Through an agreement with the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), CalSWEC’s Adults and Aging Program has launched a statewide APS MSW Training Program.
The APS MSW Training Program will build on the pilot San Francisco Bay Area APS Training Program implemented from 2019 to 2021 to address the workforce development needs of public APS programs. Its goals are to provide selected MSW students with advanced training in Adult and Aging-focused social work practice and to increase the numbers of MSWs working in APS units across the state.
The Adult Protective Services (APS) Training Program for MSW Students is funded by CDSS and administered by CalSWEC. CalSWEC is currently working with ten MSW programs and multiple county agencies and departments to complete the planning necessary to begin training MSW students in Fall 2023!
Under the current agreement, the APS MSW Training Program will provide specialized training and stipend support to 50 advanced-year MSW students at 10 universities in academic year 2023-24, and to 60 students at 12 universities in academic year 2024-25. Planned allocations of additional funding will enable the program to serve 100 students at 20 universities each year by academic year 2026-27.
Training for students in the APS MSW Training Program will include specialized academic courses focused on social work practice in the field of Aging and Adult Services, specialized field training in APS units, and specialized co-curricular research and community service projects intended to enhance understanding of the needs of this vulnerable population and the agencies that serve it.
Each MSW student participant will be awarded a $20,000 stipend during each year of training. Participating MSW programs will receive program coordination funding sufficient to ensure the availability of curricular and field training resources necessary to meet all training requirements and to coordinate programming. Graduates of the APS MSW Training Program will be required to complete post-graduation service employment in county-operated APS programs within the state of California.
List of ten universities participating in the APS MSW Training Program in academic year 2023-24:
California Polytechnic University, Humboldt
California State University Fullerton
California State University Long Beach
California State University Los Angeles
California State University Sacramento
California State University San Marcos
California State University Stanislaus
California State University, Chico
San Francisco State University
San Jose State University
If you have any questions about the APS Training Program for MSW Students, please contact E. Maxwell Davis at emdavis@berkeley.edu.