Title IV-E Child Welfare Program

Child Welfare Photo

Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts in Social Work Program & Masters of Social Work Program

Social Work undergraduate students who are preparing for careers in child welfare practice in publicly supported agencies are eligible to participate in the Utah State University Federal Title IV-E Child Welfare Traineeship Program. In exchange for receiving financial support, BSW graduates are required to, after graduation, seek employment with the Utah Department of Health & Human Services Division of Child and Family Services or Division of Juvenile Justice Services. The work commitment is 12 months if employed full-time and 24 months if employed part-time. For more information, please scroll down below.

Social Work graduate students enrolled in the Part-Time Utah State University Master of Social Work Program (3 year or accelerated 1.5 year) who currently work for and have at least three years of employment with the State of Utah Department of Health & Human Services Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) or Division of Juvenile Justice Services (DJJS) may qualify to receive a Federal Title IV-E Stipend and 30% Tuition Waiver. MSW graduates are required to continue employment with DCFS or DJJS from the date USU certifies that graduation requirements are completed. The work commitment is one year for every year they received a Title IV-E stipend if employed full-time, and two years for every year they received the stipend if employed part-time. For more information, please scroll down below.

Please direct questions to the Title IV-E Program Administration:

Dr. Derrik Tollefson, Director | derrik.tollefson@usu.edu | (435) 797-9296

Kevin Webb, Associate Director | kevin.g.webb@usu.edu | (435)-459-4543

BSW Title IV-E Child Welfare Traineeship

Utah State University is collaborating with the Utah Department of Health & Human Services Division of Child and Family Services and Division of Juvenile Justice Services in offering a Child Welfare Traineeship program. This program, which is funded by Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, is designed to recruit students majoring in Social Work to careers in public child welfare services. Successful applicants will receive a stipend of $6,000 ($3,000 per semester for 2 semesters) during their senior year of the BSW (typically students must be within 2 semesters of graduation by the time the traineeship begins in the fall). Following graduation, trainees will be expected to vigorously pursue and, if offered, accept employment with the Division of Child and Family Services or the Division of Juvenile Justice Services and remain with the agency for a minimum of 1 year if working full-time and 2 years if working part-time. Trainees will also be required to complete coursework beyond that which is typically required of Social Work majors. For this program, this means taking two of the Social Work program's Child Welfare electives (e.g., SW 3350 Child Welfare or SW 4900 Topical Issue Seminar), or another department's approved child welfare electives (e.g., FCHD course in Abuse & Neglect and/or Child Development; PSY or SOC in Juvenile Justice). If you have already taken one or more of these approved courses, they will count toward satisfying this requirement. Please see a full list of program requirements below.

Application procedure:

  • Applications due November 3, 2023
    Interested applicants may apply online

  • Successful applicants will receive an email notification detailing the participation timeline, stipend information and contract agreement procedures

2023-2024 Eligibility Requirements for the Title IV-E Child Welfare Traineeship Program

    • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
    • Social Work Program GPA of 3.0 or higher
    • Practicum Placement in the Department of Health & Human Services
      • Division of Child and Family Services
      • Division of Juvenile Justice Services
      • Exceptions must be approved by the Social Work Program and DHS
    • Take two Child Welfare Electives: 

Department of Social Work
  • SW 3350 – Child Welfare
  • SW 4900 – Topical Issue Seminar-Forensic Child Welfare
  • SW 3250 – Social Work and Substance Abuse
  • SW 3360 – Adolescents: Theories, Problems, and Issues
  • SW 3450 – School Social Work
Department of Human Development and Family Studies
  • HDFS 2660 – Parenting and Child Guidance
  • HDFS 3100 – Abuse and Neglect in Family Context
  • HDFS 3210 – Families and Cultural Diversity
  • HDFS 4220 – Family Crisis and Interventions
  • HDFS 4250 – Addictions in the Family
  • HDFS 3500 – Infancy in Childhood
  • HDFS 3570 – Youth and Adolescence
  • HDFS 4230 – Family and Social Policy

Department of Psychology
  • PSY 1100 – Life Span Development
  • PSY 3120 – Abuse, Neglect and Psychological Dimensions of Intimate Violence
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
  • CJ 2330 – Juvenile Justice
  • CJ 2360 – Juvenile Law and Procedures
  • CJ 2370 – Child Abuse and Neglect
  • SOC 3410 – Juvenile Delinquency
  • SOC 3420 – Criminology

    • Post-Graduation
      • Commit to apply for a position within the Utah Department of Health & Human Services located 90 miles or less from your home within 60 days of graduation, including:
        • The Division of Child and Family Services
        • The Division of Juvenile Justice Services
      • If hired, committing to work for:
        •     1 year full-time, or
        •     2 years part-time
    • To apply, please complete the online application

MSW Title IV-E Stipend and Tuition Waiver Eligibility

Current State of Utah Department of Health & Human Services employees working for either the Division of Child and Family Services or the Division of Juvenile Justice Services who are accepted into the Utah State University Master of Social Work Part-Time (3 year or the accelerated 1.5 year) Programs may be eligible to receive the Title IV-E Stipend plus the MSW Program’s 30% tuition waiver. Per the Utah DHHS, DCFS, DJJS Title IV-E contract criteria recipients must:

  • Be currently employed by DCFS or DJJS for at least three years.
  • Not be on probation with DCFS or DJJS.
  • And, have their Region Director’s approval.
  • Post-Graduation, continue to work for DCFS or DJJS for one year full-time for every year that a Title IV-E stipend was received.

Successful Title IV-E stipend recipients will be required to complete the Title IV-E contract (forms A and B). And, the contract must be renewed annually. Recipients will be provided with detailed information about the contract procedure. The bi-annual stipend (a USU check) will be mailed to the address provided by the recipient ($3000 in August for Fall Semester, and $3000 in January for Spring Semester). The total amount for the annual stipend will be $6000. Per the DHS, DCFS, DJJS Title IV-E contract stipulation (form A), recipients will not receive a stipend for Summer Semesters. However, a 30% tuition waiver will be applied to each recipient’s student account every semester, based on the recipient’s total credit hours for each semester they enroll and the current MSW tuition rate.