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North Carolina Child Welfare Education Collaborative

Academic Programs

The Child Welfare Education Collaborative offers unique educational opportunities that emphasize public welfare practice to ensure child safety, whether working in child abuse and neglect investigations, foster care or case management.

Social Work students who wish to work in the public child welfare are encouraged to apply for the Child Welfare Education Collaborative.

Collaborative Experience

Those selected for North Carolina Child Welfare Education Collaborative will have several unique opportunities, including:

  • Specialized coursework: The mandatory pre-training also includes the completion of SWK 311: Child Abuse and Neglect (3 credits) and SWK 312: Seminar on Working with Children, Youth, and Family Services (3 credits) at UNCW.
  • Specialized training: As the state of North Carolina requires pre-service training to engage with clients, students must mandatory pre-service training for the Department of Social Services and participate in specified extra-curricular activities, simulation events, and trauma-informed training administered by DSS and UNCW School of Social Work.
  • Child welfare field practicum: Students will complete their senior year field practicum (internship) at a Department of Social Service (DSS) agency.
  • Qualified status: A Child Welfare Education Collaborative Student is deemed "fully qualified" by the Office of State Personnel and meets the employment criteria for the Department of Social Services in North Carolina.

Application Process

  1. BSW Application: Students should indicate their interest in the NC Child Welfare Education Collaborative in the BSW admission application, which is open and due in the fall semester only.
  2. Required Coursework: To be eligible for NC Child Welfare Education Collaborative, students should enroll in SWK 311: Child Abuse and Neglect (3) before or during the fall semester of the first year of the BSW program. This course is generally offered in the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Students should also plan to take SWK 312: Seminar on Working with Children, Youth, and Family Services (3), which is offered only in the spring semester of the first year of the BSW program.
  3. Application: Students admitted to the BSW program will then be contacted by the BSW Coordinator or Child Welfare Education Collaborative liaison to discuss the NC Child Welfare Education Collaborative application process.
  4. Interview: After acceptance into the BSW program, students will apply to the Child Welfare Education Collaborative and interview with the Child Welfare Education Collaborative liaison and the Department of Social Service agency in North Carolina.
  5. Acceptance and Field Practicum: Students selected will be placed with a county Department of Social Services (DSS) agency for field practicum, which takes place during the second year of the BSW program.

Note: BSW students who do not indicate interest in the BSW admission application can still elect to apply to the Child Welfare Education Collaborative; however, they must contact the Child Welfare Education Collaborative liaison before starting their first year in the BSW program to be considered.

The UNCW School of Social Work partners with the North Carolina Child Welfare Education Collaborative.
FOR MORE INFORMATION

Angie Vandenberg, Coodinator of Field Education
vandenberga@uncw.edu  
910.962.2585

Students interested in pursuing this focused child welfare education should discuss the program with Angie Vandenberg, who serves as the faculty liaison to the Collaborative.