Hunter College’s Lois V. and Samuel J. Silberman School of Social Work has received a grant of $200,000 to diversify the pipeline of students into academic programs on child-welfare services.
The lead academician on the grant from The New York Community Trust is Interim Associate Dean for Research & Professor Marina Lalayants, an international expert on child welfare.
The project funded by the grant is a collaboration between Silberman and Children’s Village, a local child-welfare organization. It aims to diversify and strengthen the child-welfare workforce by recruiting students of color and individuals from low-income backgrounds from BSW program, MSW program, and Children’s Village emphasizing anti-racist, anti-oppression leadership in child-welfare practice. The program provides financial support, mentorship, specialized coursework, and field placements to foster expertise in urban child welfare.
The grant exemplifies Hunter College’s commitment to fulfilling its role as an anchor institution for New York City’s under-resourced communities. Established in 1956 and found at Third Avenue and 119th Street in East Harlem, Silberman is the oldest and largest public school of social work in New York. Its mission is to promote civic engagement and dedication to public services. Its student body, field agencies, and alumni are the primary social-work workforce of the public human-service departments and not-for-profit agencies in New York City.
“We are fortunate to have Professor Lalayants, who brings a wealth of knowledge on the prevention and amelioration of child maltreatment and the cultural sensitivity required for advancing our program,” said Silberman Dean Mary Cavanaugh.
For Lalayants, the grant “highlights SSSW’s commitment to addressing systemic inequities in child welfare by preparing a diverse and well-equipped workforce poised to drive transformative change in policy and practice and will benefit the city’s children and families while solidifying Hunter’s role as a leading institution for social justice and equity.”
The New York Community Trust is a foundation helping nonprofits and social-welfare efforts in the New York metro area thrive and innovate.
The nationally ranked Silberman School of Social Work enrolls more than 1,400 master’s-level students and over 100 bachelor’s-level students offering social work education and training in an ultramodern facility taught by distinguished faculty and leading field-practice educators.
