Alva Review-Courier -

The Northwestern Oklahoma State University department of social work recently hosted a Child Welfare Professional Enhancement Program (CWPEP) informational session to educate social work majors about an opportunity to work in public child welfare.

The presentation was held via ITV and was attended by 27 social work students from Enid, Alva, Woodward and Ponca City.

The presentation was conducted by Linda Smith, CWPEP program coordinator from the University of Oklahoma’s Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work. CWPEP is a Title IV-E partnership between the University of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. The Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work coordinates the contract with Northwestern and other participating accredited undergraduate social work programs including East Central University and Oral Roberts University.

The purpose of this partnership is to enhance and support Oklahoma's public child welfare workforce. It affords interested students financial support by covering books, fees and in-state tuition in return for a specified employment obligation in a Child Welfare position with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) or a Tribe with which DHS has a Tribal/State Agreement.

The stipend amount for a 12-month employment obligation is $7,876. This program is funded by OKDHS, Children and Family Services Division through Title IV-E of the Social Security Act.

To be eligible to apply to the program, undergraduate students must be fully admitted to the social work program and demonstrate through an application and a written essay a career interest in the field of child welfare. All applicants are required to have a criminal background check and a driving records check to be considered for the program. Applicants must be citizens of the United States or legal permanent residents of the U.S. Students accepted into the CWPEP Program are required to take child welfare-related courses, to attend the OKDHS CORE Training Program and to have a field placement in OKDHS Child Welfare county offices. Upon completion of the BSW degree, social workers enter OKDHS employment as Child Welfare Specialists.

To learn more about the CWPEP program, contact the program’s coordinator, Dr. Kylene Rehder, chair of the department of social work, at 580-327-8135 or [email protected].