Grand Challenges for Social Work

The Grand Challenges for Social Work is an initiative spearheaded by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. The challenges are modeled after a similar undertaking led by the National Academy of Engineering.[1][2] Edwina Uehara from the University of Washington, School of Social Work, proposed the Grand Challenges approach to the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW). Then President of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (Richard Barth of the University of Maryland School of Social Work) presented the idea to the AASWSW Board, which approved it.

MottoSocial progress powered by science
Formation2012
HeadquartersUniversity of Maryland, School of Social Work
Parent organization
American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare
Websitewww.grandchallengesforsocialwork.org

In 2013, the Grand Challenges for Social Work leadership invited national social work organizations, interest groups, and academic institutions to conceptualize and outline the Grand Challenges initiative. More than 80 suggestions for Grand Challenge topics were submitted online and in-person. From the ideas, the committee issued a call for concept papers and approximately 40 papers were submitted. As part of this work, the group commissioned several background papers[3][4][5][6] and an Impact Model to define the issues, describe the accomplishments of social work to date, and explain the Grand Challenges concept.[7][8]

Challenges were identified in partnership with sister organizations, including the National Association of Social Workers, Council on Social Work Education,[9] Society for Social Work and Research, Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work, National Association of Deans and Directors in Social Work, and the St. Louis Group. The 12 Grand Challenges were announced in January 2016 at the Society for Social Work and Research annual conference in Washington, DC.[10][11][12]

Grand Challenges

The 12 Grand Challenges for Social Work are:

  • Ensure healthy development for all youth:[13][14][15][16] Addressing behavioral health issues in youth is part of this Grand Challenge. Drew Reynolds, a PhD candidate at the Boston College School of Social Work, ties into it with his work on social network analysis and its potential to tackle social problems.[17]
  • Close the health gap:[18][19] In December 2016, the International Journal of Social Work published the paper “Social Work Grand Challenges and the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals: Linking Social Work and Women’s Health.” The authors make the case for “a call to action for more scholarly work on women’s health in the context of current national and global conversations about this social justice issue.”[20]
  • Stop family violence.[21][22] This grand challenge includes a concerted effort to better integrate the scholarship and practice that links child maltreatment prevention and services with those addressing intimate partner violence. These sub-fields have developed with different methodological and conceptual approaches. The US CDC has recently been promoting the idea of "connecting the dots" which shows that there is quite a bit of continuity between child maltreatment, youth violence, and intimate partner violence, and gender based violence.[23] A recent chapter on this grand challenge by Barth and Macy begins to draw out some of these continuities.[24]
  • Advance long and productive lives[25]
  • Eradicate social isolation:[26][27] Social isolation is a growing issue, affecting people of all walks of life and ability. It can affect children and youth, people with disabilities, older people, and people without access to technology. Social workers are on the front lines, addressing these issues in a variety of settings and with a range of interventions, as noted in a piece in the June 2016 issue of NASW News.[28]
  • End homelessness[29][30]
  • Create social responses to a changing environment[31]
  • Harness technology for social good:[32][33][34] Kristin Battista-Frazee, MSW, explores the ways that technology is used in social work—from educating students and communicating via social media to online counseling and electronic records.[35] Jonathan Singer, PhD, LCSW, of Loyola University School of Social Work, wrote a blog post on a paper he co-authored calling for practice innovation through technology in the field of social work.[36]
  • Promote smart decarceration:[37] Researchers have called for utilizing the Grand Challenges for Social Work framework, with its emphasis on using evidence-based policies to address social injustices, to reform the current approach to managing sexual offender registries.[38]
  • Reduce extreme economic inequality[39]
  • Build financial capability for all[40]
  • Achieve equal opportunity and justice[41][42][43][44]

Activities

There have been Grand Challenge-themed meetings and conferences,[45] colloquia,[46] as well as several special issue journals.[47] Curriculum development and recruitment of students is also a significant goal. In 2016, USC School of Social Work announced a DSW program themed around the Grand Challenges.[48] Additionally, each Grand Challenge has developed a set of policy recommendations.[49] The University of Maryland School of Social Work published an article detailing the history and progress of the Grand Challenges initiative in the Winter 2017 issue of Connections Magazine.[50]

