The Child Welfare Education Collaborative is a scholarship program that equips both graduate and undergraduate social work students with the skills needed to be successful within the field of Child Welfare. The Collaborative was set forth by the North Carolina State Legislature in 1999 in order to prepare college students for work within the child welfare system through providing pre-service training and support along with providing financial assistance in exchange for employment with in the field of Child Welfare in North Carolina. The goal of the Child Welfare Education Collaborative is to cultivate competent, family centered, social workers with a level of expertise in working in Child Welfare System specifically focusing on issues of abuse and neglect in cases involving children and families. North Carolina State University is one of the 16 colleges in North Carolina that participates in the collaborative. With seven students currently enrolled in the program, two graduates and five undergraduates, NC State continues to assist students in pursuing a career in Child Welfare.

To align ourselves with the mission and requirements of the Child Welfare Education Collaborative, the Department of Social Work at NC State offers courses in child welfare, SW 415/418 for undergraduate students and SW 515/518 for Graduates, that covers all pre-service training. In addition to these two courses students who are enrolled in the Collaborative also attend monthly seminars (418/518) and other trainings to further their skills and knowledge about working in the field. North Carolina State University promotes partnership with other schools around the Triangle area. Mock Trial is a training event in which NC State partners with both the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University Law programs in order to provide students an opportunity of what it is like to work in a courtroom setting as well as apply the skills in their training. NC State also partners with Shaw University to training faculty and administrators who work with the collaborative. Additionally the coordinators for the NC States’ Department of Social Work’s MSW and BSW programs along with the Collaborative coordinator, Mary Morris, attend statewide informational and educational meeting to stay up to date on current policy changes. Recently the Child Welfare Education Collaborative has experience some financial cutbacks due to upcoming Governor‘s Budget which is expected to cut State funding to social work. The Budget would suspend financial funding of new students interested in participating in the collaborative. However Graduate and undergraduate students can still participate however as a waiver student, which allows them to complete their pre-service training allowing them to become eligible for internships or entry level positions in child welfare upon graduation. If you are interested in pursuing a career in Child Welfare this is a program that you might want to take part in.