The Child Welfare Stipend program at UGA covers tuition and fees for competitively selected MSW students to prepare them for competent, professional child welfare practice. This program seeks to connect research and classroom content to child welfare practice to improve the quality of services to families served by the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services.
The goals of the program include:
- Preparing MSW graduates for competent child welfare practice
- Educating and retaining competent DFCS employees
- Improving the quality of services for families with multiple challenges and needs
- Contributing to a workforce with knowledge of systems theory with solution-focused and trauma-informed practice
- Promoting collaboration between the University of Georgia School of Social Work, DFCS, and other universities throughout Georgia
For the 2024-2025 school year, the School of Social Work covered tuition and fees, excluding parking and health insurance, for MSW students. Extended-time (Gwinnett and Online only) students receive a stipend of $500.
To qualify for an interview, applicants must be current MSW students, admitted to the MSW program for the coming year, or be an employee of DFCS with approval from their leadership (signed SEED agreement).
There is a Work Obligation if you are chosen for the Title IV-E stipend. For every academic year you receive Title IV-E funding, you are required to work a calendar year at the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services in a social services position. The count for this time starts after you obtain your degree. This is how you “payback” the Program.
Title IV-E Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year are due:
- DFCS Employee: Application and signed SEED agreement submitted by January 3, 2025
- Non-DFCS Employee: Application submitted by April 25, 2025
Applications may be made online at https://iotis.org/iveprogram/.
For more information, contact the UGA Title IV-E Program at [email protected].