In 2017, the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research published a special section on implementing the Grand Challenges.[51][52][53][54] There are also a series of books on the 12 challenge topics.[55][56][57]

University efforts

The University of California Berkeley Social Welfare has held sessions on health and mental health, the effect of new technology on social service delivery and outcomes, women and poverty, and issues around aging services and policy.[58]

On November 11, 2016, the University of Iowa, with the support of the National Association of Social Workers, held a day-long conference on the Grand Challenges. The aim of the conference was to bolster the leadership capacity of social work professionals and social justice advocates by detailing the issues and current efforts to address them, as well as initiating conversations around promising new approaches.[59]

In September 2016, the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis hosted a Grand Challenges Policy Conference in partnership with the AASWSW to specify steps toward positive policy action. Each of the 12 grand challenge networks have developed a set of policy recommendations.[60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71] These recommendations are now being used to generate and inform policy and civic engagement[72] at local, state, regional, and national levels.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has published a paper that “describes the relevance of the GCSWI to professional education and suggests the collective-impact model as a heuristic for professional preparation to collaborate in grand challenge contexts.”[73]

The administrative offices of the Grand Challenges are at the University of Maryland School of Social Work which has also provided leadership to the grand challenges to End Homelessness, Stop Family Violence, and Build Financial Capability for All.

Social workers in the United Kingdom are considering a similar effort as a way forward for the field of social work there.[74]

