GRANT AWARDED TO TRAIN STUDENT SOCIAL WORKERS

Southeast Missouri State University's social work department has received a $125,000 state grant to train students to work in the area of child welfare.

The grant is from the Missouri Department of Social Services' Division of Family Services (DFS).

"They looked for schools with accredited Bachelor of Social Work programs and good relationships with the local DFS office, both of which Southeast has," said Michael Parker, department chairman.

The grant provides funds for up to five students to receive stipends during their senior year of college.

During the first semester of that year, students will take classes on child welfare. The students will then intern with the local DFS office.

The students will handle foster care, adoption and even child abuse and neglect cases.

"The internship is designed to help them learn both the system and the specific skills they will need," Parker said.

When the students graduate, they must work two months with DFS for every month they received the stipend, for a total of 18 months. DFS guarantees jobs to students in the program.

"Right now there's large turnover in public child welfare jobs because few of the current workers have been professionally trained," Parker said.

"Missouri's goal is to re-professionalize child welfare, and this program is one of the tools they're using to do it."

Toward that end, five other Missouri colleges and universities also have received grants.