About the Consortium
In 2003, representatives of accredited social work education programs in Alabama and the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) joined together to create the Alabama Higher Education Consortium on Child Welfare.
The primary purpose of the Consortium is to provide high-quality undergraduate and graduate social work education to current and prospective public child welfare workers and enhance training opportunities for child welfare workers throughout Alabama. The Consortium is an arena in which social work educators and representatives of DHR can explore and address issues and concerns in the spirit of collaboration.
The Consortium seeks to:
- Recruit and enroll qualified undergraduate and graduate students in academic programs at Alabama social work schools and colleges accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and that support a child welfare emphasis in program curriculum.
- Recruit social work education child welfare workers in Alabama who currently provide direct services, supervise staff, or administer programs for DHR. The focus is to advance their skills through additional professional education. An emphasis is placed on recruiting MSW students with career interests in child welfare and permanency planning.
- Ensure that the on-going training needs of existing child welfare workers are addressed through training institutes provided by qualified individuals with a strong commitment to strengths-based child welfare practice.
The Consortium meets each quarter.
Recent activities of the Consortium include:
- Funding stipends for students interested in child welfare careers
- Holding regional workshops for current child welfare personnel
- Hosting an annual statewide Fall Social Work Conference focusing on child welfare practice
- Initiation of an evaluation component focusing on employment of former stipend holders in the child welfare system
- Enhancement of child welfare teaching and curriculum
- Collaborative development of model child welfare case studies to be used in teaching
Consortium Members
Alabama A&M University
Dr. Tonya Perry
tonya.perry@aamu.edu
Alabama State University
Dr. Denise Davis-Maye
dmaye@alasu.edu
Auburn University
Dr. Hilary Joyce
hdj0002@auburn.edu
Auburn University
at Montgomery
Dr. Susan Cashwell
scashwel@aum.edu
Jacksonville State University
Dr. Maureen Newton
mnewton@jsu.edu
Miles College
Erika Williams
ewilliams@miles.edu
Oakwood University
Dr. Shalunda Sherrod
ssherrod@oakwood.edu
Samford University
Dr. Lisa Baker
lbaker2@samford.edu
Talladega College
Dr. Jacqueline Trask
jtrask@talladega.edu
Troy University
Dr. Javier F Boyas
jboyas@troy.edu
Tuskegee University
Dr. April Jones
ajones@tuskegee.edu
The University of Alabama
Dr. Daphne Cain
dscain@ua.edu
University of Alabama
Birmingham
Mary Jacque Carroll
mjcarrol@uab.edu
University of Montevallo
Jason Newell
jnewell2@montevallo.edu
University of North Alabama
Dr. Freda Coleman-Reed
fvcolemanreed@una.edu
University of South Alabama
Dr. Roma Hanks
rhanks@southalabama.edu
Alabama Department
of Human Resources
Nancy Bucker
nancy.buckner@dhr.alabama.gov
Doug Heath
douglas.heath@dhr.alabama.gov
Mandy Andrews
mandy.andrews@dhr.alabama.gov