References
  1. Kalil, T. (2012, April 12). The Grand Challenges of the 21st century. Speech presented at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/grandchallenges-speech-04122012.pdf
  2. Uehara, Edwina; et al. (2013). "Grand Challenges for Social Work". Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. 4 (3): 165–170. doi:10.5243/jsswr.2013.11.
  3. Sherraden, M., Barth, R. P., Brekke, J., Fraser, M., Mandersheid, R., & Padgett, D. (2014). Social is fundamental:Introduction and context for grand challenges for social work(Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 1). Baltimore, MD:American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  4. Sherraden, M., Stuart, P., Barth, R. P., Kemp, S., Lubben, J., Hawkins, J.D., Coulton, C., McRoy, R., Walters, K., Healy, L., Angell, B., Mahoney, K., Brekke, J., Padilla, Y., DiNitto, D., Padgett, D., Schroepfer, T., & Catalano, R., (2014).Grand accomplishments in social work(Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 2). Baltimore, MD: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  5. Uehara, E.S., Barth, R.P., Olson, S., Catalano, R.F., Hawkins, J.D., Kemp, S., Nurius, P.S., Padgett, D.K., & Sherraden, M. (2014). Identifying and tackling grand challenges for social work (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 3). Baltimore, MD: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  6. Barth, Richard P.; Gilmore, Grover C.; Flynn, Marilyn S.; Fraser, Mark W.; Brekke, John S. (2014-03-18). "The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare". Research on Social Work Practice. 24 (4): 495–500. doi:10.1177/1049731514527801.
  7. Uehara, Edwina; Flynn, Marilyn; Fong, Rowena; Brekke, John; Barth, Richard P.; Coulton, Claudia; Davis, King; DiNitto, Diana; Hawkins, J. David (2013). "Grand Challenges for Social Work". Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. 4 (3): 165–170. doi:10.5243/jsswr.2013.11.
  8. Padilla, Yolanda C.; Fong, Rowena (2016). "Identifying Grand Challenges Facing Social Work in the Next Decade: Maximizing Social Policy Engagement". Journal of Policy Practice. 15 (3): 133–144. doi:10.1080/15588742.2015.1013238.
  9. Coffey, Darla (March 2016). "The Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative and Our Future". The New Social Worker Magazine.
  10. "American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare". Market Wired Press Release. January 14, 2016.
  11. https://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/news/2016/03/social-work-grand-challenges.asp?back=yes
  12. Fanning, Patricia (January 15, 2016). "SSW Plays Role in Grand Challenges for Social Work". University of Maryland Baltimore, Press Release.
  13. DeVylder, J. E. (2015). Prevention of schizophrenia and severe mental illness (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 6). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  14. DeVylder, Jordan (2016). "Preventing Schizophrenia and Severe Mental Illness". Research on Social Work Practice. 26 (4): 449–459. doi:10.1177/1049731515622687.
  15. Hawkins, J. D., Jenson, J. M., Catalano, R. F., Fraser, M. W., Botvin, G. J., Shapiro, V., … the Coalition for Behavioral Health. (2015). Unleashing the power of prevention (Grand Challenge for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 10). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare
  16. Hawkins, J. D., J. M. Jenson, R. Catalano, M. W. Fraser, G. J. Botvin, V. Shapiro, C. H. Brown, W. Beardslee, D. Brent, L. K. Leslie, M. J. Rotheram-Borus, P. Shea, A. Shih, E. Anthony, K. P. Haggerty, K. Bender, D. Gorman-Smith, E. Casey, and S. Stone. 2015. Unleashing the Power of Prevention. Discussion Paper, Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, Washington, DC
  17. Andrew Reynolds says (2015-12-16). "BCSSW PhD Candidate Tackles the Grand Challenges through Social Network Research". Innovate@BCSocialWork. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  18. Begun, A. L., Clapp, J. D., & The Alcohol Misuse Grand Challenge Collective. (2015). Preventing and reducing alcohol misuse and its consequences: A grand challenge for social work (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 14). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  19. Walters, K. L., Spencer, M. S., Smukler, M., Allen, H. L., Andrews, C., Browne, T., … Uehara, E. (2016). Health equity: Eradicating health inequalities for future generations (Grand Challenges forSocial Work Initiative Working Paper No. 19). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  20. "Social Work Grand Challenges and the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals: Linking Social Work and Women's Health (PDF Download Available)". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  21. Edleson, J. L, Lindhorst, T., & Kanuha, V. K. (2015). Ending Gender-Based Violence: A Grand Challenge for Social Work (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 15). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  22. Barth, R. P., Putnam-Hornstein, E., Shaw, T. V., & Dickinson, N. S. (2015). Safe children: Reducing severe and fatal maltreatment (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 17). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  23. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2016). Preventing multiple forms of violence: A strategic vision for connecting the dots. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/strategic_vision.pdf: Atlanta, GA: Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. pp. 4–12.
  24. Barth, Richard; Macy, Rebecca. "Grand challenge of Ending Family Violence". Grand Challenges for Social Work. New York: Oxford and NASW Press.
