Child Welfare Training and Advancement Program
CWTAP promotes training excellence for Washington state’s child welfare workforce through the financial support of social work students and professionals. This state-funded partnership links the resources of UW School of Social Work, Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence and the state’s Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).
Now in its 30th year, CWTAP provides qualified participants with specialized field education focused on casework in select DCYF offices. The field experience centers on topics such as abuse-and-neglect prevention, protective services, permanency planning, solution-based casework and competency in working with diverse populations.
Once students complete their MSW studies, they commit to seeking employment with the DCYF and agree to work for a time period equal to the time they received financial assistance.
Our Mission
The mission of the Child Welfare Training and Advancement Program is to recruit and develop highly skilled, culturally competent public child-welfare social workers through a partnership between the state’s Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) and participating Washington state universities. We encourage the participation of DCYF employees and those preparing for employment in the DCYF offices. Participants earn graduate-level professional knowledge and skills through an integration of instruction, practice and research.
Our Goals
- Develop a curriculum that integrates DCYF best practices and initiatives with classroom learning and field education experiences.
- Develop student competency in evidence-based practice strategies.
- Retain highly skilled social workers committed to public child welfare service.
- Train public child welfare social workers to practice in a culturally competent manner.
- Provide services that produce positive outcomes for children and families while ensuring child safety, permanency and well-being.
- Provide ongoing evaluation to measure CWTAP’s success in reaching its goals.