Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research 1993–2003

Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research1993-2003A Decade of Linking Policy,Practice, and Education throughthe Advancement of ResearchRESEARCHPRACTICEIASWREDUCATIONPOLICY

Institutefor theAdvancementof Social WorkResearch1993-2003A Decade of Linking Policy,Practice, and Education throughthe Advancement of ResearchWhat is IASWR’s Mission?The Institute for the Advancement of SocialWork Research (IASWR) was founded in 1993,in response to “the crisis in the development ofresearch resources” declared by the Task Forceon Social Work Research (1991). Five majorsocial work organizations joined together toprovide the core support to create IASWR, a501 C-3 organization based in Washington,DC. IASWR works to fulfill the followingmission:• To strengthen the research capacity of thesocial work profession to study problems ofserious concern to society, and to advance thescientific basis for solving social problems.• To promote the use of evidence-based researchto improve practice, program development,policy, and thus, the quality of life, especiallyfor underserved individuals, families, groupsand communities.• To enhance the voice of the profession in thenational scientific community and in publicpolicy determinations, through partnershipswith interdisciplinary and social workorganizations, and outreach to federalagencies.What is Social Work Research?Social work research addresses psychosocialproblems, preventive interventions, treatment ofacute and chronic conditions, and community,organizational, policy and administrative issues.Covering the lifespan, social work research mayaddress clinical, services and policy issues. Itbenefits consumers, practitioners, policymakers,educators, and the general public by:• Examining prevention and interventionstrategies for health and mental health,child welfare, aging, substance abuse,community development, managed care,housing, economic self-sufficiency, familywell-being, and more.• Studying the strengths, needs, and interrelationshipsof individuals, families,groups, neighborhoods, and socialinstitutions.• Providing evidence for improved servicedelivery and public policiesRapid expansion in research efforts,enhancement of the social work researchinfrastructure and a renewed focus onknowledge development has occurred overthe past decade. A growing number of socialworkers are undertaking rigorous researchstudies, and receiving researcher-initiated,2 Tenth Anniversary Report

esearch career development, researchinfrastructure and research training grants.Recent contributions from social work researchinclude studies that address:• Psychosocial assessment and interventionstrategies for persons at risk of and livingwith cancer• Access to mental health services for youthin urban and rural settings• Depression among elders in long term careand home health care settings• HIV/AIDS prevention and intervention inurban communities• School based violence prevention effortstargeted to youth• Risk factors associated with poverty andmental illness• Community-based child maltreatmentprevention models• Resilience factors for diverse groupsexperiencing trauma• Co-occurring disorders of substance abuseand mental illness.• Assessment and interventions forindividuals dealing with the multiple riskfactors associated with poverty anddomestic violenceWhat does IASWR do?IASWR provides both new and experiencedresearchers with the knowledge and skillsnecessary to prepare successful grants, obtainfunding, and gain knowledge about emergingresearch relevant to social work. It offersresearchers the opportunity to participate inworkshops on cutting-edge research techniquesfrom leading researchers and methodologists.Through building and strengthening ofrelationships with federal agencies, and bydemonstrating the profession’s capacity toconduct quality research, IASWR has beensuccessful in advancing social work researchwithin the federal sphere.In its ten-year history, the IASWR staff, boardof directors, consultants and scientific advisorshave worked successfully:• To establish a national social work researchpresence in Washington DC.• To expand opportunities for social workresearch.• To mentor social work researchers.• To disseminate findings to inform policyand improve practice.• To represent the profession in scientific andpolicy communities, including byestablishing linkages with other relateddisciplines and national organizations.Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research 1993–20033

