Welcome to the Cohort 7 Post-Master's Certificate Program in Equity-Minded Practice starting September 9, 2024!

Jennifer Clackett, Coordinator

Bekah Darrigo, Teaching Fellow

Dr. Lisa Johnson, Professor

Dr. Mbita Mbao, Professor

Katie Peterson, Professor

Dr. Elspeth Slayter, Professor and Coordinator (617-678-4048)

We meet from 6:15-8:00 pm on all Mondays, excluding holidays.

Zoom link: https://salemstate.zoom.us/j/83758582178?pwd=8fkfODmUO9A1xuYQmOfSZvcUDSao97.1

Here are the dates:

9/9/24 Intro (led by Elspeth, all faculty present)
9/16/24 Race (led by Lisa and Elspeth)
9/23/24 Race (led by Lisa and Elspeth)
9/30/24 Race (led by Lisa and Elspeth)
10/7/24 Disability (led by Elspeth)
10/21/24 Disability (led by Elspeth)
10/28/24 Disability (led by Elspeth)
11/4/24 Mid-way check-in (led by Elspeth, all faculty present)
11/18/24 Immigration (led by Mbita)
11/25/24 Immigration (led by Mbita)
12/2/24 Immigration (led by Mbita)
12/9/24 Queer communities (led by Katie, Bekah)
12/16/24 Queer communities (led by Katie, Bekah)
1/6/25 Queer communities (led by Katie, Bekah)
1/13/25 Capstone (led by Elspeth, all faculty present)
1/27 Capstone/reflections (led by Elspeth, all faculty present)
2/17/25 Capstone status report to CEMP faculty (3 weeks into project)

Graduation TBD - Reports to Commissioner Miller (6+ weeks into project)

Please read the information below and then click on the "modules" link on the left side of this page to get started.

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We draw from the paradigm of equity-minded practice in social work education to conceptualize this certificate program, which will support DCF supervisors and managers’ development of knowledge and skills integral to critically culturally competent, intersectional, and anti-oppressive practice (Johnson, Slayter and Simmons, 2021). Equity-mindedness is the perspective or mode of thinking and practice exhibited by practitioners who call attention to patterns of inequity in client processes and outcomes (Council on Social Work Education, 2020). These practitioners take personal as well as institutional responsibility for the success of their clients, and critically reassess their own practices through engaging in reflectivity and reflexivity (Schön, 1983; 1987). Practitioners in this mode are intersectionality-conscious and aware of the social and historical context of oppressive practices in child welfare and ancillary systems. Our certificate program honors the need for social workers to be aware of a range of social identities, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, disability, sexuality, socioeconomic status (SES), and immigration status.

Learning Objectives

At the completion of the certificate program, participants will be able to:

Explain how their social identities inform their child welfare practice
Use data to identify inequitable processes and outcomes by social identity statuses
Discuss influences of various child welfare practices on processes and outcomes related to social identities
Exercise agency to contribute to equitable processes and outcomes for clients and colleagues of all social identities
View practice contexts and relationships as influenced by dynamics of privilege and oppression
Self-monitor interactions with clients and colleagues of different social identities

Participants will engage in weekly, 1 hour and 45 minute synchronous Zoom meetings on (Mondays) and approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes of asynchronous coursework (e.g., online exercises, discussion posts, and assessments) for a total of four hours of learning per week. Participants will also be expected to read or view course-related materials in advance of synchronous meetings.

A total of 30 CEUs will be available through the SSU School of Social Work (30 for coursework, completion certificate once capstone report and presentation are completed). To be awarded with a certificate of completion, participants must complete 90% of the asynchronous and synchronous work required by the program, as well as all requirements for the capstone. You can track your progress towards completion by monitoring the "Grades" section in Canvas to see how you are doing on asynchronous work and the "Attendance" section in Canvas for the synchronous work. Please click on this link for the rubric related to obtaining your certificate and CEUs. If you have to miss a session, for credit, you must complete your discussion post AND email a response to the in-class activity materials posted on Canvas to the leader of the class session as posted above.

In between Zoom sessions, you will be assigned reading and discussion activities to complete on your own. Please click the "Modules" link on the left side of this page to go to the Weekly materials.

We look forward to working with you! If you have questions, please contact Elspeth Slayter, coordinator of the program (eslayter@salemstate.edu).