Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior. Engage diversity and difference in practice. Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
These are among the nine drafts CalSWEC Curriculum Competencies for Public Child Welfare, Behavioral Health, and Aging in California—the result of two years of extensive review and input.Now, the draft has been issued for public comment; the deadline for input is April 9.
NOTE: Persons interested in commenting should review the CalSWEC Curriculum Competencies for Public Child Welfare, Behavioral Health, and Aging in California, then use this link to provide their comments.
The competencies are intended for use by the CalSWEC consortium schools to support the preparation of stipend recipients in child welfare, integrated behavioral health, and potentially aging for work in their respective fields. Periodically revised to reflect current developments in social work practice and education, these competencies serve as a model for collaborative curriculum development across the nation.
Comprehensive Revision Process
CalSWEC began the revision process of the competencies in January 2016 after the Council on Social Work Education in 2015 revised its Educational Policy and Accreditations Standards (EPAS) for Baccalaureate and Master’s Social Work Programs by which it sets national standards for the identification and assessment of competencies in the education of social work students.
In July 2016, the CalSWEC competencies workgroup invited review and comment on the initial draft of the competencies by a large group of CalSWEC stakeholders, including representatives from the university, county, Tribal, training, and other CalSWEC partner entities, with expertise in the fields of public child welfare, behavioral health, and aging.
To facilitate this process, CalSWEC created and distributed an online review tool to all workgroup participants. After the end of the 10-week review period, CalSWEC Central staff analyzed and incorporated the feedback to produce the next draft Curriculum Competencies document. A smaller workgroup of CalSWEC partners with knowledge and experience in the identified subject areas convened and reviewed the document that went out for public comment.
Reorganized and More Inclusive
The draft 2017 CalSWEC Curriculum Competencies document is organized differently than its previous rendition; this one presents behaviors associated with both generalist practice and specialized practice, as well as behaviors associated with public child welfare, behavioral health, and aging in a single document. This new organization is aligned with CWSE EPAS.
Prior to this latest revision, the MSW Curriculum Competencies for Public Child Welfare in California, Curriculum Competencies for Mental Health in California, and Curriculum Competencies Aging in California were revised in 2011; the MSW Curriculum Competencies for Public Child Welfare in California were revised in 2013.