The mission of the MISSOURI CHILDREN’S DIVISION is to partner with families, communities and government to protect children from abuse and neglect and to assure safety, permanency and well being for Missouri’s children.

Goals of Services:   

• Child Protective Services:  to protect children who are identified as victims of abuse and neglect.
• Family Centered Services:  to improve and maintain the family unit for the well-being of the children.
• Intensive In-Home Services:  to offer an opportunity for families to remain safely together averting the out-of-home placement of children whenever possible, protect children through  the enhancement of family capabilities and provide services that assist families in crisis management and restore families to an acceptable level of functioning.
• Adoption Services:  to establish permanency and stability in children’s living situations and ensure that the continuity of family relationships and connects will be preserved for children.
• Independent Living Skills:  to equip youth in foster care with the skills needed to function as productive adults once they are released from alternative care. 

THE FIELD EXPERIENCE FOR THE BSW CANDIDATE:  Opportunities for BSW students placed at the Children’s Division are:

• Shadowing investigators on child abuse and neglect family assessments
• Supervising parent/child visits at the office
• Observing independent living classes
• Accompanying workers/supervisors to community meetings
• Observing interviews at the Network Against Sexual Violence
• Attending behavior staffings for foster children
• Case management of safekeeping cases ( intact families who need assistance)
• Accompanying permanency planning workers on home visits with foster children/families
• Completing home study on a family wanting to adopt a child
• Participating in staff meetings
• Attending CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) meetings with staff
• Being assigned a foster child to visit twice per month and document
• Attend adoption staffing meetings
• Transport children to counseling or to school as needed
• Experience being an intake worker
• Attending Juvenile Court sessions

WHAT STUDENT’S SAY:  “Field education was easily the best, most meaningful learning experience I had while at Southeast.  Not to say it wasn’t challenging - it was, but most rewarding experiences are.  It was a great opportunity to practice and examine the skills I had acquired in the social work program in a real-world setting.  I feel like field education was invaluable in terms of preparing me for a career in generalist social work practice.  Because of field education, I was much more comfortable when I started work after graduation”  

For more information about Missouri Children's Division, visit their Web site at:  http://www.dss.mo.gov/

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