Mapping and Matching: Statewide Community Needs and Student Demand for Social Workers

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Who’s Who? Project Lead Designee:

Charlotte Goodluck, Ph.D., BSW Program Director, School of Social Work

Primary Collaborators: Michael Taylor,Ph.D., CFS faculty, BSW Program

Committee, Family Studies Cluster Coordinator, University Studies

Dana Fuller, MSW, MSW Distance Program Coordinator/SSW

Katharine Cahn, Ph.D. Center for the Improvement of Child and Family Services/SSW

Community Partners: Gary Smith, MSW, MSW Distance Program, Bend, Oregon Gretchen Thiele, MSW, MSW Distance Program, Ashland,

Oregon2

School of Social Work

Ph.D. Program20 years

MSW Program50th Year serving Oregon as

the only School of Social Work.

20 years providing statewide distance education sites for MSW students in Bend, Ashland and Eugene.

Child & Family Studies20 years as

Interdisciplinary Professional Program at PSU

Experience in online access and education.

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Who Are We? Contextual Factors

The BSW Program Started in 2008, with 34 students, based on local and statewide demand for BSW level practitioners. We accept 60 students each Fall as a cohort. Accredited in 2011 by the Council on Social Work Education.

Pipeline For Success

The BSW Program has been successful in recruitment, retention, and graduation of a high percentage of students representing:

Non-traditional students, 1st generation, transfer from community colleges, high diversity (race, ethnicity), working full time, and required to travel long distances to attend classes on PSU campus.

Of cohort 3: 55% were students of color; cohort 4: 40% students of color and cohort 5: 47.5% were students of color.

The graduation rate for cohort 1 was 76%, cohort 2: 83%, and cohort 3: was 72%.

Overall graduation rate for entering freshman at PSU is

30-35%. Human services organizations across Oregon need generalist

(BSW) practioners to work in tribal, child welfare, health, and mental health programs.

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Need for Generalist Social Workers

The increasing need for social workers is particularly acute in Oregon.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has determined that from 2010 to 2020 the overall need for social workers will increase by 24.8% … (U.S. Department of Labor, 2012).

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Oregon’s total number of social workers per capita is 135 per 100,000 people resulting in a rank of 34th among states (Oregon State Board of Clinical Social Workers, December 2007).

Social workers are employed in many settings across Oregon: DHS, Veterans, mental health centers, homeless services, social services, hospitals, youth, DV, etc.

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Statewide Need

The community demand is for generalist social workers who can work with a variety of populations served by agencies including: child welfare, public human services, veteran’s, homeless, youth, aging, health, mental health, rural social services and family services.

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The Task To fund and implement a statewide

online Needs Assessment. Augmented with GIS enhanced software for

analytical purposes re results and mapping what currently exists and mapping with program needs/resources.

To find out exactly what the State of Oregon needs regarding undergraduate social work education.

Target Audience: Small, rural, reservation based and remote communities across Oregon.

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Goals of PSU BSW Program

“To provide a statewide program with the goal of preparing generalist social workers who are informed and effective leaders in challenging injustice and promoting social and economic change”.

This project is to map and match community needs, student demand, and statewide access for rural and tribal communities.

This goal was authorized by the BSW Program Committee, School of Social Work in tandem with community advocates in the early planning stages of the BSW Program.

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Matching and Mapping: Community Needs and Student Demand and

Access

County Subdivisions

Historical and Tribal Lands and Access

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Steps to Success

1. Identify the need with the development of an strategic GIS enabled online needs assessment survey to go to stakeholders within the state of Oregon;

2. Develop the online needs assessment with questions related to service providers, health care services, community agencies which already exist;

3. Take the data and analyze it using GIS software;

4. Present the findings and with this information take the necessary steps to construct a online distance statewide BSW Program.

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Program Possibilities

Depending on the results of the Needs Assessment

Design, implement, and grow an online and hybrid BASW degree to match with the needs of the State of Oregon workforce needs.

Work closely with community colleges, UNST, and CLAS for degree completion.

Build on capacity of current MSW program distance sites as platform for expanded access to community-based and online degree completion.

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“Providing a Pathway to Access

Social Work Education” Numerous stakeholders around the state have stated for

several years they want access to the BASW degree throughout Oregon.

Students will take advantage of this when developed. Communities will be enhanced by offering this degree and

it will provide a pathway for degree completion. Students can apply for Advanced Standing MSW Program

and complete Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in 5 years. Will build on and expand the expertise and community

partners of the MSW Distance site to additional rural and tribal communities.

Foster continued position relationships with tribal

communities and local community colleges. 12

Contact

Charlotte Goodluck, Ph.D. BSW Program DirectorSchool of Social Work

goodluck@pdx.edu

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Thank you for your time & interest!

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