3/7/12 – Albany, NY — On February 27th, Dean Katharine Briar-Lawson from the University at Albany’s School of Social Welfare arranged for the Director and staff of Singapore’s Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports – Rehabilitation, Protection and Residential Services Division to come to LaSalle School. The group totaled eight in number, and their stop in Albany was the first among several scheduled for the next few weeks that would take them to Tennessee, New Mexico and Los Angeles.
The purpose of the delegation’s visit to the United States was to learn more about emerging and best practice models for residential care, as Singapore finds it necessary to both enhance their practices and increase the capacity of its child welfare system. The diverse team of program directors, managers and practitioners, was especially interested in the growing body of knowledge about trauma informed care as well as methods for working effectively with seriously emotionally disturbed youth and their families.
Following a lunch that provided ample opportunity for rich dialogue and exchange of ideas with both staff and students of LaSalle, the guests toured the campus and observed classrooms and residential areas. The visit concluded with a roundtable discussion which provided a terrific opportunity for University faculty and LaSalle staff to respond to questions and share insights.
Ministry staff were notably impressed by LaSalle’s enthusiasm for Evidence Informed Practice and how we’ve partnered with the University to embrace the use of data to assist in the planning and implementation of highly prescriptive treatment. The group was also intrigued with LaSalle’s integrated treatment model for residential care and how we rely heavily on training and teamwork in order to sustain a safe environment and design a plan of treatment, including aftercare, for each youth and family.
It was a great opportunity for LaSalle to collaborate with our colleagues at the University of Albany in order to both assist and learn from an international partner in the care of children and families.