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Vol. 27, No. 2
July 2024
Child Welfare Education Collaborative
Recruiting and retaining a skilled child welfare workforce is a challenge facing most counties in North Carolina. Goal 3 of our state's CFSP, to develop and support a stable, competent, andprofessional workforce in child welfare, is aimed at addressing this challenge. One strategy to meet this goal is strengthening the Child Welfare Education Collaborative (CWEC) program.
CWEC was established in 1999 to create a pathway for students pursuing bachelor and master of social work degrees to focus on a career in child welfare. Through CWEC, hundreds of students from universities across the state have graduated ready to work in county child welfare agencies, prepared for both the challenges and the rewards of working in our field. While the program has gone through several iterations in the past two decades, feedback from students, universities, and counties showed a desire to reinstate the stipend that provides financial support for students to complete the CWEC program. The NC Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services (NC DSS) is working to reestablish a model that will allow universities to offer stipends through IV-E funding, making the program more sustainable in the long term.
LaShonda Pickett, NC DSS Workforce Coordinator, recently discussed what the shift back to CWEC stipends means for county child welfare agencies in the coming year.
How will the stipend program be implemented?
In fall 2024, three universities - Appalachian State, East Carolina, and NC Agricultural and Technical State - will implement a new pre-service curriculum that mirrors the redesigned pre-service for workers. In addition to this new curriculum, these universities will be responsible for vetting applicants, ensuring that students complete all requirements of the CWEC program and complete placements in county child welfare agencies. NC DSS will use this first year as proof of concept to support the expansion of the number of universities able to use this model for CWEC stipends in future.
What can counties expect from CWEC students once stipends are implemented?
Students who meet all CWEC requirements will be eligible for stipends to assist with the cost of their education. Students receiving stipends will have a one-year work commitment in a county child welfare agency for each year of receiving the stipend . The goal is to create more consistency in the way students receive their pre-service education, so that regardless of where they go to school, they will be ready to fully assume their roles as child welfare staff on day one of employment.
What can counties do to support CWEC students?
Counties should support CWEC students during internships and employment by:
- Providing CWEC interns opportunities in CPS assessments, in-home services, and permanency planning program areas so they will have a well-rounded understanding of the agency.
- Educating staff about CWEC and the roles and responsibilities of county Field Supervisors and Task Supervisors.
- Developing an internal process for screening and selecting interns, including criminal background checks and drug screening.
- Communicating with university liaisons to help identify students strengths, interests, and areas of need.
- Working with universities and students to ensure all components of learning agreements are completed, including identifying student goals, knowledge gained, and priorities for further development throughout the CWEC training process.
- Supporting students by proactively addressing secondary traumatic stress.
- Giving preference to CWEC graduates when hiring.
CWEC is a key component of building a skilled and committed child welfare workforce, and it will take collaboration between counties, universities, and NC DSS to ensure this program graduates students who are prepared and ready to commit to a career in child welfare.
If you have questions about CWEC, contact LaShonda Pickett at CWEC@dhhs.nc.gov