CALSWEC/ TITLE IV-E and Field Placement

[bnw0404]

Hello everyone!

I have a couple of questions about MSW programs. Thank you for taking the time to read my post!

I really like that there is a wide variety of careers available to a person with an MSW (I want to concentrate in children, youth and families) and I'm afraid that participating in the CALSWEC program will limit those options, because my internships and first 2 years job experience may be solely child protective services focused.

What are the career options available to those who participate in CALSWEC? Are they limited to solely child protection services?

Will being in the CALSWEC program limit my future career opportunities? Like say, in 5 years I decide I want to work with domestic violence? Will this hurt my chances?

Im looking at applying to CSULA, Long Beach, San Fran, Northridge, Fullerton, UCLA, and San Diego.

Have you heard about the different field work placements?

Do they provide a wide realm of field work opportunities?

Are they committed to truly fighting the best placement? Or are they just merely trying to stick you anywhere?

I graduated from UCR, and after attending a publich school, where so many calsses were cut and concentrations were unavailable, Im afraid of that happening in my MSW program.

Has anyone heard of this happening at any of the schools?

Any feedback you can give will be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[creativesocialworker]

Hiii. I'm a current UCLA MSW. CALSWEC wont limit your career opportunities. It's the opposite, because that experience will look great on your resume. Your first year you don't intern at DCFS, you intern at an agency that serves a similar population. You will likely do therapy with children and/or families. The next year you intern at DCFS in the Emergency Response Unit (which can be pretty brutal). After graduation you are committed to working for Child Services for 2 years in an ER unit. There are, however, a lot of things you should be aware of with CALSWEC. LA did not hire CALSWEC students last year. For the first 6 months you are required to apply everywhere within 90 miles of where you live. After 6 months if you havent been hired you are required to interview anywhere in CA that is hiring. If you dont then you break your contract and have to payback the stipend at 15%+ interest. So if you are flexible about where you live then this might still be a good match. The situation with LA is very up in the air. There is a chance that they may end the LA hiring freeze, but that is a gamble.

I didnt the IUC stipend ($18,500 stipend for 1 year). I interned at DCFS my first year and then got to choose my own placement the next year. After graduation I am committed to working for DCFS for 1 year. IUC is an LA only program. They have 60 days to offer me a job after graduation, and if they don't then my contract ends and I don't work for them or have to pay back the stipend. Last year they did not hire a fairly large number of IUC students, but again, we have no way of knowing if that will change in the near future.

I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any more questions lstockly@ucla.edu

[Sassafrass333]

What kind of questions did they ask you during the interview?