All Child Welfare Scholars must complete the following training and coursework.

Child Welfare Foundation Training

Scholars complete Child Welfare Foundations Training (CWFT) during their semester of internship. The CWFT curriculum has been recently revamped. As a result, even if you completed CWFT as part of past or current employment, you will need to complete CWFT during your internship semester. Minnesota statute {Minn. Stat. 626.559, subd. 1a} requires that all newly hired child protection workers receive training provided through CWFT provided by The MN Child Welfare Training Academy. CWFT provides a skill-intensive foundation curriculum that combines classroom as well as web-based training. Because BSW students will complete the entire CWFT while in their primary public or tribal child welfare field placement, this provides them with an advantage in their public and tribal child welfare job search. Additionally, the training enhances IV-E field experiences with the development of hands on skills, case consultations and field instructor/supervisor discussion guides.

Coursework

All coursework is available on-campus and to SWIM students.

• BSW Classroom time: 58 credit hours (outside of internship/field)
• SOWK 3780: Family & Child Welfare (spring semester only)
• Child Welfare Scholars Program outside of class time: 1+ hour for each credit spent in class, 58 hours across two years
• Foundation Field: SOWK 2140 Field Experience, 30 hours across one semester.
• Internship/Field: SOWK 4970, 40 hours a week for 480 hours across one semester.
• Internship/Field Seminar: 6 meetings across the semester, 12 hours
• Child Welfare Foundation Training
• Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Training
• The IV-E Child Welfare program provides, on average, 2 additional hours per month of specialized child welfare education and training content and experience.
• We do not recommend that IV-E students work full time. *Based upon BSU’s expectation that three hours are spent outside of the classroom for each credit.