Training ResearchersIn 2000, with support from the NationalInstitute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), IASWRdeveloped a researcher training curriculumused by NIDA in three regional technicalassistance workshops.In summer 2003 IASWR twice hosted aresearch training workshop, Rigorous andRelevant Qualitative Methods in SocialWork Research. Over 100 doctoral students,social work educators (from assistantprofessors to deans), and agency-basedresearchers learned cutting-edgemethodology from expert faculty DeborahK. Padgett, New York University, James W.Drisko, Smith College, and SuzanneHeurtin-Roberts, National Cancer Institute.Each year IASWR invites federal programstaff and successfully funded researchers toprovide pre-conference technical assistancesessions for doctoral students and faculty inconjunction with the Society for SocialWork and Research Conference. In 2003 inWashington, DC more than 300participated in these sessions.4 Tenth Anniversary ReportIn 2001, IASWR embarked on implementing aStrategic Plan with three major emphases:Development of Research and Researchers,Bridging Research and Practice, and ConnectingResearch and Policy. At this tenth anniversary ofIASWR’s founding, it is important to celebrateaccomplishments and highlight the changes thathave occurred to enhance the research enterpriseand knowledge building within the profession.HIGHLIGHTS 1993-2003DEVELOPMENT OF RESEARCHAND RESEARCHERSIASWR works to develop research andresearchers through:• Advocacy with federal agencies to promoteopportunities for social work researchersand to identify the contributions fromsocial work research. Social work advocacyresulted in NIMH’s funding social workresearch development centers between 1993and 2000, and NIDA’s funding of sevenresearch infrastructure developmentprograms in schools of social work between2000 and 2003. The overall number ofsocial work researchers funded by NIH(including doctoral students, K awards,senior researchers and centers) more thantripled since 1993.• Collaboration with federal partners,provider organizations, foundations, andprofessional organizations to focus onresearch agenda setting, and researchstrategies, and dissemination of research.• Dissemination and exchange of informationregarding social work research opportunities,funding, and research findings throughour weekly listserv announcements, andsemi-annual newsletter, IASWResearch…Reports… Resources.• Offering presentations and workshops atconferences of our sponsoring organizationsand at individual social work educationprograms on grant writing, fundingopportunities, and emerging areas ofresearch priorities.• Hosting summer research methods trainingworkshops, intensive faculty developmentinstitutes on relevant social work researchissues, and research training curriculumworkshops.• Connecting social work researchers withfederal program officers.• Making grant writing resources availablethrough the IASWR website and listservannouncements www.iaswresearch.org.

BRIDGING RESEARCHAND PRACTICECollaboration with NationalOrganizationsIASWR has built bridges to national groupswith shared agendas to address common issues,identify the current state of research, and topromote evidence-based practices. Areas forresearch receiving attention include child welfarepractice, social worker recruitment and retention,aging, end of life, oncology, women’s health,mental health, substance abuse, veteran’s affairs,health disparities, family violence, economicsecurity, co-occurring disorders, and theeffectiveness and the efficacy of social workinterventions.IASWR partners with an array of interdisciplinaryorganizations and coalitions, i.e.,the Coalition for the Advancement of Healththrough Behavioral and Social Science Research(CAHT-BSSR), the Consortium of SocialScience Associations, the National Associationof Public Child Welfare Administrators, theChild Welfare League of America, the NationalChild Abuse Coalition, the National Children’sMental Health Training and TechnicalAssistance Center at Georgetown University, theFederation of Behavioral, Psychological andCognitive Sciences, the Decade of Behavior, theGerontological Society of America, the ad-hocAdvocates for Quality Social Work in LongTerm Care and the National LeadershipCoalition on Social Work and Aging.Through these relationships, IASWR helps todevelop social work research initiatives, bringgreater visibility to the contributions of socialwork researchers, and disseminate and diffuseresearch information to the social workcommunity.Connecting Research and Practice• A series of summer institutes for BSW andMSW faculty to incorporate recent mentalhealth research findings into social workcurricula were held between 1996 and1998.• IASWR assisted in the development anddissemination of a gerontological socialwork research agenda which involved inputfrom researchers and practitioners.• With the growing focus on ‘evidence-basedpractices’, IASWR tracks federal efforts,participates in the Campbell Collaboration,and informs the social work communityabout resources and relevant researchfindings.• IASWR collaborated with NASW toexamine the current state of social workShowcasing SocialWork ResearchContributions“Moving Forward: Social WorkContributions to Mental Health Research"a June 2002 NIMH-sponsored, invitationalsymposium featured social work researchpresentations on the personal, cultural,and community dynamics of the promotionof mental health and prevention andtreatment of mental illness.In July 2003, IASWR convened representativesfrom the CDC Injury Center and the socialwork profession to highlight social workresearch contributions to the Injury Center’sResearch Agenda in regard to preventingdomestic violence and child maltreatmentand the interconnectedness of the multiplelevels of violence.Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research 1993–20035

