Title IV-E Pathway Program

The Pathway Program is a CalSWEC Title IV-E Child Welfare Training Program created to support California public and Tribal child welfare employees in their pursuit of bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work with a focus on child welfare. The Pathway Program has an emphasis on rural and educationally underserved communities and offers support to California public universities in developing courses and degrees that can be provided to BASW/MSW distance education students.

California Tribal or public social services employees in targeted rural counties can participate in the Pathway Program. Pathway students must receive a letter of support from their employer.

Students accepted to the Pathway Program are eligible to participate in the Title IV-E Stipend Program, which offers financial support through reimbursement of tuition and fees, books and supplies, and other educational expenses. Because Pathway students take courses that use distance education technologies, the courses can be completed partially or entirely online, allowing students to balance their degree programs with other work/life obligations.

Students who participate in the Pathway Program and receive Title IV-E funding must work in an approved position at a county or Tribal child welfare program after graduation. For BASW students, this is a one-year obligation; for MSW students, this is a two-year obligation. CalSWEC and individual schools offer information about approved available positions to students.

Three universities currently offer the Pathway Program: Cal Poly Humboldt; CSU, Chico; and CSU, San Bernardino. All three offer BASW and MSW degrees using distance education technologies. Each school has more information available on its website:

• Cal Poly Humboldt: http://www2.humboldt.edu/socialwork/partnerships/calswec-stipend-project...
• CSU, Chico: http://www.csuchico.edu/swrk/child-welfare-stipend/pathway-program.shtml
• CSU, San Bernardino: https://www.csusb.edu/social-work/title-iv-e-program

Although the universities offering the Pathway Program use distance education technologies, the primary purpose of the program is for the campuses to offer distance education opportunities to students living within their own region. These regions are generally defined by county:

If potential students live outside of these counties or are unsure which campus might be the most geographically appropriate for them, they can contact the Pathway Program representatives at the campuses they are interested in attending for more information. This list of counties is intended as a general guideline only; all admissions decisions are at the discretion of each individual campus.

Although Pathway Program students complete most of their coursework online, each campus sets its own structure and policy for face-to-face meetings. Generally, students are expected to travel to campus at least a few days per calendar year; this provides them opportunities to meet their peers and to practice their skills in face to-face settings.

The instructors from each university determine the exact structure of individual courses. Generally, courses include both synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous (self-paced) content; students in courses with synchronous content, such as lectures and discussions, may need to be online at scheduled times each week. Students in the Pathway Program will follow the traditional academic year, participating in semesters
and/or terms.

The same faculty who teach traditional face-to-face courses at each campus develop and teach the courses.

Students completing the Pathway Program receive social work degrees identical to those received by students who complete traditional programs at their home campuses. These degrees are fully accredited by the same organizations (the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Council on Social Work Education) that oversee traditional face-to-face education.

All BASW and MSW programs, including online degrees, require a minimum number of supervised hours of field placement (400 hours for BASW students and 900 for MSW students). Students participating in the Pathway Program must complete these field placement hours in a traditional, face-to-face setting. After admission to a Pathway degree program, the student’s host campus will provide them with assistance in securing a field placement opportunity in the campus’s local area. The Pathway Title IV-E stipend requires that this internship be focused on child welfare.

Generally, students need a computer and Internet connection to complete courses. Students should be able to play back video and audio content online. Each campus may have additional technology requirements. Financial support for Pathway students to purchase a computer may be available using the Title IV-E stipend.

Child welfare workers in the designated counties or in Tribal regions that serve these counties must first apply for admission and be accepted to the campus that serves their area. At some campuses, students must specifically indicate at the time of their application that they wish to enter the distance education program; at others, students will apply through the regular admissions process. Students should check with their local campus representative for specific information about their particular program or region. After admission to a campus offering the Pathway Program, students can then apply to the Title IV-E Child Welfare Training Program as a Pathway Program student.

Yes. The distance education programs are available to any student interested in pursuing a social work degree. Each campus sets its own admissions policies for these programs.

The California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC) (http://calswec.berkeley.edu) administers the
Title IV-E Child Welfare Training Program for CSU and UC campuses in the state of California. This program promotes professionalization of social work practice by offering financial stipends and supports to BASW and MSW students who make a commitment to a career in public or Tribal child welfare. CalSWEC provides financial and programmatic support to campuses offering the Pathway Program, but each campus is responsible for the development and administration of its own programs.

California Tribal or public social service employees who are interested in participating in the Pathway Program should contact the Pathway Program representative at the site where they are interested in enrolling:

• Cal Poly Humboldt: Michelle Rainer, michelle.rainer@humboldt.edu
• CSU, Chico: Meka Klungtvet-Morano, mklungtvet-morano@csuchico.edu
• CSU, San Bernardino: Teresa Morris, tmorris@csusb.edu

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