Ken Berrick

NOTE: This article was updated in October 2016 to reflect revisions to the initial findings made by Seneca Center.  Seneca Family of Agencies released the findings from an evaluation of its Unconditional Education model, implemented in a select group of Oakland schools with funding from a federal Department of Education grant.

Opportunities abound for educators and nonprofit partners in California to align values between schools and community partners. With the adoption of the local control funding structure, California began to require each school district to create a Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) responsible for ensuring the academic growth of students with disabilities and addresses the unique needs of students who live in poverty, students who are English language learners and students who are in foster care.

The California Council of Community Mental Health Agencies, in collaboration with other statewide advocacy groups, recently released a report detailing the lack of service options for children and youth experiencing mental health crises across California.

by Ken Berrick According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment of social workers is expected to increase nearly 20 percent by 2022. While much of this demand will be for geriatric social workers to meet the needs of aging baby boomers, new child and family social workers are urgently needed to address the effects of child poverty, family homelessness, parental addiction, and child abuse and neglect.