Lempers' research team trains social workers to promote welfare of children

April 15, 2008

Lempers' research team trains social workers to promote welfare of children

Jacques (Jacobus) Lempers

By Laura Dillavou

For the 20th consecutive year, Iowa State University has been awarded
training grants and contracts through the Iowa Department of Human Services (IDHS). Jacques Lempers, a professor in human development and family studies at Iowa State University, and director of the Child Welfare Project, has been in charge of the training program for the last 12 years.

The Child Welfare Project is a collaborative effort between Iowa State and IDHS. A team of Iowa State faculty and staff, graduate assistants, Iowa citizens, and state and local DHS employees and supervisors work together to ensure that Iowa's children and families receive services and care informed by best practices that lead to safety and overall well-being. The Child Welfare Project evaluates programming, conducts research on outcomes of programs, trains DHS employees, and assesses for quality and technical assurance for many of the programs housed within IDHS. The overall goal is to help the families and children of Iowa in getting their health and human services needs effectively and satisfactorily met and with the utmost support and respect.

"Basically, what we do for these contracts are training sessions and courses to keep the social workers (employees of IDHS) up-to-date with the best practices in their field," Lempers said. "Through these contracts we also provide technical assistance to IDHS staff, providers of service, targeted case managers, and others entities involved in the delivery of community-based services as well as quality assurance activities to assure that individual consumers of services are healthy and safe within their living environments and receive the best possible services. We're also very interested in making sure that all applicable federal and state statutes and regulations are followed. That's very important."

State employees, depending on their level of experience, take classes taught by the Iowa State personnel in areas such as legal fundamentals, social work ethics, and child welfare. In addition to the team of experts from Iowa State, Lempers said other state universities and private agencies collaborate with Iowa State through subcontracts and deliver training sessions to IDHS staff in their areas of expertise, such as child abuse and neglect.

This year, Lempers and his 46-member team received $3.7 million in IDHS grants to work with specific departments within the IDHS including the Bureau of Targeted Case Management, Bureau of Collections, Home and Community Based Services, Rehabilitative Treatment Services, and General Services Training. The grant money is used for staff training, research, family and child rehabilitation, and overall support services for those who are in need.

Shortly before each year-to-year contract ends in June, Lempers and his team of professional and scientific staff work with IDHS to set the agenda for the next year's work. By working collaboratively, Iowa State is able to propose the services and staff needed to meet the state's needs and can ensure IDHS that their employees will receive the most up-to-date training in their field.

"There are many fiscal limitations on the state government, and they don't have the resources to do all the work that needs to be done, and Iowa State helps them in that area," Lempers said. "It's a way that Iowa State, as a land-grant university, is serving the people of Iowa, and allowing those in the field of human services to do the best job possible. We are helping social workers do their best with families and children of Iowa."

There is also an opportunity for field research to be done, as surveys are administered to the people receiving IDHS services to determine their satisfaction with the programs, issues of importance to them, and other valuable feedback. In turn, the feedback gives Lempers and his team a basis for suggesting changes in IDHS practices and revising courses for professional development.

"This is a program that has been working well since 1988, and it will continue working well long after I'm gone," Lempers said about the Child Welfare Project. "It is a great way for the College of Human Sciences to serve the people of Iowa."

For more information on the IDHS grants and contracts, please contact Jacques Lempers at (515) 294-5308 or jlempers@iastate.edu.