Implementing the Public Health Social Work Forward Plan: A Research—Based Prevention Curriculum for Schools of Social Work

Abstract

In 1985, the Division of Maternal and Child Health of the U.S. Public Health Service funded a major working conference entitled "Public Health Social Work in Maternal and Child Health: A Forward Plan." Curriculum recommendations for schools of social work were made, including a recommendation for the integration of health and mental health content in the education of social workers within a public health conceptual framework. In 1986, the National Institute of Mental Health funded a three-year program to develop and evaluate a research-based prevention training curriculum for dissemination to schools of social work and other primary care professional schools. This article examines the Michigan Prevention Training and Curriculum Development Project from the perspective of the recommendations of the Public Health Social Work Forward Plan.

Public Health Social Work

“…Over the next 20 years, the social work literature highlighted the power of the public health model (Bracht, 1978;Hooeyman, Schwanke, & Yesnes, 1980;Roskin, 1980). Diligent efforts were made to introduce epidemiology to social workers and to promote prevention throughout social work education and in the workplace (Siefert, Jayaratne, & Martin, 1992;Tendler & Metzger, 1978;Wilkinson, Rounds, & Carr-Copeland, 2002). Many public health social work programs were created during the second half of the 20th century, as roles expanded beyond direct services to include program administration, research, planning and evaluation, and advocacy.…”

Disseminating Effective Community Prevention Practices: Opportunities for Social Work Education

“…In courses in which students learn about “human behavior in the social environment” students should be exposed to the longitudinal and epidemiologic studies that have identified risk and protective factors predictive of undesirable outcomes (Mason & Nakkula, 2008; Siefert, Jayaratne, & Martin, 1992). Content should include individual, interpersonal, and structural/systemic factors that interact and predict diverse mental, emotional, and behavioral outcomes.…”

“…Participants in the dual degree program saw social work as the ‘soft,’ though valued, side of their training (Ruth, Geron, Wyatt, Bachman, & Chiasson, 2006). Critics of the integration of public health content into social work fear it will medicalize the profession (Siefert, Jayaratne, & Martin, 1992). …”

“…A case study from the Risk and Prevention training program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education suggests that success is predicated on finding likeminded faculty, communicating to administration and recruits the importance and uniqueness of the program, ensuring eligibility for licensure, and translating the training to professional opportunities upon graduation (Mason & Nakkula, 2008). Others have suggested focusing first on bachelor's and doctoral training, so as to more quickly build a quorum of agency staff ready to carry out prevention work, change agency norms, and simultaneously prepare the next generation of faculty with skills to teach prevention content in master's training programs (Siefert, Jayaratne, & Martin, 1992). …”

Public Health and Social Work: Training Dual Professionals for the Contemporary Workplace

“…41,42 Mutually beneficial to schools of public health and social work, these dual programs attract students interested in research and professional leadership. 17,[43][44][45][46] Little is known about these programs. A small, descriptive study of one MSW/MPH program suggests graduates encounter challenges in social work and public health workplaces, including lack of familiarity and consensus about definitions, content, capabilities, and roles of PHSW in the 21st century.…”