PROJECT SAFeFollowing a five year effort led by PrincipalInvestigator Kathleen Ell, to systematicallytest an evidence-based case managementapproach to improve cancer screeningfollow-up adherence, the Project SAFeToolkit is now available. Funded by theNational Breast and Cervical Cancer EarlyDetection Program (NBCCEDP) at theCDC, PROJECT SAFe implemented ahealth education counseling and systemsnavigation protocol, adding mental healthscreening and assessment, and intensivepsychosocial counseling for women withspecial needs. The target population wasmedically under-served, ethnic minority,low income women from diversepopulations. PROJECT SAFe improvedadherence significantly over baselinerates. The Toolkit includes a selfinstructionaltraining manual which canguide adoption in practice settings orserve as a teaching resource.involvement in psychosocial oncologyresearch and to connect with researchersand practitioners examining effectivedissemination strategies, as part of anemerging collaboration with NCI.• Representing social work, participated inNCI and Center for the Advancement ofHealth meeting on “Designing forDissemination,” and CDC and LanceArmstrong Foundation meeting on setting acancer survivor research agenda for CDC.Communicating with practitioners,educators and researchers.• IASWR Listserv Announcements is the onlyonline newsletter produced specificallyfor the social work research community.Reaching out to more than 1500 subscribers(including deans, doctoral programdirectors, agency-based researchers, faculty,and individual researchers) the listservprovides an array of useful resources includinginformation on funding opportunities, callsfor papers, conferences, and social workrelevant research findings and reports. Thesuccess of the listserv has been demonstratedby almost tripling subscribership in threeyears – with readership continuing to growon a weekly basis.• The IASWR website provides a centralplace for accessing resources for social workresearchers as well as for informing thepublic of the profession’s researchaccomplishments. We plan future expansionof the website and a collaboration withNASW for their newly launched researchpage in Fall 2003.• IASWResearch..Reports..Resources is asemiannual newsletter distributed to thesocial work community to provideinformation on national research priorities,research resources and IASWR activities.CONNECTING RESEARCHAND POLICYExpand Influence and Collaborationwith Federal AgenciesOver the decade IASWR has expanded its workwith federal agencies, beyond the NationalInstitute of Mental Health and the NationalInstitute on Drug Abuse. IASWR promotesopportunities for social work research(ers) withthe Office of Behavioral and Social ScienceResearch (OBSSR), the National CancerInstitute (NCI), the National Institute onAlcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA),National Institute on Aging (NIA), and the6 Tenth Anniversary Report

National Institute on Child Health and HumanDevelopment (NICHD) at NIH; the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health ServicesAdministration (SAMHSA), the Administrationon Children and Families, the Agency forHealthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) andthe Health Resources and ServicesAdministration (HRSA) at the Department ofHealth and Human Services, and with theDepartment of Veterans’ Affairs (VA),Department of Defense (DOD), and theUnited States Air Force (USAF).IASWR’s work includes sharing findings fromsocial work research efforts, promoting thedevelopment of social work research agendas;encouraging social work researcher participationon review committees and advisory groups;facilitating the development of collaborativeefforts and funding opportunities for socialwork researchers and practitioners, andpromoting sponsorship of social work specificresearch infrastructure building opportunities.Specific Research to Policy Efforts• Co-sponsor of the biannual Student PolicyPractice Forum on Capitol Hill, whichprovides students with an opportunity tosee first hand the involvement of socialworkers in the policy-making process andthe importance of social work research inthose efforts.• Active participation in the Action Networkfor Social Work Education and Research(ANSWER), a coalition of social workgroups advocating for federal legislation toenhance social work research opportunities.• Provide input and guidance to federalagencies on critical issues, e.g. addressinghealth disparities, aging research, childwelfare workforce, and psychosocial care innursing homes.• Develop on-going relationships withmembers of Congress to promote thecontributions of the social work profession.Assessing Progress inBuilding InfrastructureIASWR provided staff support for theNADD Task Force on AdministrativeResearch Infrastructures within Social WorkEducation Programs which prepared the1997 report Challenges and Opportunitiesfor Promoting Federally-funded Researchin Social Work Programs.David Austin, chair of the NIMH supportedTask Force on Social Work Research (1988-1991) assessed the advances made inaddressing the Task Force’s recommendationsin A Report on Progress in theDevelopment of Research Resources inSocial Work. (available on the IASWRwebsite)Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research 1993–20037

