A Foundations for Growing Our Own Initiative to Address Social Work Deserts
New Mexico Highlands University is proud to announce that the Facundo Valdez School of Social Work (FVSSW) has received $750,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor to fund the Foundations for Growing Our Own initiative.
This program strives to support communities across New Mexico impacted by behavioral health workforce shortages.
“This funding is a lifeline to several New Mexico counties that are impacted by healthcare and provider deserts,” Dr. Anna Nelson, Director of the Center for Excellence in Social Work, said. “It will enable us to provide educational resources for social workers who serve in these communities while creating better pathways for social work as a career. The more well-trained social workers we have in our state, the better prepared we are to meet the urgent mental health needs of our communities.”
The funding, which will be available through October 2025, will support the development of several professional certificates tailored to New Mexico’s diverse communities, strengthening the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) Core Training by preparing new protective service workers with culturally sensitive, trauma-informed approaches, Nelson said.
By collaborating with community partners like Future Focused Education and the Native American Social Work Studies Institute, the Facundo Valdez School of Social Work and its Center for Excellence, SWEEP-Raíces will train individuals in culturally and linguistically responsive social work practices.
SWEEP-Raíces is Highlands’ Social Work Educational Enhancement Project, a grant the Valdez School received from the Department of Education’s Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions program. It works to support the enrollment, retention, and graduation of social work students.
“Our goal is to create distinctive pathways to careers in social work and to develop comprehensive curricula and professional certificates that support continuing education with a particular focus on advancing underrepresented groups,” Nelson said.
Participants will include existing social workers, opportunity youth aged 16-24, and individuals from diverse backgrounds, including Black, Indigenous, Latine/Afro-Latine communities, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.
In addition to these efforts, numerous behavioral health providers—including school personnel and paraprofessionals—will undergo Youth Mental Health First Aid Training, equipping them to effectively identify and respond to mental health crises among young people, Nelson said.
“Initially, we will train 100 new protective service workers through the INSPIRE Training program, with the aspiration of developing a 30-hour Child and Family Wellbeing Institute to train 200 or more CYFD workers, social workers, and support staff annually,” Nelson continued. “The curriculum focuses on culturally and linguistically relevant core social work skills, emphasizes engagement and assessment, prioritizes the safety of children, families, and workers, promotes self-care for professionals, and addresses the unique needs of Indigenous families.”
Nelson highlighted that this initiative represents a significant milestone, adding: “An exciting outcome of this work will be the first-ever Community Practice professional certificate accredited by the National Association of Community Organization and Social Action (ACOSA) in the U.S. Southwest.”
This culturally grounded, 15-hour, community practice certificate will be offered at no cost to 50 social workers and behavioral health providers.
Other offerings will include a 15-hour, professional certificate in Antiracism and Cultural Humility in Social Work Practice and a 15-hour, professional certificate in Tribal Social Services.
“This initiative not only addresses immediate workforce shortages, it also lays the groundwork for cultivating skilled professionals who are essential to meeting the needs of our communities and ensuring a sustainable future in social work across New Mexico and the U.S. Southwest,” Nelson said.
“This grant would not have been possible without the dedication and support of Sen. Martin Heinrich,” Nelson emphasized. “His advocacy and commitment to our cause were instrumental in securing the necessary funding, demonstrating a genuine investment in the future of our communities. We are grateful for his leadership, which has made this important initiative a reality.”
If you would like more information about this topic, please call Dean César Abarca, principal investigator, at (505) 429-1107 or cabarca@nmhu.edu, or Dr. Anna Nelson, co-investigator, at (505) 319-8822 or annelson@nmhu.edu.