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Salem State's School of Social Work receives $550,000 from National Child Welfare Workforce Institute
Salem State College's School of Social Work has announced plans to partner with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) Child Welfare Institute (MCWI) to develop and coordinate an undergraduate child welfare training project. The project, funded by a five-year, $550,000 grant from the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute, will address regional work force needs in child and family welfare.
Salem State's School of Social Work will partner with the undergraduate social work programs at Bridgewater State College and Westfield State College, as well as DCF offices in the northeast, southeast and western regions of the Commonwealth. During each year of the grant, two senior social work students from each institution will be designated BSW (bachelor of social work) Child Welfare Scholars, and receive stipends to cover tuition, fees, books, and some living expenses. In return, the students commit to working in public child welfare upon graduation.
The BSW Child Welfare Scholars Program builds upon Salem State's existing partnership with DCF and MCWI, while creating new partnerships with Bridgewater and Westfield state colleges. The cross-institutional curricula and activities developed through this federally funded project will advance the professional competence of social workers with undergraduate degrees in working with the multiple systems involved in improving safety, permanency and well-being for children and families.
The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute is funded by the U.S. Health and Human Services Children’s Bureau. Salem State College was one of nine schools of social work in the U.S. to receive funding from NCWWI. Salem State’s School of Social Work educates over 400 undergraduate and graduate social work students each year. Both programs are fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
Salem State, established in 1854 as Salem Normal School, is a comprehensive, publicly supported institution of higher learning located approximately 15 miles north of Boston, Massachusetts. The college enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students representing 27 states and 65 nations, and is one of the largest state colleges in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.