MEDIA CONTACT: Kristine M. McGrath
561-297-1168, kmcgrath@fau.edu

FAU Takes the Lead in Training Tomorrow's
Child Welfare Professionals
5-year, $6.5 million contract will train more students for social work positions

BOCA RATON, FL (December 15, 2005) - Dr. Michele Hawkins, director and professor of Florida Atlantic University's School of Social Work, recently received a $6.5 million contract from Florida's Department of Children and Families to educate and train social work graduates to work as child welfare professionals. FAU is serving as the lead institution on this five-year contract that began in July. The project is a collaborative effort with other state schools that are members of the Florida Association of the Deans and Directors of the Schools of Social Work (FADD): Florida A&M University, Florida International University, Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida and the University of West Florida.

"The current lack of formally educated social workers going into child welfare has forced agencies to hire people from non social work backgrounds," said Dr. Michele Hawkins, School of Social Work director and professor. "This grant will help educate and train social workers who will be able to work with the complex needs of children in foster care and adoption." As part of the collaborative nature of the grant, the deans of social work from the participating universities will work with Florida's Department of Children and Families to determine budget, policies and curriculum. All of the schools will receive money to hire one to two new faculty members whose duties include to work individually with stipend students and teach specialized child welfare courses.

After completion of the stipend program, students have employment for one year in a child welfare agency. This type of program is seen as a win-win situation, as students see the program as obtaining specialized professional training in child welfare with post graduation employment while local agencies view the program as a way to hire qualified child welfare professionals.

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The mission of the College of Architecture, Urban and Public Affairs (CAUPA) is to accumulate, generate, disseminate, and apply knowledge, practices, and prescriptions for urban regions in the 21st century. A common theme of the College's units is the promotion of the public interest and the preparation of our students to assume meaningful roles in society's public, quasi-public, and private agencies and organizations.