CISWH’s Dr. Tami Gouveia Convenes Social Work Leaders and Innovators at Inaugural Summit 

Beyond Defense: Transforming Social Work During Dangerous Times Summit, a national convening held recently at the MIT Endicott House in Dedham, Massachusetts, brought together 22 leaders and innovators from eleven states representing social work practitioners, researchers, educators, advocates, organizers, futures thinkers, designers, and organizational leaders. The gathering was led by Dr. Tami Gouveia, director of the Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health (CISWH) at BU School of Social Work (BUSSW) and generously supported by a private donor.

Created to address the current socio-political climate in which social work education, values, and practice are under constant attack, the summit examined threats to the social work profession and explored ways to protect the future of the field.

For two days, participants focused on the dynamic pressures impacting social work education, training, policymaking, financing, and practice. The group reflected on social work’s history and identity, its value proposition, as well as quantitative and qualitative data to build a shared understanding of the structures and systems the profession is navigating, especially in this time of political and economic chaos and change. Using participatory system dynamics, the group mapped the structural drivers that impact the profession and identified key areas for strategic action.

This summit is the beginning of a much-needed conversation in social work,” said Dr. Gouveia. “When Jane Addams and other early innovators founded Hull House, it was radical for its time. We should be asking ourselves, what does radical social work look like for us today? How do we persevere through the overwhelming market, political, and social forces to build a profession for the future? These are some of the questions summit participants will continue grappling with in the months ahead.”

Summit participants, referred to as ‘owls’ for their ability to see the big-picture and to discern threats and opportunities through dark times, will continue to meet to advance a preliminary set of priorities for research, advocacy, and movement building.

The summit was designed and led by a planning committee including:

• Tami Gouveia, DrPH, MPH, MSW – CISWH director and Paul Farmer professor of the practice
• Betty J. Ruth, MSW, LCSW, MPH – BUSSW clinical professor emerita and CISWH strategic consultant
• Bethlyn Vergo Houlihan, MSW, MPH – CISWH senior project director and co-director of the Social Work Innovation Lab
• Ellis Ballard, MSW, MPH – Tributary Design, LLC
• Kelsey Toney, MSW – Tributary Design, LLC
  
  

“I have attended many retreats and conferences in my decades-long career, but this experience was the most authentic and exhilarating two-day social work dialog that I’ve ever participated in,” said Betty J. Ruth. “It is our hope that this summit represents the first of many CISWH efforts aimed at unpacking the complexity of problems facing the social work profession in this challenging time.”