Child Welfare Researcher Award
Purpose: To prepare doctoral students for academic and research careers
with a substantive focus on child welfare. Through mentoring by
experienced child welfare faculty, students will receive a rigorous
training in quantitative and qualitative research techniques, program
evaluation and policy and practice analysis. Emphasis is on applied
research and experiential learning. In addition to the standard curriculum
of the doctoral program, selected students will be able to participate in
special seminars and research projects conducted by child welfare faculty
and will be provided with a range of experiences in research and teaching
tailored to their individual interests in child welfare.
Form of Support: Support is available through the first two years
(completion of course work) in the form of assistantships, traineeships,
and fellow awards. Annual salary of $15,000 to $25,000 plus out-of-state
tuition waiver, portion of health insurance, office space and a $500
travel allowance to attend or present at child welfare conferences.
Continued support and level of support is contingent upon the student's
performance and progress in the program.
Structure: A fellow award program within the KU School of Social
Welfare to help recruit and support doctoral students in preparation for
academic careers with a substantive focus on child welfare. A separate
application for the fellow award is submitted at the time of application
to the program, and the fellow award is awarded by the chairs of the award
program. This program is administered and monitored by the doctoral
faculty in child welfare and chaired by Marianne Berry and Tom McDonald.
Financial support for the fellow award is provided through child welfare
research and training grants, and the number of fellow award awards thus
varies from year to year.
Eligibility: Acceptance into the doctoral program, prior child welfare,
or child and family experience and a commitment to research and teaching
in child welfare.
Application: Completed doctoral program application packet. Written
statement of interest in research and teaching in child welfare.
Interested students should contact Professors Tom McDonald or Marianne
Berry at (785) 864-4720.
Faculty (interests): Marianne Berry - family preservation, adoption.
Tom McDonald - child protective services, adoption, outcomes
Chris Petr - children's mental health, childhood disabilities
Steve Kapp - juvenile justice, outcome measures in child welfare
Mark Ezell - privatization, contracting, management in child welfare
Charlie Rapp - child welfare management, training, outcomes
