Social Innovation for America’s Renewal: Ideas, Evidence, Action Grand Challenges for Social Work Policy Conference #Up4TheChallenge

The Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative Richard P. Barth, PhD, MSW Dean, University of Maryland, School of Social Work and President, AASWSW Washington University in St Louis, MO September 15, 2016 Good evening, everyone. Thank you for your kind introduction, and for inviting me to NYU to celebrate the end of year reception. Tonight I will discuss Grand Challenges for Social Work and the Opportunity to Create Social Progress, while building Social Work Science and Research Careers.  

Overview The How and Why of the Grand Challenges The Building of the BUZZ Re-Focusing on Policy Possible Paths Forward

AASWSW Established in 2009 through combined effort of 6 major social work organizations 6 original members has grown to 99 Intended to offer our nation a scientific resource for scholarship on social matters (as a complement to NAS, NAE, and other Academies)

Congress regularly asks AASWSW to lead the work to address social problems!

Grand Challenges is the First Major Initiative

The Grand Challenges have been led by the Academy but, at least as much, the Grand Challenges have propelled the Academy

Science of Social Work Soon after this, and a discussion at the first summer institute on the Science of Social Work, work began to create a Grand Challenges Executive Committee –under the auspices of the American Academy for Social Work and Social Welfare.

THE SOCIAL IS FUNDAMENTAL We live in a time when our nation seems strangely distracted from our own deep social needs. Now is the right time for social work to remind us all that “THE SOCIAL IS FUNDAMENTAL.”

Modifiable Factors That Influence Health Here is how the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Studies recently summarized that the “Social is Fundamental” in a $150M FOA, “The largest drivers of health care costs fall outside the clinical care environment: only 20 percent of the modifiable variation in health outcomes is due to clinical care, whereas 40 percent is due to social and economic determinants, 30 percent to health behaviors, and 10 percent to the physical environment. Some 500,000 hospitalizations could be averted annually if the rate of preventable hospitalizations were the same for residents of low- as high-income neighborhoods. We are the singular profession focused on strengthening social relationships in ways that improve the social epidemiology of well-being and that can also address and prevent a much broader range of disparities and inequities.

… And Nearly Everything Else Climate Change Mental Health Educational Outcomes Peace Longevity Family Functioning Crime Opportunity Justice Brain Development

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www. youtube-nocookie <iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/i6v5EFYnPjE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> < CLICK HERE TO PLAY VIDEO Since then, many groups have used a “grand challenges” approach, including the National Academy of Engineering (which has provided us with much inspiration and technical assistance), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the NIH. We know that the White House’s Office on Science and Technology is very interested in Grand Challenges.

So, I am sure you are asking by now “what is the intellectual history” of the Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative. Well, for that I refer you to the Academy working paper entitled “IDENTIFYING AND TACKLING GRAND CHALLENGES FOR SOCIAL WORK” or the related 2013 paper in JSSWR that Dean Edwina Uehara is the lead on entitled “GRAND CHALLENGES FOR SOCIAL WORK”.

We focused on thinking about which Grand Challenges social work has accepted and tackled in its 100 plus years –even if not explicitly stated as grand challenges. I referenced some of those in the early parts of this talk but I CONFIDENTLY refer you all to the AASWSW Working Papers entitled: Social is Fundamental: Introduction and Context for the Grand Challenges”  and “Grand Accomplishments of Social Work”  which are both INCREDIBLY worth reading.

Big, compelling and important Amenable to analysis, assessment, improvement Demonstrable progress in a decade Cross-sector interdisciplinary collaboration Significant innovation

Ensure healthy development for all youth Create social responses to a changing environment Close the health gap Harness technology for social good Stop family violence Promote smart decarceration Advance long and productive lives Reduce extreme economic inequality Eradicate social isolation Build financial capability for all End homelessness Achieve equal opportunity and justice These Grand Challenges contain enormous opportunities to improve life for hundreds of millions of people and to change our field. Indeed, The list of grand challenges, alone, may change the public’s perception of our field. When I showed this list to my boss, University of Maryland Baltimore President Jay Perman, a pediatric gastrointerologist, and expert on interprofessional education he told me in a flash. “This is GREAT.” I work with social workers in my clinic and am very proud of our school of social work but even I would have trouble explaining to a colleague what social work is about, beyond its work in health care, behavioral health treatment, and in helping people to get the benefits they need. Knowing that social work will be deeply invested in these 12 areas has great meaning for me.” I know that I speak for the Executive Committee in expressing our desire that millions more people—from HS sophomore’s to undergraduate students, to lawyers and teachers who are considering becoming career changers, to donors--will also learn from our selection of Grand Challenges. Now I’d like to take a moment to clarify what the Grand Challenges  are NOT.  

