The human services degree program on Kent State University’s Columbiana County campuses received the social work assistant curriculum endorsement by the Ohio Coalition of Associate Degree Human Service Educators.
The endorsement verifies that the program meets the requirements and standards as identified by the by the Counselor, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapist (CSWMFT) board for the social work assistant credential.
The Ohio CSWMFT board accepts the OCADHSE curriculum endorsement as verification that the Kent State program meets the educational content required for social work assistant certification.
The OCADHSE curriculum endorsement also:
- Recognizes the program’s distinction, quality and credibility;
- Ensures human services meets high academic standards leading to sanctioned certification and licensure;
- Provides human services with benchmarks for curriculum requirements to maintain endorsement and leverage resources to meet standards;
- Streamlines the application process for the SWA, CDCA I, CDCA II and LCDC II and eliminates the need to complete the education application grids;
- Ensures the community that this program adequately prepares students for professionalism in the workforce.
“This endorsement validates the high quality of education and training our students receive on our campuses and confirms that we are helping them succeed beyond the classroom,” noted Dr. David Dees, dean of the Kent State Columbiana County campuses. “We are providing an increased level of competence and preparation for students entering the human services workforce.”
The Columbiana County campuses joined with the Ashtabula Campus when applying for the designation, making Kent State University one of the first colleges in Ohio to receive the OCADHSE SWA curriculum endorsement.
The associate of applied science degree in human services program at the Kent State Columbiana County campuses prepares graduates for the expansive field of human and social services, as well as advanced study in social work, counseling and behavioral sciences.
The OCADHSE was established in 1989 and is commissioned by the Ohio Social Work Board and the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board. It sets standards and reviews for social work assistant and chemical dependency education. The Coalition plays a significant role in shaping legislation for the social work assistant registration and the chemical dependency counselor certification and licensure, in partnership with the Ohio Counselor, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapist board and the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals board.
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Photo: Dr. David Dees, dean of the Columbiana County campuses, with Kim Steele, academic program director for the human services degree program, showing the certificate for the social work assistant curriculum endorsement.