New FREE certificate program for metro-area child welfare practitioners

The Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) is collaborating with the Center for Early Education and Development (CEED) and the Institute of Child Development (ICD) to offer metro-area child welfare practitioners the opportunity to enroll in the University of Minnesota Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) certificate program at no cost to participants or counties. This intensive training promotes interdisciplinary skills and policies necessary to support the social emotional development of at-risk children ages birth to five and the well-being of families.
This training is founded on a core set of infant and early childhood mental health principles, asserting that child welfare services (among others) for families should be relationship-based, multi-generational, culturally sensitive, grounded in developmental and trauma theory, and supported by reflective practice.
One-Year Program Structure
Orientation will be September 12, 2013 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The course will meet one Thursday and Friday per month for 8 months (September 2013 through April 2014) at the University of Minnesota.

  • Thursdays: 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM
  • Fridays: 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Consultation will be bi-weekly (twice per month) in small group sessions for four months (May through August 2014).
Program Enrollment
IECMH will hold three spaces for participants from each of the metro-area counties—Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Washington, and Wright—until July 1st. After that, the spaces will be opened to participants from any of the metro-area counties on a first-come, first-serve basis. We are encouraging all applicants to talk with their supervisors/managers prior to submitting their applications. County administrators will be consulted by IECMH in prioritizing applications from each county.
For more information and to request an application, please email Ellen Lepinski at lepin008@umn.edu. You can also visit the website at http://z.umn.edu/iecmhcw.