[INSIDE HAWAII INC.]
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Mary Sheridan, professor of social work at Hawaii Pacific University, recently was named Outstanding Woman Leader of the Year in the private sector category by the Organization of Women Leaders.
Sheridan wants higher
standards in social work
Mary Sheridan
>> Job: Professor of social work in the College of Liberal Arts at Hawaii Pacific University
>> Recognition: Recently named Outstanding Woman Leader of the Year in the private sector category by the Organization of Women Leaders.
>> Background: Sheridan has taught at HPU since 1978 and helped establish a bachelor's of social work degree program.
Tell us about the program at HPU.
I'm chair of the social work program at Hawaii Pacific University and I think there are still people in the community who may not be aware that we have a bachelor's social work program. At HPU, the program has a mission toward working adults so that most students are nontraditional students. We've had full accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education since June 2002. It enables students to get jobs.
I see you're trying to establish a master's program. What would that entail?
A master's program is one to two years of study. At the bachelor's level we teach what's called generalist practices. We teach them a set of goals and knowledge, values and ethics. At the master's level the first year is generalist practice, but the second year covers a person's area of concentration, or specialty area.
I understand that the aging American population is growth area for social work. What can you tell us about that?
It's true both in Hawaii and on the mainland that we're an aging population because those of us who are baby boomers are kind of like the great clump that moves through the snake. One thing that has always struck me about elders is that they can look very good when they're in their usual environment, but underneath they're very fragile. When problems come up, they can show you very quickly how fragile they are, so we're going to need social workers for a lot of case management things, hopefully to let elders stay in their homes as long as possible. Because families are so scattered these days, kids may not be here when mom or dad breaks a hip and has to go to a hospital and needs care at home. Running senior centers, helping with meals and wheels programs, congregate dining, there are a lot of needs.
Are we in danger of a shortage of social workers, like nurses?
I think we face a major shortage even currently. If you look just at the human services positions that the state has, for example, the people who work with welfare, the people who work with Child Protective Services, there are a lot of people in those positions who mean well, but the minimum entry for those positions is three courses in social science. They really don't have as much to work with as would be optimal. We can turn out as many bachelor's of social work students as we could turn out for years and not fill the need we have today.
What's the solution?
Many of us wish the state could require more credentials from their employees, but people are not available in the community. A lot of the solution comes down to what are people willing to pay. It's very much like, a lot of communities have volunteer fire services when they are not able to afford a full-time department. Communities that can afford better have professional firepeople, and with social services it's the same thing. You get what you pay for. Under the current political situation nationwide as well as locally, there is not an outcry from people that we must have highly professional workers in these functions.
Could that change as the population ages?
I think it could, but I'm not holding my breath. If we're at war, it's very clear we need air and bullets and barracks. It's less clear why you need somebody who's well trained in order to work with a welfare recipient. It's hard for people to understand that the quality of the worker can make a real big difference in whether this person is able to get off welfare and how quickly. We don't really value our welfare recipients and then we tend not to value the people who work for them. I started my career in welfare in Chicago, and I've seen the difference a welfare worker can make.
Can you give an example?
In the housing projects of Chicago, there was a family in a very difficult situation. During a second pregnancy the mother developed a tumor on her spine and they couldn't operate during the time that she was pregnant. When she delivered, as soon as they could, they took out the tumor, but she was still left paralyzed from the waist down. The dad was working at a beer factory. As often happens, the only agency he knew to go to in that neighborhood was the welfare office. The person who was assigned to him was, let's say, not the kind of social worker that we would hope to turn out. The caseworker said to him you have to get back to work, and offered him no assistance. There was assistance in Chicago. They just gave him a lecture about "you can't lose your job, you have to go to work." What was this man going to do? So he stayed home with his kids and lost his job. And that family was on welfare for years. The worker can make them feel worse about themselves, or they can say, "this is where you are, this is where we can get you." And I think it's a major turning point for people.
Inside Hawaii Inc. is a conversation with a member of the Hawaii business community who has changed jobs, been elected to a board or been recognized for accomplishments. Send questions and comments to business@starbulletin.com.