  25. Morrow-Howell, N., Gonzales, E., Matz-Costa, C., Greenfield, E. A. (2015). Increasing productive engagement in later life (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 8). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  26. Lubben, J., Gironda, M., Sabbath, E. Kong, J., & Johnson, C. (2015). Social isolation presents a grand challenge for social work (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 7). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  27. Laurio, Alison (June 2016). "Isolation seen as critical social problem". NASW News.
  28. "Isolation seen as critical social problem". socialworkers.org. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  29. Henwood, B. F., Wenzel, S., Mangano, P. F., Hombs, M., Padgett, D., Byrne, T., … Uretsky, M. (2015). The grand challenge of ending homelessness (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 9). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  30. Larkin, Heather; Henwood, Benjamin; Fogel, Sondra J.; Aykanian, Amanda; Briar-Lawson, Katharine H.; Donaldson, Linda Plitt; Herman, Daniel; Little, Samuel B.; Meyer-Adams, Nancy (2016-09-08). "Responding to the Grand Challenge to End Homelessness: The National Homelessness Social Work Initiative". Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. 97 (3): 153–159. doi:10.1606/1044-3894.2016.97.31.
  31. Kemp, S. P., & Palinkas, L. A. (with Wong, M., Wagner, K., Reyes Mason, L., Chi, I., … Rechkemmer, A.). (2015). Strengthening the social response to the human impacts of environmental change (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 5). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  32. Berzin, S. C., Singer, J., & Chan, C. (2015). Practice innovation through technology in the digital age: A grand challenge for social work (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 12). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  33. Coulton, C. J., Goerge, R., Putnam-Hornstein, E., & de Haan, B. (2015). Harnessing big data for social good: A grand challenge for social work (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 11). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  34. ""Grand Challenges for Social Work" Identify Top Social Problems; Coulton Moderates Challenge on Technology". Case Western Reserve University, Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.
  35. Inc., Great Valley Publishing Company. "The High-Tech Social Worker -- Myth or Reality?". www.socialworktoday.com. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  36. "Thoughts on the Grand Challenges paper: "Practice Innovation through Technology in the Digital Age: A Grand Challenge for Social Work"". 2016-02-17. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  37. Pettus-Davis, C., & Epperson, M. W. (2015). From mass incarceration to smart decarceration (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 4). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  38. "Registry Reform" (PDF).
  39. Lein, L., Romich, J. L., & Sherraden, M. (2015). Reversing extreme inequality (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 16). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  40. Sherraden, M. S., Huang, J., Frey, J. J., Birkenmaier, J., Callahan, C., Clancy, M. M., & Sherraden, M. (2015). Financial capability and asset building for all (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 13). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  41. Goldbach, J. T., Amaro, H., Vega W., & Walter M. D. (2015). The grand challenge of promoting equality by addressing social stigma (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 18). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  42. Calvo, R., Ortiz, L., Padilla, Y. C., Waters, M. C., Lubben, J., Egmont, W., . . . Villa, P. (2015). Achieving equal opportunity and justice: the integration of Latino/a immigrants into American society (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Working Paper No. 20). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  43. Teasley, M. L., McRoy, R. G., Joyner, M., Armour, M., Gourdine, R. M., Crewe, S. E., … Fong, R. (2017). Increasing success for African American children and youth (Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative Working Paper No. 21). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
  44. Teasley, Martell L. (2015-07-01). "Social Work Grand Challenges: An Opportunity to Increase Student Success". Children & Schools. 37 (3): 131–133. doi:10.1093/cs/cdv019. ISSN 1532-8759.
  45. "Social Innovation for America's Renewal: Ideas, Evidence, Action, Washington University in St Louis".
  46. "Grand Challenges in Social Work, Colloquia series focuses on challenges ahead for the profession". Berkeley Social Welfare.
  47. "Announcement of Special Issue, Call for Papers, Ensure Healthy Development of All Youth Through the Power of Prevention" (PDF).
  48. "USC Suzanne Dworak Peck School of Social Work".
  49. "Washington University in St Louis, Center for Social Development".
  50. "Grand Challenges for Social Work: Achieving Measurable Progress for Society Through Social Work and Science" (PDF). Connections Magazine, University of Maryland, School of Social Work.
  51. Jenson, Jeffrey (2017). "Special Section: Implementing the Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative A Note From the Editor-in-Chief". Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. 8: 71–73. doi:10.1086/690618.
  52. Uehara, Edwina S.; Barth, Richard P.; Coffey, Darla; Padilla, Yolanda; McClain, Angelo (2017-01-23). "An Introduction to the Special Section on Grand Challenges for Social Work". Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. 8 (1): 75–85. doi:10.1086/690563. ISSN 2334-2315.
