‘Passion for macro social work’: Meet two-time alum Jackie B. Robinson Brock
Jackie B. Robinson Brock’s grounding in both micro and macro social work practice – and a meaningful M.S.W. field placement with VCU’s Partnership for People with Disabilities – have led to an impactful career and ever-growing responsibilities.
Brock, a two-time graduate of the VCU School of Social Work (B.S.W.’10; M.S.W.’12) who also holds a certificate in nonprofit management from VCU’s Wilder School, has been a near-continuous presence with the Partnership for People with Disabilities since that fateful internship. She currently serves as the lead for Early Childhood initiative as a program specialist, and is also the assistant director for Virginia LEND (Leadership in Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities).
“My training as a social worker has allowed me to address oppressive systems and prevent folks from being victimized,” Brock says. “It has also allowed me to stay connected to the community so that the community and their needs drive the programs created.”
After earning her master’s degree, Brock was a coordinator at PPD for a grant she had assisted on as an intern, the I-CAN! Accessibility Project, a collaboration with the School of Social Work that seeks to address abuse of adults with disabilities. A year later she joined the PPD full time.
She continued to work on the abuse prevention grant as well as a project to train professionals to support the social and emotional health of children 6 and younger. In her current role, she writes grants focused on young children and their families, and facilitates collaboration across PPD teams on early childhood projects to collaborate. With Va-LEND, she leads the Early Childhood Partnerships collaboration, a five-university network of faculty and students focusing on children 21 and younger with disabilities and their families.
As a student at the School of Social Work, Brock initially wanted to be a direct practitioner providing case management, but her field placement experiences as an undergraduate convinced her that she could have more impact as a macro practitioner. She chose the Social Work Administration, Planning and Policy Practice concentration as an M.S.W. student.
“I had several field placements where I could engage in (direct) practice,” she says. “While I loved working directly with kids and clients, I got burned out watching them cycle in poverty due to systemic barriers. That is where my passion for macro social work and systems change comes into play.
“People are at the heart of social work, not only from a social justice lens but also in how we are trained to engage with people on a micro level. Relationships are key to all work, regardless of whether you work in the nonprofit or for-profit field. The skills in building relationships and empathy as part of the clinical and direct practice field of social work are something I pull on daily as a macro practitioner.”
Learn more: Partnership for People with Disabilities FAQ with Brock
Categories Alumni, Community