Child Welfare Academy FAQs
The Texas Permanency Outcomes Project
Anyone can take individual prerequisite or certificate courses through the Academy.
Yes! The Child Welfare Academy is supported by the Children’s Bureau through April 2024. All courses will be offered for free throughout this period.
The Child Welfare Academy is currently being piloted in DFPS Regions 2, 6, and 11. Interested participants in other regions of Texas will have opportunities to enroll at a later date.
You can take any of the foundation and certificate courses without engaging in work towards a social certificate. Please review the How to Enroll section for more information.
Participants have 12 months to complete a certificate program. Once a course has been started, the participant has 60 days to complete the course. You can complete courses at your own pace. If you miss a training, you can take it at a later date when available in your region.
We get it, life happens! If you signed up for a certificate program and find it difficult to complete requirements, please reach out to our Academy Coordinator Cassandra Mendoza at cassandra.mendoza@austin.utexas.edu. All the certificate program courses and cohorts will be offered on a reoccurring basis. If you can’t complete your coursework with your current cohort, you can enroll in another cohort at a later date.
When you enroll in a certificate program, you also receive the opportunity to learn and interact with your peers in a safe environment. The certificate program includes an online learning community where members can discuss their course work and issues in practice. The online learning community will be moderated and have guidelines in place that ensure the safety of all participants.
We hope that by taking these courses you will have an improved level of knowledge and skill to work in the field.
All participants will receive a certificate from the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin after completing the certificate program.
Yes! All courses are eligible for CEUs. Participants in the child welfare services certificate track will earn 20.5 CEUs and participants in the child protection services certificate track will earn 18.5 CEUs.
STATEWIDE CAPACITY BUILDING
TXPOP will provide trainings and support to professionals working in child welfare with the development of a professional certificate in child welfare from the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. TXPOP is also developing a multimedia campaign for caregivers on how to engage families and ensure that the child’s voice is at the heart of the work.