GENERAL

What is ICWI?

Capital University Law School, in conjunction with the National Center for Adoption Law and Policy, is pleased to offer a one-week intensive Interdisciplinary Child Welfare Institute (ICWI) to students from law schools and graduate level social work programs from across the country. This two-credit course will provide law students and graduate level social work students with a mutual understanding of the legal and sociological principles central to child welfare practice. In the increasingly complex world of child welfare, quality collaboration among legal and social work professionals is critical to keeping children safe and strengthening families. Interdisciplinary learning provides a common foundation for students from different professional programs and an environment for developing the skills required of future child welfare attorneys and social workers. ICWI will be offered May 18 – 22, 2009 at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. Students attending the course from law schools other than Capital University Law School and from graduate social work schools may apply for two academic credits at their home institution.

Why take an interdisciplinary course?

Few service systems rely on the successful interaction of such a broad variety of professional stakeholders as the child welfare system. Effective collaboration among professionals is paramount to achieving child safety and permanence. However, there are few opportunities for collaborative training for professionals, let alone students. This course will provide law students and graduate social work students with a unique opportunity to learn from peers across disciplines, to develop a mutual understanding of complex child and family issues, and to develop “real world” practice skills through dynamic classroom experiences.

Who teaches ICWI?

Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the course, ICWI is co-taught by: Angela Upchurch, Academic Director of the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy and Associate Professor of Law at Capital University, and Carla Carpenter, MSSW and Associate Director of the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy. Professor Upchurch is a scholar in the area of children's legal rights and procedural law. She is a contributing author to the ABA Center on Children and the Law, A Judge's Guide: Making Child-Centered Decisions in Custody Cases (2001). She is also the author of The Deep Freeze: A Critical Examination of the Resolution of Frozen Embryo Disputes Through the Adversarial Process, 33 Florida State University Law Review 395 (2005); A Postmodern Deconstruction of Frozen Embryo Disputes, 39 Connecticut Law Review 2109 (2007) and Can Granny Have a New Home?: A Proposal for Determining a Change in an Incompetent’s Domicile for Diversity Jurisdiction, 79 University of Colorado Law Review 545 (2008).

Professor Upchurch graduated first in her class at Loyola University Chicago School of Law where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Loyola University Chicago Law Journal. A former law clerk to The Hon. Michael Murphy of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Salt Lake City, Upchurch joined the law faculty at Capital in 2003. She teaches a course on children, families and the state, as well as civil procedure, dispute resolution and adoption.

Carla Carpenter is a Licensed Social Worker, and she is the Associate Director of the National Center for Adoption Law & Policy at Capital University Law School (NCALP). Her professional experience has centered on programmatic and systemic issues impacting children and families, particularly in the area of child welfare, as well as direct client services work with at-risk children and families.

Prior to joining the staff of NCALP in 2004, Ms. Carpenter provided case management, advocacy, counseling, curriculum development, education, and prevention services for children and families in a variety of practice settings. For the past four years she has served as an administrator with NCALP. Her responsibilities with NCALP have included child welfare research, with a particular emphasis on Differential Response Systems, and coordination of several of the Center’s educational and programmatic initiatives related to adoption and child permanency issues. Ms. Carpenter has also served as an adjunct professor within Capital University’s Social Work Department, teaching Introduction to Social Work & Social Welfare and Social Welfare Policy.

Ms. Carpenter holds a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University. She is also an alumna of Capital University where she earned dual Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Work degrees, Summa Cum Laude.

What topics will be covered in ICWI?

Constitutional rights of parents and children and the responsibility of the State to protect children from maltreatment

History of child welfare law

Child welfare systems in the United States: key federal policy and statutes and state structures

Legal definitions and practice implications

Child development and interviewing children

Family dynamics of child maltreatment

Ethical and professional considerations for interdisciplinary practice

Preparing for trials and providing expert testimony

Permanency planning and negotiating for best solutions for children and families

The course will also provide:

Opportunities for interdisciplinary exercises and problem-solving

Optional interdisciplinary externship component available

Who attends ICWI?

ICWI is offered to law students from law schools and graduate level social work students across the country. Students from both disciplines who are interested in learning more about practicing in the area of child welfare and developing a greater understanding of the interaction of social work and legal professionals in this context are encouraged to enroll in this course