Develop Professional Competency in Child Advocacy

Child maltreatment and advocacy issues continue to grow in scope and prevalence in our society. Our online minor program in Child Advocacy Studies (CHAS) gives University of Arkansas students the skills and knowledge they will need to competently manage child maltreatment cases. You must be working toward a bachelor's degree at the University of Arkansas to take this minor.

The most compelling reason for front-line professionals to receive advanced training in child advocacy is to ensure that child maltreatment cases are properly identified with appropriate intervention I response. Students will learn to recognize the signs of abuse and neglect, practice interviewing techniques, learn to effectively testify on a witness stand, conduct home visits, and plan comprehensive case studies and benefit from problem-based learning methods centered on current child maltreatment issues and research.

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How to Add a Minor

Child maltreatment and welfare are important areas of overlap for many helping professionals:

  • Social workers
  • Child protective service workers
  • School-based counselors
  • Speech therapists
  • Occupational therapists
  • Attorneys
  • Criminal justice and law enforcement workers
  • Nursing and other medical professionals
  • Childhood development and education professionals

The School of Social Work offers the CHAS program in accordance with the Gunderson National Child Protection Training Center. This minor (18 hours) is designed to enhance practice for students who plan to work in fields that deal with child maltreatment and welfare or in any setting where child maltreatment is encountered.

The CHAS curriculum emphasized experiential learning and skill-building for helping professionals that can be immediately translated into practice skills in their various work settings, making CHAS students more marketable and proficient in the areas of Child advocacy and support.

 

Required Courses

  • SCWK 3013 - Child Advocacy I: Perspectives on Child Maltreatment and Child Advocacy
  • SCWK 4013 - Child Advocacy II: Professional and System Responses to Child Maltreatment
  • SCWK 4023 - Child Advocacy III: Responding to the Survivor of Child Abuse

Choose three from the following courses:

  • SCWK 3163 - On Death and Dying
  • SCWK 3233 - Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice
  • SCWK 3633 - Child Welfare: 21st Century Perspectives
  • SCWK 4143 - Addiction and the Family
  • SCWK 4153 - Social Welfare Policy
  • SCWK 4643 - Child Advocacy IV: Global Issues in Child Welfare

For students in the online BA in Interdisciplinary Studies degree program or U of A degree-seeking students:

In order to add this minor, students must complete the program application form.

How to Add a Minor