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Leah Bittner

“The SMSU RN to BSN Program does not have you take a set amount of credits each semester. This flexible scheduling was perfect for me as it allowed me to vary the amount of credits I took each semester. I would have struggled without that flexibility as I am a non-traditional student who is also a wife, mother of four, and worked full time while completing my degree. This program is designed to fit into your life, whether you want to be a full-time or part-time student.”

Leah Bittner, '22 Alum
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Child Welfare Scholars

Title IV-E child welfare scholars web header

2024 Child Welfare Scholar Application

Child Welfare Title IV-E Stipend Eligibility

  • Be a student in good standing with the Southwest Minnesota State University Social Work Program

  • Be admitted into the Social Work Program

  • Be a full-time student (12 or more credits) OR a part-time student with 4 semesters left of schooling

  • Have an interest in a career in public child welfare, child protection adoption and/or tribal social services

  • Willing to seek employment in a public child welfare agency for 4.5 months for each semester of the stipend support

  • Be a United States citizen

Stipend Information 

   Students receive $2250 as a stipend for each semester they participate in the program

   Stipends are paid to the student and are not a scholarship.

   NOTE: A Child Welfare scholar who fails to complete this obligation is required to repay the stipend.

What is Title IV-E

The SMSU Social Work Program, in conjunction with the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare at the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Human Services, offers individual­ized, specialized training in child welfare through a contract with Title IV-E of the Social Security Act.

This contract enables qualified BSW students to build and enhance professional skills in foster care management, adoption assistance and case management. In exchange for the stipend, the IV-E scholar is required upon graduation to fulfill an employment with a public or tribal child welfare agency.

Child welfare social workers, after intensive training, deal with children and their families, courts, law enforcement, medical  institutions and schools, all in the context of public child welfare and family policy. These social workers perform a myriad of tasks in complex family situations, including:

  • Assessing child well-being and safety
  • Preparing and delivering court documents and testimony
  • Providing case management services
  • Referring clients to needed resources
  • Developing and monitoring foster care and adoptive placements
  • Training foster families and adoptive families
  • Planning and advocating for effective child welfare policies and programs

Want to learn more about child welfare work in Minnesota? 

View this video: Child Protection Work in Minnesota: A Realistic Job Preview from the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare at the University of Minnesota.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEJhyxo4BJI&feature=youtu.be 

Minnesota BSW Child Welfare Consortium Member Schools

Minnesota State University, Mankato
Department of Social Work
Mankato, MN

Winona State University
Department of Social Work
Winona, MN

St. Cloud State University
Department of Social Work
St. Cloud, MN

Minnesota State University, Moorhead
Department of Social Work
Moorhead, MN

Metropolitan State University
Department of Social Work
St. Paul, MN

University of Minnesota,
School of Social Work and
Center for Advanced Studies in Child
Welfare
St Paul, MN

Last Modified: 10/10/24 11:25 AM | Website Feedback