Southwest Texas State University's Center for Children and Families hosted the sixth annual Child Welfare Roundtable Thursday, June 13 and Friday, June 14 at Aquarena Springs Conference Center.

The event is designed to build a strong collaborative network for universities and agencies that prepare personnel to work with children and families. Representatives from twenty-five universities, twenty-four local and state child welfare programs, and seven states attended.

Vice President for Academic Affairs Robert D. Gratz welcomed the group to campus and Dean of the College of Health Professions Rumaldo Z. Juarez introduced the keynote speaker, Dr. Sandra Mayo of the Center for Multicultural and Gender Studies.

Following Dr. Mayo's presentation, university and agency personnel worked in task groups on current issues. Recommendations from those task groups follow.

Karen Brown and Nancy Chavkin, Co-Directors of the Center for Children and Families, and Elizabeth Kromrei, Assistant Director of Operations for Child Protective Services, are anticipating a successful 7th Annual Child Welfare Roundtable to be held in June 2003. For more information, please contact the Center at 512-245-1784.

Recommendations and Roundtable Summary

Next Steps

Contract Issues (cover in October meeting)

• Explore stipend flexibility
• Summer/extended stipend options
• Rural/high need area incentives
• “Break in service”- what to do
• Between BSW & MAW
• Students working to avoid job offer – field issue also

Employment & Retention & Field

• Coordination between HR (Human Resources) and University on criminal background checks, New Employee Orientation & Screening

Curriculum

• 3 hour modules for use by other faculty
• Share curriculum & summery of modules

Monit/ SWT

• IV-E List serve for university, agency and federal partners

Field

• Collect field models

Curriculum (Sonja as a resource)

• Explore distance education possibilities

Employment & Retention

• Bilingual issues

New Issues

List serve

• What training needs are identified in national Child and Family Service Reviews for Texas and other states

Field/Curriculum

Students with CPS work experience returning to school- need to address their learning needs differently than less experienced students (adult learning models compared to other learning models)

Field

Students working to “avoid” job offer- contract issue also

Passing field – if an intern is not acceptable for employment is she/he automatically ineligible to pass field. If not, under what circumstances would he/she be ineligible

Chairpersons

Field

1. Cecelia Thomas

2. To Be Determined

Employment and Retention

1. Sonja Berry

2. To Be Determined

Curriculum

1. Joe Papick

2. Anna Rae Rozella

Evaluation

1. Patrick Leung

2. Donn Baumann

New Committee (COS Staff- returning students)

1. Barbara Anderson

2. Theresa Buehler

Update from Joe Papick via Hugh Clark on student loans that are forgivable—the name of the loan is the Perkins Loan. Check with your university financial aid office for more information.