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School of Social Work

Child Welfare Certification Courses

Get an in-depth education and training on child welfare practice.

SWK 323 (Child Welfare Services) and SWK 324 (Topics in Child Welfare) prepare you to take the Illinois Child Welfare Employee License exam and Child Endangerment Risk Assessment Protocol exam. These exams are required for the Child Welfare Employee License.

What to Expect

You'll apply what you learn in the bachelor or master program to practice policy and human behavior in the social environment.

Enrich Your Knowledge

Our curriculum focuses on policy and history in child welfare. This includes child welfare laws and initiatives that shape your daily work in the field.

  • Ethics and Professionalism

    Explore the legal and ethical roles and responsibilities a child welfare worker in Illinois must fulfill.

  • Theory

    Take a closer look at human behavior and developmental theories, and how these inform child welfare practice.

  • Effects of Trauma

    Learn how trauma impacts children and families.

  • Interviewing

    Sharpen your assessment skills to identify signs and symptoms of:

    • child abuse and neglect
    • substance use disorders
    • intimate partner violence
    • sexual abuse
    • mental illness
    • developmental disabilities

  • Documentation

    Get plenty of opportunity to practice and increase your documentation skills, and learn how to develop service plans with families.

  • Juvenile Court

    Learn how the system works and how social workers function within it.

Jump-start Your Career

Being well-prepared for the licensure exams means you can have the confidence to pass and enter the job market at a time when many social workers are needed.

All agencies have orientation and training expectations. Taking SWK 323 and SWK 324 gives you the kind of training most agencies provide their new hires.

Contact a Social Work advisor to enroll in the Child Welfare Class.