A social work perspective on transatlantic collaboration to prepare students for leadership and enhance service delivery
2012 (English) Conference paper, Oral presentation only (Refereed)
Abstract [en]
The Transatlantic Consortium on Early Childhood Intervention was established in 2002 to address practice and policy pertaining to children with disabilities and their families. The goals of the Consortium were to contribute to the preparation of practitioners for leadership roles, to enhance service delivery in participating countries, and to enhance international understanding about early childhood intervention. The Consortium, which is now called, Global Education and Disability Studies (GEDS), involves universities in Europe (Jonkoping University and Stockholm University in Sweden; University of Porto in Portugal; Ludwig Maximilians University in Germany) and in the U.S. (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Colorado). It was initially established with funding from the European Union and the US Department of Education. The project has had three rounds of funding, and has facilitated study by hundreds of students from participating universities, who have spent Summer Institutes, extended stays, and whole semesters in partner countries taking courses; meeting with local practitioners, with consumers, and with family members; and examining their assumptions about disability. They have studied early childhood programs and policies, and carried out research on disability and early childhood intervention. The activities of the Consortium have involved faculty and students from the fields of Social Work, Education, and Psychology. The Consortium is especially important for social work as it focuses on policies and practice of relevance to vulnerable populations across the globe, and has engaged students and faculty members in close, direct interaction with clients, as well as social work practitioners, students, and faculty members. The presentation will address the activities and structure of the Consortium and its impact on students and their practice. Discussion will focus on how such a project can facilitate collaboration and give birth to new ideas.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages 2012.
Keywords [en]
Early Childhood Intervention, disability, leadership roles, service delivery
National Category
Social Sciences
Identifiers URN: urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-16334 OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mdh-16334 DiVA, id: diva2:573140
Conference Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development 2012; Action and Impact 8-12 july 2012, Stockholm, Sweden
2012-11-292012-11-292017-02-08 Bibliographically approved