Capitol Hill BriefingIn February 2002, Curtis McMillen,Associate Professor, George Warren BrownSchool of Social Work, WashingtonUniversity spoke on “The Positive By-Products of Adversity” at a CongressionalBriefing, Health in a Stressful Worldsponsored by CAHT-BSSR.What are Sources of Support forIASWR Projects and ProgramsNational Institutes of Health• NIMH• NIDA• NIAAA• NCI• Office of Behavioral and Social ScienceResearchCenters for Disease Control and Prevention• National Breast and Cervical Cancer EarlyDetection Program• Center for Injury Prevention and ControlSubstance Abuse and Mental Health ServicesAdministration• Center for Mental Health ServicesDepartment of DefenseUnited States Air Force/Departmentof AgricultureNational Child Welfare Resource Centeron Family-Centered PracticeFord FoundationCasey Family ServicesHow Does the Social WorkCommunity Support IASWR?Core support for the activities of IASWR comesfrom leading social work practice, educationand research organizations:• Association of Baccalaureate Social WorkProgram Directors (BPD)• Council on Social Work Education(CSWE)• Group for the Advancement of DoctoralEducation (GADE)• National Association of Deans andDirectors of Schools of Social Work(NADD)• National Association of Social Workers(NASW)• Society for Social Work and Research(SSWR)8 Tenth Anniversary Report

Between 1999 and 2003, 52 social workeducation programs have directly supportedour technical assistance, training andcommunication activities. The thirteenhighlighted programs provided funds annually.Adelphi UniversityAndrews UniversityBoston UniversityBryn Mawr CollegeCase Western Reserve UniversityCSU, San BernardinoCSU, StanislausColumbia UniversityFlorida International UniversityFordham UniversityGallaudet UniversityJames Madison UniversityLouisiana State UniversityMichigan State UniversityNew York University2North Carolina Central UniversityOhio State UniversityPortland State UniversityRutgers UniversitySt. Ambrose UniversitySt. Louis UniversitySimmons CollegeSouthern Illinois UniversitySouthwest Texas State UniversitySyracuse UniversityUniversity of AlabamaUniversity of AlbanyUniversity of Arkansas, Little RockUniversity of BuffaloUniversity of ChicagoUniversity of DenverUniversity of GeorgiaUniversity of HoustonUniversity of Illinois, U-CUniversity of Illinois, ChicagoUniversity of KansasUniversity of KentuckyUniversity of MarylandUniversity of Maryland Baltimore CountyUniversity of MichiganUniversity of MinnesotaUniversity of PittsburghUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of South Carolina1University of TennesseeUniversity of Texas, AustinUniversity of UtahUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeVirginia Commonwealth UniversityWashington UniversityWayne State University1Distribution of Listserv2Information for PracticeInstitute for the Advancement of Social Work Research 1993–20039

WHO ARE WE?Board of Directors 2003-2004OfficersAnn Nichols-Casebolt, VirginiaCommonwealth University – PresidentJack Sellers, University of North Alabama –Vice PresidentMildred Joyner, West Chester University –Secretary/TreasurerMembersJeane Anastas, New York UniversityGary Bailey, Simmons CollegeFrank Baskind, VirginiaCommonwealth UniversityElizabeth Clark, National Associationof Social WorkersAnita Curry-Jackson,Wright State UniversityMartha M. Dore, Adelphi UniversityShanti Khinduka, Washington UniversityWilliam Meezan, University of MichiganJean Quam, University of MinnesotaJulia Watkins, Council onSocial Work EducationPast PresidentsRino Patti, University of SouthernCalifornia/San Diego State UniversityBarbara Berkman, Columbia UniversityLynn Videka, University of AlbanyDavid E. Biegel, Case WesternReserve UniversityCurrent StaffJoan Levy Zlotnik, Executive DirectorBarbara E. Solt, Senior Program AssociateBrenda Bustos, Administrative Coordinator10 Tenth Anniversary Report

“Social work research as it relates to thehealth of individuals sheds lighton the behavioral and socialdeterminants of wellness anddisease and helps to developeffective interventions forimproving health outcomes.”— NIH Plan for Social Work Research, May 2003, p.5

RESEARCHPRACTICEIASWREDUCATIONPOLICYInstitute for the Advancement ofSocial Work Research750 First Street NE, Suite 700Washington, DC 20002-4241202.336.8385202.336.8351 (FAX)iaswr@naswdc.orgwww.iaswresearch.org