Children, Youth and Families Concentration
In the Children, Youth, and Families (CYF) concentration, students develop an understanding of how multiple systems impact child development and family functioning over time. Utilizing evidence-based decision making, students learn to identify and apply sound approaches that bring positive change at the individual, family, agency, community or policy levels. The Children, Youth, and Families curriculum offers students the opportunity to tailor their study to a particular area of interest through practicum placement and certain course selection.
Students are prepared for a broad range of career paths in areas including direct practice, policy and advocacy, and research and evaluation within publicly funded or nonprofit organizations addressing the needs of children, youth, and families.
Career Paths
Recent graduates have been employed in positions such as:
- Youth Counselor
- Foster and Adoptive Care Coordinator
- Child Behavior Specialist
- Family Resource Specialist
- Financial Education Specialist
- Professional School Counselor
- School Social Worker
Concentration Requirements: 15 Credits
- Theoretical and Empirical Basis for Practice with Children, Youth, and Families (3 credits)
- Policy and Services for Children and Youth (3 credits)
- