Attachment B
Social Work and Public Safety Program
Dr. Rosemary Alamo and Dr. Rick Ornelas have provided oversight of the USC Social Work and Public Safety Program at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work for more than a decade. This capacity-building initiative fosters collaboration between the social work profession and the legal system, offering an interdisciplinary, holistic framework for service delivery through advocacy, education, training, and direct intervention. Graduate-level social work students engage with legal system entities and community-based organizations throughout the state to deliver services, address pressing social issues, and enhance community trust. All student participants and agency partners benefit from comprehensive professional development delivered by subject matter experts.
Since its establishment, the program has experienced significant growth and now encompasses partnerships with diverse entities across the legal system, including law enforcement agencies, fire departments, judicial systems, institutions of higher education, and community-based organizations.
Services Provided Include:
• Advocacy and case management
• Comprehensive assessments of individual and family needs with appropriate resource referrals
• Child abuse evaluations and suicide risk assessments
• Crisis intervention and emergency response support
• Data collection, analysis, and research
• Diversion programming
• Grant development and writing
• Individual and group counseling services
• Inter-agency and multi-agency collaboration and coordination • In-home assessments to identify underlying issues and determine optimal treatment pathways
• Resource linkage and navigation
• Mental health first aid and trauma-informed care
• Mentoring programs
• Community outreach and engagement
• Program planning, development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation • Crisis assistance and resource provision
• Psychoeducational workshops and presentations
• Threat and risk assessments