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Project scholars and families
2016 HCWEC Scholars and their ʻohana with Elizabeth Aparicio and Cheri Tartutani, HCWEC alum

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work is committed to addressing social work shortages in child welfare through its partnership with State of Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services-Child Welfare Services and announces the revitalization of the Hawaiʻi Child Welfare Education Collaboration Project (HCWEC). ​HCWEC seeks to provide a training pipeline to develop a highly competent workforce in the challenging child welfare field in the state of Hawaiʻi.

HCWEC provides its scholars with a stipend to support their final year of specialized graduate education in social work. Students receive hands-on experience through internships at Child Welfare Services. Upon graduation, scholars will have a two-year employment commitment to Child Welfare Services in Hawaiʻi.

“The field of social work faces challenges nationwide in recruiting and retaining skilled workers, yet U.S. Department of Labor statistics show the profession growing significantly through the year 2020 due to the many children and families who benefit from the wide-ranging services provided by social workers each day,” said Cheri Tarutani, HCWEC project manager.

Elizabeth Aparicio, principal investigator of HCWEC stated, “HCWEC is an important support as we serve children and families statewide. We are excited to train new social workers for this purpose.”

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