Successful GCs Launch at SSWR 2016!

Grand Challenges Progress   After the Launch at SSWR, 2016 - we are generating a BUZZ. Major Social Work Organizations are on board, and actively supportive (CSWE, GADE, NASW, NADD, NSWM, SSWR).

Social Change Through Practice Initially Practice Focused Inventing New Interventions Going to Scale with Existing Interventions

Re-Focusing on Policy

Where Are We and Where May We Be Going? The Grand Challenges are NOT grant proposals. We believe that the Grand Challenges will help generate resources to support our work through grants and prizes-- but that is not yet the case. Nor do all of the working papers that we drew on to select the grand challenges contain precisely articulated measurable outcomes and show an exact link between the past science and the desired outcome with a tightly engineered model that links the parts. Additionally many of the Grand Challenges do not have highly centralized organizations with pre-determined leadership. To the contrary, at this point, most Grand Challenges will need significant organizational development They also do not cover every topic of interest to this group in the way that you conceptualize your interests. We believe that there is a grand challenge that everyone can connect their work to but you may have to do some exploring and reframing. We are however confident that there will be multiple ways for you to join in this important effort.

Well, we are not where we could be… having dinner at the Beaulieu Vineyard in Napa Valley discussing the finer points of the wine’s finish with a sommelier!

Generating Information for Policy Making Thanks to Dilbert

Social Change: Science-to-Policy Filling Out the Current Evidence-Based Policy Making Framework Evidence Based Practice Expansion Analyzing the Strength of Evidence of Solutions in Comparison to the Sizes of the Problems Articulating the Risk and Resilience Perspective and ROI of programs

Address Broad Array of Social Policies Age friendly communities Climate change and urban resilience Unlocking government data to guide prevention Prison sentencing and solitary confinement Employment creation and wealth building Zero tolerance policies in schools

This Opportunity Begin to articulate a policy agenda that captures our profession’s attention (beyond narrower professional interests) Start strategies to engage elected officials and government agencies Communicate to engage external audiences, energize practitioners, and inspire new students to study social work

Broader Set of Policy Tools Beyond Advocacy Based on SW Values Interprofessional coalition building Integrated practice, research, and policy networks Social media impact for scientific solutions Mobilizing social work entities with a new unity of focus

That the profession will be unified in recognizing these 12 challenges and in its support for efforts to achieve measurable impact in the next decade!

Social Work is credited for lifting a Social Agenda and championing compelling policy changes Social Work is organized nationally to advocate and influence the policy process Social Workers are seen as critical to policy making Social Work Science gains new respect

… adopt Grand Challenges that Corporations… … adopt Grand Challenges END HOMELESSNESS

Strong National Practice Networks Emerge BUILDING BLOCKS NOW IN PLACE: GC Network Leads Webinars will be scheduled with each Network presenting research and sharing best practices Thread Through strategy with events at SSWR, CSWE, NASW, GADE, and in regions

Campuses and Centers Adopt Grand Challenges

Curriculum to Recruit New Students

Accelerated Knowledge Building

Steps From Imagining to Success Visualize the Steps to Take Networks Policy Development Policy Action Communication

Networks Differentiation of Roles Mini-Strategic Plans Operations Integration with Other Organizations

Policy Development Expression in Policy Framework Terms Equity of Purpose and Result Efficiency of Ideas Enhancing Liberty Security & Safety

Policy Action Mobilize Rights and Facts Anticipate Next Moves Build on Existing Platforms (NASW, CSWE, CRISP) Partner with Influentials

Communication Existing Networks and Tools N

The Grand Challenges offer all of us—the opportunity to be involved with something bigger than us at a historic time when the social has never been more fundamental and our profession has never had as much capacity to build on that understanding.  

Social Innovation for America’s Renewal: Ideas, Evidence, Action The Potential of the Grand Challenges Angelo McClain #Up4TheChallenge