group of grad students

About the Title IV-E Child Welfare Fellowship

Since 1992, CASCW has been administering the Title IV-E Child Welfare Fellowship to MSW students who are committed to working in public or tribal child welfare. Today we have nearly 400 alumni of the program working in a variety of practice and leadership positions in public and tribal child welfare, both in Minnesota and nationwide.

A Specialized Experience

A typical full-program MSW student in the Title IV-E Child Welfare Fellowship Program completes 1,193 hours of child welfare-specific training and education during the two-year program. This breaks down as follows:

Child Welfare Coursework
168 Hrs
Child Welfare Practicum Experience
985 hours
Specialized Training
45 hours

Primary Elements of the Program

Students are eligible to receive $11,500 per semester in the fall and spring semesters for a total of $23,000 per academic year. Full program students (53-credit) are eligible to receive the stipend for four semesters. Advanced standing students (34-credit) are eligible to receive the stipend for three semesters.

Specific IV-E programmatic requirements have been developed to provide students with enhanced and exceptional learning to prepare them for practice in child welfare settings. Any student who receives IV-E funding at any point in their MSW career is considered a “IV-E Child Welfare Fellow” and is therefore obligated to complete all associated programmatic requirements each year they are a student.

The primary obligations for student fellows include:

  1. Selection of Families and Children as a primary specialization.
  2. Completion of specific MSW courses such as 8363: Social Work in Child Welfare; 8804: Child Welfare Policy; and 5905: Permanency. Child Welfare Fellows are not required to complete additional credits in order to earn the MSW degree but are more limited in the number of general elective credits.
  3. Attendance of three-four days of experiential learning such as CELNA
  4. Completion of the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy’s New Worker Training.
  5. Specialized IV-E Child Welfare advising with a CASCW faculty member at least once per semester.
  6. Completion of at least one practicum in a public or tribal child welfare placement. Exemptions may be made for students who have three or more years of employment in public (county, state, or tribal) child welfare services.

*Specialized internship opportunity: CASCW collaborates with Ramsey County Children and Family Services to provide unique internships for a number of Title IV-E MSW Fellows, particularly IV-E Fellows who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). Selected IV-E Fellows comprise a specialized group of interns who participate in individual supervision & group seminars centered on child welfare practice, racial justice, and authentic professional development. By equipping these Ramsey County Title IV-E Fellows with the wisdom and tools needed to navigate a career in child welfare courageously and safely, this program provides support and mentoring for interns who will become new professionals in a field struggling with significant racial disparities.

The Title IV-E Child Welfare Fellowship is not financial aid. Rather it is an employment repayment program. All graduates upon completion of the MSW programmatic requirements are obligated to search for, accept and remain employed in a public or tribal child welfare agency.

The length of employment obligation is equal to the amount of time graduates were supported as students. One semester of educational funding is equivalent to 4.5 months of employment obligation. If a student receives the IV-E stipend for three semesters, they are obligated to an employment “payback” of 13.5 months. If a student receives the stipend for four semesters they are obligated to an employment payback of 18 months.

All graduates stay in contact with CASCW staff while completing their obligation. CASCW supports graduates throughout their employment search and employment “payback” obligation, as well as throughout their career as alumni.

CASCW remains in contact with graduates beyond their obligation as a means of providing continuing education and career supports. CASCW provides a number of opportunities for Title IV-E graduates to obtain additional training, practice resources, and professional development.

In addition, CASCW regularly sends out email announcements regarding new research and publications, public policy updates, and child welfare employment opportunities. To receive email updates or to update your email preferences, go to http://z.umn.edu/cwupdate.

To learn more about these and other items of importance to our graduates, see our Alumni page.

New MSW Applicants apply for the fellowship through the general MSW Admissions process. The process outlined below is for RETURNING MSW STUDENTS ONLY. If you have questions please email Kate Walthour.

For returning MSW students who are applying for the Fellowship for the first time for the 2024-2025 academic year:

Email the following three elements to Kate Walthour by February 16 at 10 p.m.

  1. Complete the 2024-2025 Title IV-E New Application for Current MSW Students.
  2. Resume
  3. Please watch the Realistic Job Preview of Minnesota. This video was designed to give people considering a career in child welfare an accurate depiction of the day to day work. Once you have reviewed the video, please respond to the following five questions (divided into two parts) in one two- to four-page essay (1000 words or less):
    1. Part 1: Responses to Realistic Job Preview
      1. Based on your experience or what you observed in the Realistic Job Preview video, when you envision yourself doing the work of child protection or foster care, what aspects are most attractive to you?
      2. Based on your experience or what you observed in the Realistic Job Preview video, when you envision yourself doing the work of child protection or foster care, what aspects do you think would be most difficult for you?
    2. Part 2: More about Yourself
      1. Discuss your interest in, and commitment to, working in public or tribal child welfare services. What brought you to believe that work in child protection and foster care is a good fit for you? Include examples of past experiences working with children and/or parents in, or at-risk of entering, the child welfare system. If you do not have such experience, please explain your motivation for working with these families.
      2. Describe your commitment to culturally responsive social work, particularly with persons disproportionately represented in child welfare services. Illustrate this commitment with examples of your own experience.
      3. Describe your short-term and long-term professional goals and how you see MSW-level training in child welfare assisting you in achieving these goals.