Health and Human Services Division HSW Program Operational Plan. Year Two

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1 Health and Human Services Division HSW Program Operational Plan Year Two I. Statement of Vision for Division/Department (optional) The HSW Program is guided by feminist, anti oppressive principles. We promote values such as inclusiveness, equality, collaboration and advocacy for social justice. We emphasize self awareness and critical thinking to accomplish respectful relationships in all areas of practice. II. Statement of Historical Context (optional) (Not required as information is already available through Program Evaluation reports and Program Mix Review reports) Established in 1991, the Human Services program offers courses towards certificate and diplomas with recognized specialties in Education Assistance/Community Support, Education/Community Support, Indigenous Focus and Social Services. The program prepares individuals for employment in human services agencies that require one or two years of education and training. The EA/CSW certificate and EA/CSW Indigenous Focus certificate are 10 months (full time) in duration. The laddering option for Education Assistant/Community Support graduates is a Human Services diploma which advances student s knowledge and skill development in the human services field. The Human Services department is now offering a new two year Social Services diploma which has a combined first year pre social work focus, with University Transfer. Students who join the Social Services diploma engage in studies in a combination of Social Services and University Transfer classes in their first year of study and then complete a final practicum in the spring. In their second year, they take more specialized courses in areas such as community development, mental health and addictions, conflict resolution and program planning and implementation. Both programs entail a variety of courses that prepare students to work in the helping profession which vary from exploring family relationships, psychology, community support, health care principles and early childhood to ethics, social welfare, counseling, communication and practicum placements. Students who enter the Human Services program are required to have volunteer experience, criminal record checks, acceptable references and must participate in an interview process. 1

2 Individuals who graduate from Human Service programs carry out extensive work in terms of understanding the client populations and communities that they work with; and also undergo an intense process of self analysis and self awareness. This remains one of the most valuable aspects of the program, in that it offers a wide range of opportunities for not only professional but also personal development. Graduates who wish to continue their education will find that a number of BC institutions recognize many of their courses towards degree programs in either Child and Youth Care or Social Work. III. Planning Related to Strategic Directions (Indicate how you engaged your department(s) in building your education plan) Strategic Direction # 1: NIC will develop dynamic and responsive curriculum and educational services to attract, engage and retain a diverse range of students to be successful in a rapidly changing world. Specifically we will: The Human Services Department will have a responsive curriculum We will continue to meet with program advisory members twice a year and respond to agency suggestions. We are asking to receive feedback around new classes offerings including 2 nd year courses in our social services diploma and behavior interventionist courses in the 2 nd year of our HS diploma. We will continue to work on developing better transfer credit recognizing the major gains we have made in the past year and building on the strategies we used to earn this success. We will look at whether or not we can develop 2 new classes in the SSW diploma to ladder directly to U of Vic Social Work and also examine laddering options to different institutions. For the EA/CSW side we will focus begin to examine laddering to Child and Youth Care and Education. Held two program advisory meetings, discussed changes and suggestions and made curriculum changes accordingly Developed a matrix to outline laddering options to Child and Youth Care, Social Work, Education and Community Rehabilitation degree programs 2

3 The Human Services Department will have a more dynamic curriculum which will include leading courses in Social Service and Education Assistance/Community Support The Human Service program will support faculty to update keep current in their discipline and add knowledge and expertise to the department We will continue to monitor and evaluate the success our new SSW courses and examine whether or not any tweaking or new subjects may be required We will continue broaden the ideological base of our program to focus more on active citizenship through courses like community development, program planning and implementation etc. We will encourage the development of critical thinking and global citizenship and monitor student response to new electives We will examine the possibility of training internal faculty to offer the Non Violent Crisis Intervention Training a requirement provincially in the EA/CSW certificate. Work on integrating the Behavior Interventionist curriculum (through Douglas College) into our HS diploma. We will also examine whether or not it is possible to integrate some additional courses in this stream (ie: augmentative communication, Autism Spectrum disorder, curriculum foundations and upper level behavior management ) We will examine ways to integrate learning with respect to exploring and protecting our natural environment and include course materials that address this subject matter. We will support and encourage each other to apply for and carry out relevant Professional Development work Distributed evaluations for each class at the end of the year Delivered new classes in 2011/2012 calendar year Submitted Common PD proposal for training in HS Department Met with Douglas faculty to develop a model for the HS Department to implement by Sept 2012 Examined course material and looked for ways to integrate this information (attended conferences or local events related to this subject?). Monitored faculty PD time and encouraged attendance at conferences and engagement in possible research opportunities. 3

