A Child Welfare Certificate is available to BSW graduates. Completion of the certificate may allow students to waive certain training requirements for child welfare staff at the Michigan Department of Human Services including child protective services, foster care and adoption. The Certificate will also indicate qualifications for employment at private agencies that provide child welfare services such as foster care and adoption. Students are still required to complete a minor or the Interdisciplinary Major. Credits toward meeting either of these, as well as the requirement of two Social Work electives, can be double counted toward earning the Child Welfare Certificate.
Graduates who do not have a BSW may apply to the Social Work Department for admission to the Child Welfare Certificate program. Admission is at the discretion of the Social Work Department. Consideration will be given to the degree earned (preferably in the behavioral sciences), course work, and experience in the field of child welfare.