Colorado Child Welfare Scholars Consortium (CCWSC)

The Colorado Child Welfare Scholars Consortium (CCWSC), formerly the Child Welfare Stipend Program, aims to grow and support a well-educated and prepared child welfare workforce through social work education and postgraduate professional development.

The CCWSC provides scholarships to undergraduate and graduate social work students interested in pursuing a career in public child welfare in Colorado. In addition, the CCWSC contributes to the child welfare workforce through research, evaluation, and professional development opportunities for program graduates and our partners.

The CCWSC is a partnership between the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS), Colorado county departments of human services and participating schools of social work throughout our state.

We believe that achieving the best outcomes for the safety, permanency, and well-being of children requires intentional and meaningful collaboration across disciplines. No single profession holds all the answers to the complex challenges facing children and families. The primary responsibility of the CCWSC is to fund scholars who pursue careers in child welfare. Currently we fund BSW and MSW degrees because the social work curriculum closely aligns with title IV-E funding requirements and our participating university and current program capacity. We honor and value the unique contributions of our non-social work colleagues in the child welfare workforce and recognize that mutual respect and shared goals are essential to our collective success. 

Interdisciplinary work enables us to identify and respond to needs more comprehensively, to challenge assumptions through dialogue, and to develop innovative solutions grounded in both evidence and compassion.  

We are committed to fostering a collaborative culture that honors multiple ways of knowing and centers the needs of children and families. As professionals in the community, we strive to bring together expertise, experiences, and perspectives and strengthen our ability to see the whole child within the context of their family, community, and culture.