Home   |    BA-SW Title IV-E Stipend   |    MSW Title IV-E Stipend   |    Newsletter   |    Contact   BA-SW Title IV-E Stipend Program Overview Eligibility & Application Process Faculty & Staff Responsibilities After Graduation FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Forms FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q: How did the financial aid program develop for Bachelor of Social Work (BA-SW) students specializing in public child welfare? A: In 1990, the deans and directors of California's then-ten graduate schools of social work and the County Welfare Directors Association, with the help of the California Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and funding from the Ford Foundation, collaborated to create the California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC). CalSWEC's goal was to improve the education and training of social workers for the publicly supported social services. In 1992, CalSWEC entered into a contract with the California Department of Social Services to develop the Title IV-E [of the Social Security Act] MSW program to prepare and provide financial aid for students and graduates for careers in public child welfare. This consortium has since grown to include 18 California schools of social work. In 2003/2004 work began to develop a BA-SW program much the same as the MSW one. SDSU School of Social Work started its BA-SW Stipend Program in Fall 2006. Q: What is the funding source for stipend program? A: Financial support for the BA-SW students is provided through federal Title IV-E training funds managed by the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and administered through the California Department of Social Services. Q: What is Title IV-E? A: Title IV-E of the Social Security Act authorized the Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs to provide federal matching funds to states for directly administering the programs. Its objective was to improve the quality of care of children in foster care, reduce the number of children in foster care, return children to their homes as soon as conditions permit, and facilitate the adoption or permanent placement of children who cannot be returned to their homes. Q: How much financial aid is provided? A: The Title IV-E stipends provides one year of support for full-time students who are completing their BA-SW program with appropriate specialization in preparation for careers in public child welfare. Effective fall 2004, the stipend amount is $15,000 for the final year of study in the BA-SW program. Part-time students, limited to current employees of a county or the state Department of Social Services, receive full tuition and fees, costs for required books, and a travel allowance for each day of class or fieldwork for either two or three years as reimbursements, depending on the program. (See your school's Project Coordinator for details). Q: How many stipends are available? A: Each of the six Title IV-E BA-SW programs-- California State University campuses at Chico , Fresno , Humboldt, Long Beach , San Bernardino , and San Diego --may award up to ten student slots per class per year. These slots may be for a combination of full- or part-time students. These programs cannot exceed 20 slots per year for full-time students or 15 slots for part-time students. Q: How do full-time students qualify for the stipend in the Title IV-E BA-SW program? A: Undergraduate students must be enrolled full time at one of the six California State University campuses that offers a Title IV-E BA-SW program-- Chico, Fresno, Humboldt, Long Beach, San Bernardino, or San Diego. Upon declaration of the major and satisfactory completion of all relevant coursework, the student may apply for admission to the Title IV-E BA-SW program. Current employees of county Departments of Social Services are given admission preference, but they must be on educational leave (i.e., not receiving pay from the agency during the academic year) to receive the full-time stipend. The employees may work during break periods and summers and may perform fieldwork in their agency subject to school policies. Stipend recipients must agree to participate in the complete child welfare specialization as defined by the school, have a valid driver's license and secure use of a car as required for fieldwork, and undergo pre-screening for county employment. They must also fulfill a work commitment upon graduation. Q: How do part-time students qualify for the educational reimbursement support in the Title IV-E BA-SW program? A: Undergraduate students must be enrolled at one of the six California State University campuses that offers a Title IV-E BA-SW program-- Chico, Fresno, Humboldt, Long Beach, San Bernardino, or San Diego . Upon declaration of the major and satisfactory completion of all relevant coursework, the student may apply for admission to the Title IV-E BA-SW program. Admittance to part-time Title IV-E study is limited to current employees of county Departments of Social Services or public child welfare services agencies or the California Department of Social Services. Applicants must have a letter of support from the director of the county's child welfare services. Stipend recipients must agree to participate in the complete child welfare specialization as defined by the school, have a valid driver's license and secure use of a car as required for fieldwork, and undergo pre-screening for county employment. They must also full-fill a work commitment upon graduation. Q: Which schools participate in the Title IV-E BA-SW program? A: California 's six schools of social work participating in the Title IV-E BA-SW program are California State University campuses at: Chico , Fresno , Humboldt, Long Beach , San Bernardino , and San Diego . CSU, Long Beach also coordinates distance education sites for other CSU campuses. Q: How are students selected to receive the financial aid? A: Currently enrolled students may apply for the Title IV-E financial aid by completing application forms specific to the Title IV-E program. At each school an awards committee consisting of both faculty/ administration and agency representatives from county child welfare services makes award decisions. Priority is given to current county and state Department of Social Services employees and applicants who reflect the diverse client populations currently served by child welfare agencies in California . Q: What academic requirements must students fulfill to receive the financial aid? A: Students must complete the entire BA-SW child welfare program at their school, including all designated fieldwork for BA-SW level education. The total fieldwork requirement must be in a county child welfare agency serving Title IV-E children and families. Q: What is the student's work commitment after graduation? A: Upon graduation, full-time students must work in a county child welfare services agency for two years. Part-time students must work in a county child welfare services agency for a period of time equal to the period for which they received support. A student who is currently employed in a county or the state Department of Social Services must return to that agency at a level appropriate to a new BA-SW in public child welfare. If a position meeting these requirements is not available in the agency to which service is owed, the student must apply for and accept an equivalent or higher position in a county child welfare service within a 75-mile radius of the student's residence. If this is not available, the student must search for, apply for, and accept a BA-SW equivalent or higher position in any California county child welfare services agency or the California Department of Social Services. A student who is not a current employee must apply for and accept a position appropriate to a new BA-SW in a public child welfare agency within a 75-mile radius of the student's residence. If no position is available within 75 miles, the student must search for, apply for, and accept a BA-SW-level position in any California county child welfare services agency or the California Department of Social Services. Q: What options for completing their work commitment are available to Native American Indian graduates? A: Native American Indian graduates with tribal rights may complete their work commitment in the following settings as alternatives to California child welfare services: a reservation or rancheria providing child welfare services in California , an urban Indian agency in California serving Title IV-E eligible children and families, or a reservation providing child welfare services in another state. Q: What is the role of participating counties in the stipend program? A: Participating counties develop educational leave policies, publicize the program, agree to re-employ trainees as long as jobs are available, provide quality fieldwork with MSW supervision in accordance with school requirements, seek to schedule hiring procedures to fit graduate employment time restrictions, and seek to give hiring preference to graduates. County directors serve on the CalSWEC Board of Directors . Q: Who should interested persons contact for more information about applying for admission to a participating school? A: At SDSU School of Social Work, contact Amy Okamura, MSW, LCSW, Project Coordinator, 619-594-8709 or aokamura@mail.sdsu.edu , Hepner Hall 144. Q: Who should interested persons contact for answers to other questions about the Statewide Title IV-E BA-SW stipend program? A: They should first contact the under graduate program of a school in their area. If they are unsure of which school that is, they should contact: California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC), University of California, Berkeley, School of Social Welfare, 6701 San Pablo, Marchant Building, Suite 420, Berkeley, CA 94720- 7420, phone: 510-642-9272. They can also visit CalSWEC's Web site.