CT Health Horizons

CT Health Horizons is a three-year higher education program designed to address statewide shortages in nursing and behavioral health providers. The program is a collaborative partnership between the University of Connecticut (UConn), Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, the Office of Workforce Strategy, multiple state agencies, the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges, and the Connecticut Hospital Association.

UConn School of Social Work (SSW) has been awarded more than $2 million from CT Health Horizons. Over three years, the SSW will use the funds to increase the number of social workers in Connecticut trained to serve the mental health needs of children and adolescents. The funds will be used to provide $1 million in student stipends, hire faculty, and support two targeted SSW strategies: to increase the number of Spanish-speaking, Master of Social Work (MSW)-level social workers in the state, and to increase the number of social workers in public schools.

 

Connecticut ¡Adelante!

As the U.S. Latino population hit a record number of 62.1 million in 2020, (Passel et al., 2022) there continues to be a demand for culturally and linguistically competent Spanish-English bilingual social workers. Knowing how to speak Spanish is not the only aspect of linguistic competence. Varying degrees of fluency in reading, writing, and speaking can make a difference in ensuring the needs of individuals, families, and communities are being met.

The UConn School of Social Work is offering Connecticut ¡Adelante! an MSW program option designed to enhance the language proficiency of Spanish-English bilingual social work students pursuing a concentration in Individuals, Groups, and Families. Connecticut ¡Adelante! will help address Connecticut's increased workforce need by preparing MSW Spanish-speaking social work students to address the mental health needs of children and their families. This program aims to enhance the linguistic and socio-cultural competencies of students to better understand, serve and improve the lives of Latino/a/x families.

     

    For more information, please visit the Connecticut ¡Adelante! page.

    School Social Workers

    This project increases the number of MSW graduates prepared to enter school social work and address the mental health crisis in Connecticut. The UConn School of Social Work will deepen its existing partnerships with the Bloomfield Public Schools and Hartford Public Schools to address this mental health crisis through three objectives.

    1. The first objective ensures that social work students are exposed and oriented to the range of school and district teams, climate committees, governance teams, and parent engagement programs that provide opportunities for preventive and primary mental health interventions.
    2. A second objective of this project is to increase the number of 2nd year MSW field placement students in school placements.
    3. The third objective of this proposal is to support school social workers working with the social work students during their school placements.

    The outcome is for 39 2nd year MSW students to enter school social work prepared in the areas of primary and secondary levels of intervention; an 8 fold increase. Additionally, there will be 38 BSW and 1st year MSW students exposed to the preparation to become school social workers.

    Eligibility

    MSW Returning Advanced Year (2nd year field) and Advanced Standing Students:

    • Students concentrating in individuals, groups, and families (IGF) with an interest in school social work (elementary, middle or high school) for the advanced field placement.
    • Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 and remain in good academic standing.

     

    Contact:  For more information, please contact Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Joanne Corbin.