of all social identities
- View practice contexts and relationships as influenced by dynamics of privilege and oppression
- Self-monitor interactions with clients and colleagues of different social identities
Program Description, Schedule, Content Delivery
The program will address four areas within the larger framework of equity-minded practice in child welfare.
- Addressing Disproportionality and Disparity in Child Welfare (weeks 1 - 4)
- Reflexivity and reflectivity as tools for anti-racist practice
- Critical cultural competence, intersectionality, cultural humility, and anti-oppressive practice as frameworks for child welfare supervision and practice
- Using data to understand and address racial and ethnic disproportionalities
- Exploring policy mechanisms at the mezzo and macro levels that influence disproportionality and disparity in child welfare processes and outcomes
- Disability and Child Welfare (weeks 5 - 8)
- Learning about disability identity and culture for empowerment of clients
- Identifying and confronting ableism in child welfare practice
- Understanding the social and medical models of disability to inform practice
- Subverting the personal tragedy theory of disability
- Embracing disability justice principles for empowerment-oriented practice
- Becoming disability competent in child welfare practice
- Child Welfare Practice with Immigrants and Refugees (weeks 9 - 11)
- Cultural responsiveness to the multiple psychosocial challenges of immigrant and refugee populations in child welfare practice
- Integration of various approaches to working with immigrant families and children that build upon ecosystems theory, empowerment, strengths-based and collaborative perspectives to child welfare services
- Respect the unique cultures, values, and ethical codes of practice that apply to working with immigrant and refugee individuals, families, and communities
- Competently manage the ethical dilemmas specific to working with immigrant and refugee populations.
- Child Welfare Practice with LGBTQ+ Youth, Caregivers and Foster Parents (weeks 12 & 13)
- Improve understanding of LGBTQ+ identities and to build skills for working with LGBTQ youth and their families as well as parents/caregivers and foster parents
- Learn about the management of homophobia and heterosexism
- Capstone Experience (weeks 14, 15 & reunion visit)
- Conceptualize and design a project for unit/team/cluster
- Workshop idea with faculty mentor and team-mate
- Present plan to the large group
- Implement plan in area office & report back on experience at reunion
The program will consist of a 15-week online seminar series held twice per year (November-May and May-August). Participants will engage in either bi-weekly or weekly, 1 hour and 45 minute synchronous Zoom meetings from 6 – 7:45 p.m. (day of week TBD) and approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes of asynchronous coursework (e.g., online exercises, discussion posts, and assessments) for a total of four hours of learning per week. Participants will also be expected to read or view course-related materials in advance of synchronous meetings. A total of 60 CEUs will be available through the SSU School of Social Work. To be awarded with a certificate of completion, participants must complete 90% of the asynchronous and synchronous work required by the program. You can track your progress towards completion by monitoring the "Grades" section in Canvas to see how you are doing on asynchronous work and the "Attendance" section in Canvas for the synchronous work. Please click on this link for the rubric related to obtaining your certificate and CEUs.
In between Zoom sessions, you will be assigned reading and discussion activities to complete on your own. Please click the "Modules" link on the left side of this page to go to the Weekly materials.
We look forward to working with you! If you have questions, please contact Elspeth Slayter, coordinator of the program (eslayter@salemstate.edu).
Sincerely,
Lisa Johnson, Katie Peterson, Yvonne Ruiz and Elspeth Slayter