An Integrated Competency Model for Interprofessional Education in Collaborative Human Services (Overview)

Interprofessional education is based on the realization that complex problems of children and families often require the expertise of more than one discipline. At the Institute for Community Collaborative Studies, California State University, Monterey Bay (ICCS) we are preparing professionals with the knowledge, skills and abilities to work effectively and collaboratively with other professionals, families, and community members. ICCS has been funded by the Stuart Foundation to identify interprofessional competencies needed by entry-level human service professionals. Interprofessional competencies are the knowledge, skills, attitudes and abilities (e.g. collaboration, leadership, group skills) that cross disciplines (e.g., social work, health) and are needed to better serve children, families and communities. Students in our Collaborative Human Services (CHHS) major are prepared to work in health and human service agencies and attend graduate school bringing these interprofessional skills with them.

With the assistance of panels of agency staff, faculty and students we are identifying specific competencies needed and these are organized into 11 Major Learning Outcomes. Assessment tools for the classroom and field experience are also being constructed so students, faculty and fieldwork instructors together can determine student competence.

Interprofessional field placement sites offer students the opportunity to develop skills and abilities to work collaboratively across departments within agencies or among different agencies and with community partners. Participating agencies and collaboratives benefit in a variety of ways including students' contributions toward agency goals, access to ICCS web site tools for assessing students and staff, and the promotion of collaborative practices to better serve children, families and communities

Most of the five community colleges in the Monterey Bay region are interested in developing human services education programs, driven in part by requests from the local social services departments for assistance with welfare reform goals and services for children and families. ICCS and the community colleges are developing an educational continuum from the community college programs to CSUMB's Collaborative Human Services Major. We have collaboratively agreed to work on the development of a seamless system to facilitate the student's progress toward completion of common learning outcomes. ICCS and the community colleges along with staff development officers from health and human service agencies are sharing these competencies as a foundation for continued collaboration.