August 18th, 2020

The Academy for Professional Excellence (Academy) has been selected to evaluate the California Social Work Education Center’s (CalSWEC) statewide SERVE: Indigenous Community Social Workers for Change program.

The Academy will use community-based participatory research (CBPR) as the backbone for conducting the statewide program evaluation. A Statewide Evaluation Oversight Partnership (SEOP) that includes the three regional SERVE PCs, and representatives from CalSWEC, the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), CDSS Office of Tribal Affairs and their Tribal Advisory Committee, Tribal leaders, and university students selected from each of the three SERVE regions will both guide and implement the SERVE Evaluation.

“To date, no comprehensive evaluation of SERVE has been conducted. The proposed work is incredibly exciting and we look forward to deepening our understanding of SERVE and its impact on students, communities, and social work practice” says Janice Yuwiler, Organizational Development Manager for the Academy.

The Academy and the San Diego State University School of Social Work have been involved with SERVE since 2011. Tamara Strohauer, current SERVE Project Coordinator (PC) for the Southern Region, and her counterparts in Central and Northern California recruit and support Indigenous social work students in Title IV-E programs.

Selection of the Academy is an acknowledgment of the Academy’s long-term and on-going work with Indigenous families and Tribal Nations via its Tribal STAR program, prior experience with the SERVE program, and expertise in community-based participatory research.