Towards competency-based workforce development: Collaboration between United States and Russian federation child welfare faculty

Competency models offer one strategy in a comprehensive approach to improve recruitment, selection, preparation and retention of the child welfare workforce. The Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College in... [ view full abstract ]

Competency models offer one strategy in a comprehensive approach to improve recruitment, selection, preparation and retention of the child welfare workforce. The Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College in partnership with the University of Ishevsk in the Urdmurt Region of the Russian Federation are collaborating to develop cultural competencies across the child welfare functions of child protection, prevention and out of home care that will be incorporated into curriculum development for social workers planning to work in child welfare.

Beginning in 2014 with funding from the Eurasia Foundation, the Silberman School of Social Work has partnered with colleagues in Russia to undertake an endeavor to examine child welfare systems in both countries, identify areas of mutual concern and improve outcomes for families, children and youth in both countries. This presentation will continue to discuss the benefits and challenges of trans-national collaboration, the strategies and support needed for partners to identify common issues, desired goals and outcomes. Building on the groundwork laid in previous collaborations we will address how to effectively sustain knowledge building and the effort needed to disseminate shared knowledge. In 2015 Russian colleagues from Ishevsk were hosted in New York where they were able to observe directly how public child welfare agencies work directly with social work faculty to develop curriculum content for the future child welfare workforce. In a mutual exchange American colleagues traveled to Ishevsk in December 2015 and April 2016 to present a series of special seminars on curriculum innovation to reflect a focus on competency models.

We will identify lessons learned and the potential for continued learning including the support of students interested in the field of child welfare to collaborate on thesis development and faculty research in specific areas of mutual concern.