Silvia Dominguez, Northeastern University, worked with the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. ASA asked Dominguez about her work:
What is the mission of National Association of Social Workers (NASW)? The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.
Could you describe the project? Continuing Education Credits are necessary for the continuance of licenses to practice social work. I developed two courses, 1) Social network-based interventions to ameliorate disparities 2) How people living in poverty can get ahead: A Framework, which I developed through an ethnography in concentrated areas of poverty.
What sociological knowledge and/or skills did you use? These courses take into account the barriers that people have in concentrated areas of poverty, are based on neighborhood outcomes and take into account integration and desegregation. They also provide information on qualitative social networks.
How did you connect with the NASW? A representative from NASW contacted me after reading my book and asked me to consider developing the framework in the book into a course. I ended up providing two translational publications which have become courses for continuing education credits for social workers.
Duration of the project? These courses are available to social workers indefinitely.
Is there anything else you would like to share about this work? I am incredibly gratified to have social workers who work with people in the most difficult circumstances use my empirical work in interventions. I hope to continue to contribute my sociological knowledge in this manner.