  53. Nurius, Paula S.; Coffey, Darla Spence; Fong, Rowena; Korr, Wynne Sandra; McRoy, Ruth (2017-01-24). "Preparing Professional Degree Students to Tackle Grand Challenges: A Framework for Aligning Social Work Curricula". Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. 8 (1): 99–118. doi:10.1086/690562. ISSN 2334-2315.
  54. Gehlert, Sarah; Hall, Kara L.; Palinkas, Lawrence A. (2017-01-25). "Preparing Our Next-Generation Scientific Workforce to Address the Grand Challenges for Social Work". Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. 8 (1): 119–136. doi:10.1086/690659. ISSN 2334-2315.
  55. R. Fong, J. Lubben, & R. P. Barth (Eds).  (in press). Grand Challenges for Social Work and Society. Washington, DC and New York:  NASW and Oxford University Presses. 
  56. Housing First: Ending Homelessness, Transforming Systems, and Changing Lives. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. 2015-11-03. ISBN 978-0-19-998980-5.
  57. Smart Decarceration: Achieving Criminal Justice Transformation in the 21st Century. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. 2017. ISBN 978-0-19-065309-5.
  58. "Grand Challenges in Social Work | Berkeley Social Welfare". socialwelfare.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  59. "University of Iowa Conference on Grand Challenges" (PDF).
  60. Berzin, S. C., Coulton, C. J., Goerge, R., Hitchcock, L., Putnam-Hornstein, E., Sage, M., & Singer, J. (2016, September). Policy recommendations for meeting the Grand Challenge to Harness Technology for Social Good (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Policy Brief No. 8). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare.
  61. Brown, S., Casey, E. A., Crewe, S. E., Gironda, M., Johnson, C., Lubben, J., … Tracy, E. (2016, September). Policy recommendations for meeting the Grand Challenge to Eradicate Social Isolation (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Policy Brief No. 5). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare.
  62. Elliott, W., III, Henly, J. R., Lambert, S. J., Lein, L., Romich, J. L., Shanks, T. R., & Sherraden, M. (2016, September). Policy recommendations for meeting the Grand Challenge to Reduce Extreme Economic Inequality (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Policy Brief No. 10). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare.
  63. Epperson, M., & Pettus-Davis, C. (2016, September). Policy recommendations for meeting the Grand Challenge to Promote Smart Decarceration (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Policy Brief No. 9). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare.
  64. Hawkins, J. D., Jenson, J. M., DeVylder, J., Catalano, R. F., Botvin, G. J., Fraser, M., … Bumbarger, B. (2016, September). Policy recommendations for meeting the Grand Challenge to Ensure Healthy Development for All Youth (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Policy Brief No. 1). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare.
  65. Huang, J., Sherraden, M. S., Clancy, M. M., Sherraden, M., Birkenmaier, J., Despard, M., … Rothwell, D. (2016, September). Policy recommendations for meeting the Grand Challenge to Build Financial Capability and Assets for All (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Policy Brief No. 11). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare.
  66. Kemp, S. P., Mason, L. R., Palinkas, L. A., Rechkemmer, A., & Teixeira, S. (2016, September). Policy recommendations for meeting the Grand Challenge to Create Social Responses to a Changing Environment (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Policy Brief No. 7). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare.
  67. Kulkarni, S. J., Barth, R. P., & Messing, J. T. (2016, September). Policy recommendations for meeting the Grand Challenge to Stop Family Violence (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Policy Brief No. 3). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare.
  68. McRoy, R. G., Padilla, Y. C., Calvo, R., Goldbach, J. T., & Teasley, M. L. (with Amaro, H., … Waters, M. C.). (2016, September). Policy recommendations for meeting the Grand Challenge to Achieve Equal Opportunity and Justice (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Policy Brief No. 12). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare.
  69. Morrow-Howell, N., Gonzales, E., & Matz-Costa, C. (2016, September). Policy recommendations for meeting the Grand Challenge to Advance Long and Productive Lives (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Policy Brief No. 4). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare.
  70. Padgett, D. K., Henwood, B. F., & Culhane, D. P. (2016, September). Policy recommendations for meeting the Grand Challenge to End Homelessness (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Policy Brief No. 6). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare.
  71. Spencer, M. S., Walters, K. L., & Clapp, J. D. (2016, September). Policy recommendations for meeting the Grand Challenge to Close the Health Gap (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Policy Brief No. 2). Cleveland, OH: American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare.
  72. Lewis, Charles. "Social Work, Civic Engagement and the 12 Grand Challenges". Social Justice Solutions.
  73. "Implementing the Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative – School of Social Work, University of Illinois". socialwork.illinois.edu. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  74. Baron, Sam; McLaughlin, Hugh (2017). "Grand challenges: a way forward for social work?". Social Work Education. 36 (1): 1–5. doi:10.1080/02615479.2017.1283729.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.