Title IV-E Stipend Program

The state’s Title IV-E Stipend Program provides monetary stipends and professional development coaching to students at Alabama higher education institutions. Title IV-E stipends are specifically designated for students planning to pursue or continue a career in public child welfare with the Alabama Department of Human Resources.

An 18-month work obligation with the Alabama Department of Human Resources is a requirement of the Title IV-E Stipend Program.

Eligibility Requirements

Students must meet the following criteria in order to be considered for a Title IV-E stipend:

• Must be a BSW student who is preparing to enter their field placement, an Advanced Standing MSW student or MSW student in their second year with an emphasis on social work with children, adolescents and their families.
• Have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher, or 3.0 or higher GPA for the last 30 semester hours of course work.
• Must secure appropriate field placement with the assistance of social work program Field Coordinator. Non-DHR employees must accept a field placement with a DHR County office. DHR employees must accept a field placement related to permanency in child welfare deemed appropriate by the Title IV-E Stipend Committee.

Application Process

Title IV-E Stipend Application due dates are as follows:

Students should apply by the due date preceding their semester of graduation. Applications should be submitted no earlier than 30 days prior to the due date. Applications received after the due date will NOT be accepted.

The student must complete the Title IV-E Stipend Application and email the application to TitleIV-E@ua.edu. The Title IV-E Stipend Application consists of four parts: (1) Student Information, (2) Outline, (3) Essay, (4) Resume and Transcript. Each part contains specific instructions that if not followed will result in the application being rejected. The outline and essay must be completed using general APA format. All required attachments must be converted from their original format to PDF prior to submission in order to preserve the intended formatting.

All essays will be reviewed and scored by members of the Title IV-E Stipend Committee. Applicants will be notified via email if their score qualifies them to participate in an interview.  

Stipend interviews are conducted via Zoom with 3-4 members of the Title IV-E Stipend Committee. Stipend recipients are selected using a rubric scoring tool based on the following criteria: application, outline, resume, essay, and interview.

If selected, the proposed recipient will be notified via email and a meeting will be scheduled to formally accept the stipend award and sign the Title IV-E Stipend Agreement.

Professional Development Coach

Stipend recipients are assigned a professional development coach with extensive experience in the field of public child welfare and knowledge of DHR policies and procedures. The coach will provide approximately 2 hours per month of professional development on a variety of topics based on the needs of the stipend recipient during field placement* and work obligation period. Coaching sessions count towards total field placement hours, but cannot exceed 2 hours per month. Meetings can be held face-to-face, over the phone, or via video conference (Zoom, Face Time, etc.). The coaching support role will include the following:

• Clarify and focus on the recipients goals and support their professional growth
• Identify personal sources of energy and inspiration to fuel motivation
• Work through barriers that may interfere with work/life satisfaction
• Improve personal and professional communication skills
• Discover or enhance a personal vision and mission

Stipend Recipient Hub

The Stipend Recipient Hub is a comprehensive source of material for stipend recipients. Those materials are as follows:

• Learning Activities: Recipients are required to complete a minimum of one per week during field placement*. These activities are intended to be completed during regularly scheduled field placement hours when possible.
• Resources: Quick reference guides, primarily to assist with the completion of Learning Activities
• AL DHR: Information related to the Alabama Department of Human Resources
• Self-Care: Assessments designed to increase knowledge and awareness about self-care

Note: *Students in concurrent/extended placements will have a coach and complete learning activities during the second half of their field placement.

Stipend Recipient Responsibilities and Payment Schedule

Stipend payments will be distributed to the recipient in three separate installments upon the successful completion of the responsibilities listed below:

Payment: 1st
Requirements:

• Field Placement (based on the requirements of individual Social Work program)
• Minimum requirement of IV-E Learning Activities
• DHR job application
• Added to DHR register of 3 regions selected on DHR job application
• Participation in approximately 2 hours of coaching sessions per month

Payment: 2nd
Requirements:

• 9 months of employment with DHR
• Participation in approximately 1-2 hours of coaching sessions per month