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Child Welfare Training Project

The Child Welfare Training Project is managed by Jacki Englehardt. Interested BSW and MSW students should review the brochure for more information and reach out to Ms. Englehardt with any questions.

Admitted WVU BSW and MSW students may apply to the Child Welfare Training Project (aka Title IV-E program) and applications are typically due in mid-March of each year for the following academic year. 

The 2025-2026 WVU Title IV-E application is due March 17, 2025.

Objectives and Goals

  • Increase professional service in West Virginia in child welfare.
  • Build capacities in West Virginia public child welfare.
  • Enhance existing campus-community collaboration in West Virginia.
  • Build professional partnerships for child welfare in West Virginia.
  • Strengthen statewide collaboration in child welfare education.
  • Disseminate work at national and regional meetings.
  • Work toward comprehensive child welfare training in West Virginia.
  • Recruit, educate, and graduate MSW and BSW professional social workers.
  • Enhance visibility of Title IV-E and child welfare educational opportunities.

About the Project

Title IV-E child welfare agencies and universities have developed programs around the country with a focus on social work education which prepares undergraduate and graduate students for work in public child welfare, and provides high quality, in-service training to practitioners in the public welfare agencies.

Since 1992, West Virginia University has supported Title IV-E recruitment, education, internships, and job placement and follow-up, as well as agency-based employee training and curriculum development in child welfare. Based on a collaborative planning approach with member schools, the WV Social Work Education Consortium (SWEC) and the WV Department of Human Services (DHS), developed proposal objectives which reflect the planning efforts of SWEC at its May 2001 meeting. The work of DHS and its Regional Administrators in policy development for training support of employees enrolled in the part-time MSW program at West Virginia University (WVU) is included as well.

This collaboration, the Social Work Education Consortium (SWEC), began in 1992. Current SWEC members include: West Virginia University, Concord University, Marshall University, Shepherd University, West Liberty University and West Virginia State University.

Implementation of Title IV-E to date is based upon collaboration among the BSW and MSW programs in West Virginia and the state Department of Human Services. The history of West Virginia’s efforts to professionalize its child welfare work force includes training workers and stipend students in social work degree programs, conferences, workshops, and in-service sessions. Supported mostly by Title IV-E funding, the six public institutions that are accredited to deliver BSW or MSW degree education and the public DHS agency have worked together. SWEC has linked public social services and higher education statewide for purposes of curricular development, continuing education and social work degree education at baccalaureate and graduate degree levels.