New social work center dedicated to children Archived article from Oct 27, 2000 By Stacey B. Hersh   In an effort to better serve New Jersey’s children and families, the School of Social Work has announced the creation of a Center for Children and Families at the university. The center is the latest development in an ongoing collaboration between the School of Social Work and the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS). The center will focus on policy analysis, research and training to improve available social services and better meet the needs of children and families throughout the state. The center will provide opportunities for the development of innovative training techniques and new educational curricula, serve as a forum for exchanging ideas and disseminating information, and provide a venue for faculty, visiting scholars and students to engage in applied research and policy analysis. “The focus of the center is to find the most effective ways to support and strengthen families, ensure the safety and well-being of children, and develop social welfare policy that benefits all families, particularly low-income minority families and their children at the state, national and international level,” said Mary Edna Davidson, dean of the School of Social Work. The center will handle a variety of projects including: Developing models for assessing program effectiveness, and determining optimal types of services and the best methods for service delivery; Examining trends in client growth to better manage shifts in client needs and to project future budgetary requirements; Creating mapping tools to better understand trends such as the development of foster homes and where foster children are being placed in specific communities; Developing innovative training tools, such as an interactive CD-ROM, that provide child-welfare professionals with the latest techniques for identifying and handling children and families at risk. Several existing School of Social Work/DYFS partnership programs will be housed within the new center, which will also focus on community outreach efforts. In addition, the center will create opportunities for exchanges between human services agencies and the university that will provide hands-on learning and strengthen existing relationships. “The Center for Children and Families truly fulfills the commitment we made to the state Legislature when the School of Social Work was established in 1954: to prepare and train people to work in the public sector and to serve the citizens, children and families of New Jersey,” said Davidson.

For questions or comments about this site, contact Greg Trevor Last Updated: May 30, 2006 © 2012 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. All rights reserved.