Students in northwest Tennessee have the opportunity to obtain a scholarship this fall at accredited schools of social work and the guarantee of a future job with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS).

The Tennessee Child Welfare Worker Certification Stipend/Tuition Program will provide stipends to UTM social work students this fall and spring.

Students chosen for the scholarship will be required to complete two child welfare classes and an internship with DCS. In return, they will receive the stipend, status as a certified child welfare worker and a guaranteed job at DCS. The news comes on the heels of DCS’s announcement of plans to boost the starting salaries of front-line caseworkers from about $22,500 to nearly $29,000 by 2007. Social work students who earn certified child welfare worker status before graduation can begin work at DCS at the Case Worker II level, which amounts to a $4,000 raise. By 2007, the starting pay of these students could be as much as $33,000.

The changes are part of the vision of new state DCS Commissioner, Viola Miller, as she prioritizes recruiting trained professionals for employment with the department.

In addition, UTM is a part of a consortium of 13 schools with accredited social work programs that will provide $16 million in training for DCS workers across the state beginning this fall. UTM will train DCS workers in the nine-county area of west Tennessee.

Instead of social workers in these counties going to Nashville for training, it will be offered at their local university. The UTM social work program has experienced an enrollment boom and serious competition for the stipend/tuition program slots is expected.

Students interested in applying for the scholarship must be juniors accepted into the social work program. Requirements include a 3.0 GPA in social work, a 2.5 GPA overall, letters of recommendation, completion of an application and interviews to be scheduled at a later date.

The deadline to apply for The Tennessee Child Welfare Worker Certification Stipend/Tuition Program is Nov. 15.

For a scholarship application or more information, contact Cindy West at (731) 881-7524 or Michelle Horton at (731) 881-7513.