Child Welfare Certificate

Courses are taught by Mitchell Hamline faculty and practicing attorneys in multiple areas. This allows students to explore child welfare from a variety of perspectives or to focus on a specific area of interest. The Child Welfare Certificate is comprised of 18 credits. All of these credits count toward your J.D. degree. Many concurrently satisfy other J.D. requirements.

Foundational course (8-9 Credits)

Students must complete the following courses:

• Evidence (3 credits)
• Family Law (2 or 3 credits)
• Child Abuse and the Law (3 credits) or Child, Parent, State (3 credits)

Practical experience requirement

 To obtain the Child Welfare Certificate, a student must obtain practical experience with a substantial foundation in child welfare through the equivalent of a minimum of three (3) credits provided by one or more:

• Child Protection Clinic
• Approved Externship or Residency
  • Examples: Child Protection Division of a County Attorney’s Office, Children’s Law Center/Public Defender representing juveniles in child protection cases, Externship with attorneys representing GALs or parents, District Court Externship with Judge on CHIPS rotation

Courses used to satisfy the Practical Experience requirement will count as Elective Courses.

Not-for-credit practical experience with a substantial foundation in child welfare may meet the Practical Experience requirement subject to the approval of your advisor. The not-for-credit practical experience must be approved by your advisor before work begins. Your advisor may require documentation and/or reflective writings describing the time worked.

Electives (at least 6 credits)

Students must complete six credits from the following list of courses:

• Resilient Practice for Clinic Students
• Indian Child Welfare Act and Child Protection and Adoption Proceedings
• LGBTQ+ Youth in Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems
• Trauma-Responsive Legal Advocacy
• Juvenile Justice
• Domestic Violence Law and Poverty Seminar
• Family Mediation
• Feminist Jurisprudence
• Mental Health Law Seminar
• Poverty Law
• Seminar: Critical Theory
• Seminar: Education Law
• Seminar: Homeless Youth in America
• Seminar: Race and the Law
• Advanced Evidence
• Expert Witness Advocacy
• Immigration Law
• Advanced Writing Requirement in Child Welfare*
• Approved experiential learning credits in excess of the practical experience requirement

*Long paper

Students are encouraged (but not required) to complete their Advanced Writing Requirement related to Child Welfare. If a student chooses to do so, any credit received will count towards the elective requirement.

Other Requirements

Complete 8 hours of advisor approved child welfare related professional development including:

• • Attending CLEs
  • Attending CJI/CIP
  • Attending Policy Meetings
  • Interviewing/networking with stakeholders, or
  • Assisting with ITCP trainings

Must maintain a 3.0 GPA in certificate coursework

Notice of intent

Students are encouraged to apply early in their law school tenure. Declaring an intent to pursue a Child Welfare Certificate creates no obligation to complete one.

Certificate Notice of Intent  

Biannual progress report checklist

Child Welfare Certificate students should complete the biannual form every October and March.

Biannual Progress Report  

Certificate requirements checklist

Child Welfare Certificate students should complete the checklist form in their final semester of law school.

Certificate Requirements Checklist  

Questions?

Cierra.Buckner @mitchellhamline.edu, assistant director and community engagement coordinator, Institute to Transform Child Protection