University of Maryland, Baltimore

Problem : The Center for MCH Social Work Education provides a national focus on public health social work leadership development and developing management skills in MCH practitioners.

Goals and Objectives:

Goal 1: Increase the number of master degree specialists in maternal and child health social work Objective 1: Within five years to identify and train 75 additional MSW students with a specialty focus in maternal and child health social work, at least one-fifth (20%) of whom will be members of minority groups. Goal 2: Increase the number of Ph.D. candidates pursing research and teaching careers in maternal and child health Objective 1: Within five years, to identify, recruit and mentor three (3) Ph.D social work candidates, enrolled within the University of Maryland School of Social Work, who are committed to research and teaching careers in maternal and child health. Goal 3: Increase the number of MPH/ MSW public health social workers holding joint degrees from the University of Maryland School of Social Work and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Objective 1: Within five years, to identify, recruit and graduate twenty (20) MSWstudents with specialty training in MCH leadership skills, of whom (10) will be enrolled in the MSW/MPH program, jointly sponsored by the University of Maryland School of Social Work and the John’s Hopkins School of Public Health Goal 4: Develop a national leadership/management training academy, for public health program managers, using a combination of distance education technology and immersion classroom experiences Objective 1: create a Maternal and Child Health Leadership/Management Training Academy, incorporating distance education technology and immersion learning experiences Goal 5: Create and disseminate Maternal and Child Health culturally sensitive curriculum modules, incorporating an interdisciplinary and public health perspective, for schools of social work Objective 1: Create , test and disseminate five (5) Maternal and Child Health curriculum modules, incorporating an interdisciplinary culturally sensitive public health perspective for schools of social work throughout the nation.

Methodology:

Methods include the development and maintenance of an MCH curriculum within the school of social work; selection and training of leadership stipend recipients; Pre-doctoral fellowship in Maternal and Child Health Social Work; producing MCH curriculum modules for MSW programs; developing and implementing a leadership/management training academy MCH managers nationally.

Coordination:

Coordination with other MCH Social Work Leadership training projects throughout the country will occur on a regular basis and in-person once per year. The three national projects will develop a national advisory board for MCH continuing education and colaborate when possible.

Evaluation:

Modules will be tested by selected schools of social work throughout the nation. Existing MSW program evaluation mechanisms ( SSW Project Advisory Committee; end of semester evaluations) will be used to measure master and doctoral fellow satisfaction with the curriculum. Standardized measures of self-efficacy, cultural competence and leadership skills will be used to measure all trainees (pre and post training) MCH students are evaluated using standard course work measures and exams.