To help address the racial and ethnic disproportionality and disparity in the child welfare system, Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network has established the Reducing Disparities in Child Welfare Scholarship to support undergraduate students who demonstrate a clear understanding of and commitment to addressing ethnic and racial disparities in child welfare-serving systems.

The scholarships will be awarded to two students each year in the amount of $3,000 beginning in the fall 2021 semester. Applicants need to be undergraduate students minoring in Child Maltreatment and Advocacy Studies (CMAS).

“The scholarship aligns with the Solutions Network’s mission to address and reduce disparities in the child welfare field and support diversity, equity, and inclusion with respect to education, research, and practice in the fields of child maltreatment and child welfare,” said Jennie Noll, director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network and professor of human development and family studies.

After completing their internships, scholarship awardees are required to write a 10-page academic paper on a specific topic of their choice that falls under the broad area of how to reduce disparities or support diversity, equity, and inclusion in child welfare research or practice. This paper is tied to the CMAS 493 capstone course and should align with the student’s internship experience and/or their educational or career goals related to the child welfare field.

Additionally, scholarship awardees will deliver the academic paper as an oral presentation to faculty and students in the CMAS minor. The paper will become part of the Solutions Network resource library on diversity, equity and inclusion for faculty and students. It is also expected that awardees will attend and be recognized at the Solutions Network Awareness Event in April (dates vary each year).

For more information on the scholarship, eligibility criteria, and how to apply, go to the Solutions Network Scholarships website.

Recipients of the award will be notified by spring 2021. The funds will be awarded the semester that the student is enrolled in CMAS 493. For more information, contact Cheri McConnell.