Preparing social work practitioners to engage families, support children, and foster connections.

The Child Welfare Stipend Program is a partnership between the Virginia Department of Social Services and five state universities within Virginia including Virginia Commonwealth University. This specialized training program, funded through title IV-E of the Social Security Act, prepares social work students for a career in public child welfare. B.S.W./M.S.W. students accepted into this program receive a $10,000 stipend per academic year. In exchange for the stipend and extensive child welfare training, the stipend recipient has a work payback requirement to work at a local department of social services within the Commonwealth of Virginia, in child welfare prevention or permanency, one calendar year for each academic year the stipend was received.

We would like to hear from you about where you are now and ways in which you might want to connect with current students or recent alumni. Please take a few minutes to update your information.

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For questions about the program, contact Naomi Reddish, Child Welfare Stipend Program coordinator, at cwstipend@vcu.edu.

We look forward to connecting with you soon!