4 The Human Service program will have a more flexible mode of delivery We will examine distance delivery options with the aim of offering some distance courses in Sept Met with ECCE faculty for advice on development and created a matrix for implementation. Developed at least 2 classes for Fall The Human Service Department will have an international education component to the program We will continue to focus on developing the Global Learning Initiative and students will lead film nights with special topics specifically related to human services (1st one commencing in October on Fair Trade). This spring we will be offering the students the opportunity to study abroad in Guatemala! A partnership that was developed through the Human Services Department, NIC International and International LIFE school in Panajachel. Faculty will explore internship placements within indigenous communities in Canada also as a future possibility. HS faculty attended monthly meetings and led at least two film nights in the 2011/2012 calendar year Faculty worked with international office to ensure all requirements were met to take students in spring Faculty researched opportunities for placements in Indigenous communities for future years. Strategic Direction #2: NIC will increase our capacity to support the diverse needs of our students and their engagement in learning. Specifically we will: The Human Services Department will be able to support a diverse range of students in the program including students with special needs, aboriginal learners and international students We will continue to work closely with students with disabilities office Faculty communicated regularly with Sheila and individuals from disabilities office and read plans to ensure we were briefed on student requirements 4

5 We will continue to teach about inclusion and work flexibly with individual learners despite having students with various learning styles and capabilities. Continue to develop and refine our student success and disciplinary procedures We will work towards offering more distributed learning options for Sept We will work with new indigenous faculty in Port Alberni to offer a more relevant and responsive curriculum to indigenous learners and communities We will continue to offer at least one designated seat for an international student with the Human Services program as part of our goal to internationalize the curriculum and offer global perspectives to learning Finalized student success and disciplinary procedures Faculty developed a matrix for delivery in Fall 2012 Met with PA indigenous faculty members to receive input on the continued development and focus on indigenous curriculum Faculty discussed seat availability and decided on one or two seats for international students for fall Strategic Direction # 3: NIC will work with our communities as an active partner, to increase opportunities for involvement and participation, and for proactively sharing resources for mutual benefit. Specifically we will: The Human Services program have increased involvement in the community in a variety of ways other than through practice experience We will continue to offer more flexibility for social action and community involvement in the curriculum through new class offerings Implemented and evaluated SSW 204 Program Planning and Implementation as well as SSW 210 Community Development. Faculty will continue our volunteerism in the community to enhance teaching and department involvement with various Human Services agencies Faculty continued to volunteer at various community based agencies and reported on their involvement at the end of the calendar year. 5

6 We will continue to encourage students to participate in college activities including the Global Learning initiative, student council, and community based research projects (ie: VICRA Community Based Research Alliance). Faculty supported students to have wider involvement college activities by attending GLI film nights and meetings, making announcements re: college and local events and making students aware of research opportunities. Strategic Direction # 4: NIC will strengthen and expand partnership opportunities with aboriginal, business, communities and education locally and internationally to delivery outstanding results. Specifically we will: The Human Services Department will have new partnership opportunities with aboriginal, communities We will continue to integrate new literature and practice in social services education assistance/community support with respect to Aboriginal HS faculty met with Port Alberni faculty and community representatives (through program advisory) to receive input on relevant topics and people in Canada We will continue to have students attend cultural events and invited guest speakers from various 1 st Nations agencies to attend classes We will continue to support the integration of indigenous learning and perspectives into the curriculum information for curriculum Invited speaker to deliver village workshop for all students in the HS program Received input from faculty engaged in Masters in Social Work ;Indigenous focus (U of Vic) to inform new curriculum changes or integration of new material Strategic Direction # 5: Working with our communities NIC will explore new and innovative ways to effectively promote post secondary education throughout our region. Specifically we will: We will have a more flexible curriculum which will reach more students throughout the region We will examine the use distance learning with the aim of delivery in Sept 2012 Developed a matrix and delivered at least 2 courses by distance 6

7 We will continue to offer programs on three of our main campuses: Comox Valley, Port Alberni and Port Hardy We will examine whether or not more flexibly delivery options should be made available to students and assess costs/benefits particularly in our EA/CSW stream in CVC. Graduated students from our Port Hardy Education Assistant/Community Support program and offered new opportunities for students in PA to access diploma classes through distance by fall 2012 Met with school district personnel and discussed structure of EA/CSW diploma and whether or not part time options should be made available Strategic Direction # 6: NIC will strengthen and develop employee skills and enhance employee engagement. Specifically we will: We will have a strong faculty culture with instructors which are engaged in the department and who feel passionate about their work We will work on ways to ensure faculty can make use of PD time without internal workload taking precedence Faculty encouraged each other to take part in relevant professional development activities and share information at department meetings. We began a discussion around the possibilities for faculty research. We will recognize the national trend towards employees searching for agencies/institutions and/or businesses that provide room for a proper work/life balance; where health and wellbeing are seen as essential to a productive workplace We will continue to examine the effectiveness of a shared leadership model including a co chair position in the department We will encourage each other to practice self care and balance (practice what we teach) We piloted the use of a co chair model this year and reported back our Dean We encouraged each other to take part in extra curricular college activities, take breaks during the day and to learn how to effectively prioritize items and draw on existing faculty strengths/resources. 7

8 We will integrate departmental strategies for interpersonal learning, teamwork and workload management. We continued to use a shared leadership model, splitting up various departmental duties (ie: International, Ed Co, GLI, Admissions, PLA, practice coordination, file management, orientation, grad, articulation, development of new courses, BI and distance curriculum, campus and year coordinators etc). 8