Developing a program for social work with Latino populations: a case study

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a case study of the development of a program in a large U.S. School of Social Work to train social work students to work with Latina/o populations entitled ‘Latino/a Initiatives for Service, Training, and Assessment’ (LISTA). Using a case study methodology, this work fills a current gap in the literature as it examines the programmatic and curricular dynamics associated with such an effort. The methods section details LISTA’s planning process and early implementation. This includes the demographic, theoretical, and professional context of the program along with the stages of curricular development. The results section examines LISTA’s current curriculum, including three courses, field placements and study abroad program, as well as its assessment processes. It further examines issues and challenges related to developing a new curricular emphasis in a graduate program, including funding, recruitment, and securing field placements. The discussion section provides a set of recommendations, including the institutionalization of mechanisms for community feedback and the recruitment of ethnic minority students and faculty. LISTA serves as a potential model for recruiting and training social workers to serve diverse ethnic minority populations.