Child Welfare Employee Scholars Tuition Assistance Program Application

Program Admission Requirements:

The South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS) is looking to promote a well-educated, trained workforce to work with children and families served by the state's child welfare system.
 
DSS is accepting applications from current DSS child welfare professionals interested in receiving a Bachelor’s in Social Work at South Carolina State University, the University of South Carolina, or Winthrop University or Master's in Social Work at the University of South Carolina, or Winthrop University.
 
Employees admitted to the BSW program will receive full financial tuition assistance and a stipend for books and expenses for the last 45 credit hours dedicated to social work study.
 
Employees admitted to the MSW program will receive full financial tuition assistance and a stipend for books and expenses for the full MSW program. Employees must maintain part-time status taking 3-6 semester hours of coursework each semester. DSS will pay up to 6 semester hours of credit per semester.
 
Selected DSS employees who receive benefits from the CWSTAP program must commit to continue working with the children and families served by SCDSS in Child Welfare Services for a minimum of two years after graduation.
 
MSW Application Requirements:
To be eligible to apply for the DSS Child Welfare Employee MSW Scholars Tuition Assistance Program, employees must:
Be a current employee of DSS for at least 1 year and
Obtain admission into the Graduate School and Master of Social Work program at:
University of South Carolina, or
Winthrop University PLEASE ADVISE ADMISSIONS YOU'RE A "DSS- MSW EMPLOYEE SCHOLAR TO COORDINATE PROPER SEMESTER START DATE.
Have no pending or previous disciplinary action within the last 2 years of employment at DSS.
Apply and be accepted into the Child Welfare Scholars Program with DSS

BSW Application Requirements:
Submit your Supervisor/Team Coordinator-Leader Reference Form. (Obtain link from DSS-Careers/Internship Section of Website)
To be eligible to apply for the DSS Child Welfare Employee BSW Scholars Tuition Assistance Program, employees must:
Be an employee who does NOT currently have a bachelor’s degree and currently enrolled at SCSU, USC, or Winthrop and are in the equivalent of the second semester of Sophomore year or have earned between 45-75 credit hours.
Must be an employee of SCDSS in child welfare.
Must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident.
Apply by the deadline and obtain acceptance into the program.
Obtain acceptance into the Bachelor of Social Work program at: SC State, USC, or Winthrop University.
To remain in the program, maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher in all social work courses and a 2.5 GPA or higher in all coursework.

Application Deadline
March 1st
1.Your Name:
2.Email Address
3.Your Phone Number:(Required.)
4.Region of State Employment
5.County of Employment
6.What is your current position title?
7.Which program area do you work in?
8.Do you have any disciplinary action during your employment with SC DSS within the last 2 years?
9.What degree are you pursuing?
10.What Semester are you applying for?
11.Which university or universities have you applied?
12.Have you received a letter of acceptance?
(If you have been accepted to more than one school,
please select the school you prefer to attend.)
13.If you are currently a student and have completed credit hours in a BSW or MSW program at SCSU, USC, or Winthrop, are you in good standing or are you on academic probation?
14.If you are currently enrolled in a BSW or MSW program and have already taken courses, how many credits do you currently have?
If you do NOT have any credits, enter zero (0).
15.Please provide a professional statement of your goals including how pursuing a BSW or MSW will help you personally and professionally, aid you in your child welfare career, and facilitate actualizing GPS practice when working with children and families. THIS QUESTION IS MANDATORY AND WILL BE SCORED AND WILL BE USED TO DETERMINE YOUR ADMISSION INTO THE PROGRAM. BE SURE TO COVER ALL COMPONENTS OF THE STATEMENT REQUIREMENTS ABOVE.