Committees & Task Forces

NADD sponsors several committees and task forces. Task Forces & Nominating Committee member list (PDF)

Behavioral Health Task Force

The task force has focused on sharing information related to workforce development, curriculum, and competencies. The long term goal is for NADD to take a leadership role in formulating a national agenda for social work in behavioral health through input into policy, e.g. Social Work Reinvestment Act and related state initiatives; SAMHSA priorities. Possible future agenda items include addressing the research regarding low use by social workers of evidence based practices by social workers and the subsequent criticism of us by the NIMH director.

Child Welfare Task Force

The Child Welfare Task Force focuses on the interface of child welfare and social work education, particularly workforce issues. Past initiatives include coordinating major presentations at APM on child welfare workforce issues involving representatives of IASWR, NASW, APHSA, as well as NADD; coordinating the efforts to track IV-E legislation proposed changes along with CSWE, ANSWER, NASW, and IASWR, and crafting possible responses from social work degree programs.

Gerontological Social Work Task Force

The NADD Gerontological Social Work Task Force has worked to advance leadership among graduate schools of social work in aging related school missions, curricula, field training, research, fundraising, and legislative advocacy. With much assistance from the John A. Hartford Foundation and the New York Academy of Medicine, the task force has undertaken a number of initiatives including the development of two resource guides. Other work underway includes efforts to maximize Medicaid for geriatric social work education. Special attention is currently being given to elder abuse and the need to promote social work leadership in adult protection services. In addition, plans are underway to foster new development and fundraising initiatives. Strategic materials on fundraising are being developed.

Health Disparities Task Force

NADD’s Health Disparities Task Force works to strengthen the role and advance the national leadership of schools and departments of social work in the effort to eliminate disparities in health care and health status. Current initiatives include: (1) creating advanced curriculum guidelines in health and behavioral health disparities; (2) seeking funding for a “curriculum infusion” proposal that would provide resources for strengthening health disparities content/curricula in social work programs, and (3) sponsoring a NADD conference on health disparities.

International Task Force

Co-chairs of this Task Force are Darlyne Bailey and Barbara Shank.

The main goal of the International Task Force is to gather and disseminate data on innovative and meaningful approaches to international social work education. Task force discussions cover topics such as emerging issues in international education, global field placements, international student and faculty exchanges, international conferences and events, and funding opportunities for international activities. The task force is instrumental in organizing the biennial National Conference on International Social Work.

Structure in Education Task Force

The NADD Task Force on Structure in Education provides a forum for members from differing program structures with varying sets of governance demands and expectations. This includes discussions on similarities and differences of programs and the impacts of those differences on administrative roles. It has also involved surveys to establish a baseline understanding of the current profile of institutional program structures. The task force specifically:

• Provides opportunities for members to update and track programmatic changes in institutional structure.
• Provides one-on-one support, for deans/directors, based on lessons learned.
• Through mutual support, provides consultation to programs that confront administrative changes either within their program or for themselves.
• Informs NADD of issues related to program structure and quality education.
• Seeks advocacy through NADD to support programs and their ability to provide quality graduate social work education.

Trauma & Disasters Task Force

The NADD Trauma & Disasters Task Force has been active since Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf coast in 2005. We have focused on (1) gathering web resources related to trauma and disasters and social work and (2) on exploring salient issues for deans and directors on these issues, including those involved in how our own programs prepare for disasters that affect us and our communities. The task force is now expanding the conversation on these important issues to include social work faculty. We maintain an online community in Google Groups where faculty can share ideas and resources (e.g., syllabi) via a listserv, shared documents, and web resources. Those who are interested in joining will need to set up a Google Groups account (free) and then submit a request to join the NADD Trauma & Disaster Forum.

DSW Degree Task Force

Report of Task Force on the Practice Doctorate
(Prepared by Richard Edwards, Dean and Professor, School of Social Work, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Chair of the Leadership Forum Task Force on DSW)