UGA’s Online MSW Expands Child Welfare Training Through Title IV-E Program
UGA’s Online MSW Expands Child Welfare Training Through Title IV-E Program
Original article posted by UGA Today.
The University of Georgia’s Online MSW continues to expand access to advanced social work education across the state, pairing flexible coursework with real-world preparation in child welfare. That focus on applied training has led many students to consider UGA’s Online Master of Social Work program a top choice for earning an MSW remotely, particularly those committed to serving vulnerable children and rural families through agencies like the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services.
A key part of that preparation is the Title IV-E program, also known as the Child Welfare Stipend program, housed in the School of Social Work and directed by Allison Dunnigan, associate professor. The federally funded initiative, in partnership with five other institutions in the state of Georgia, covers tuition and fees for selected Master of Social Work students to prepare them for competent, professional child welfare practice. Each student commits to a year of employment with DFCS for every year they receive funding.
A history of growth
When Dunnigan joined the School of Social Work in 2018, the Title IV-E program was offered to Athens and Gwinnett students but was not available to online MSW students. She and her colleagues applied for and received a grant from the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute, and Dunnigan used the grant funds to expand the Title IV-E program at UGA to the online MSW program. By the end of the three-year grant, more than 15 enrolled online students were being funded by Title IV-E.
Today, 35 students participate in Title IV-E, both online and in-person, and three full-time faculty and staff have been added to accommodate the growth. In addition to classes for students, the program offers continuing education courses and supports training for its alumni and industry professionals. It’s able to provide this additional outreach thanks to its staff and partnerships with organizations including Resilient Gwinnett, a nonprofit dedicated to building community resilience, preventing trauma and driving systems change.
Title IV-E connects research and classroom content with child welfare practice to improve the quality of services for families served by DFCS while also better preparing tomorrow’s professionals for the field.
“We have people who have a commitment to the DFCS, who are committed to child welfare, wanting to better themselves and earn their MSW,” Dunnigan said. “It’s a great partnership because it provides an opportunity to increase and improve the child welfare workforce and maintain partnerships with these agencies and other universities throughout Georgia.”
Title IV-E students complete a standard MSW course load as well as practicum placements where they are able to utilize the skills they develop in the classroom. For instance, one student who serves as a DFCS county director partnered with a local school to tackle food insecurity. The student coordinated the distribution of food-filled backpacks to 1,500 individuals, which led to private sponsorships that allowed the effort to continue. Another student serving on the Georgia-Alabama line helped facilitate around 30 DFCS placements across the state line by building relationships with counterparts in Alabama.
“Those are examples that we think of as real successes,” Dunnigan said. “We love being able to highlight the great work that our students are doing, and they get the opportunity to have a real role in developing their internship.”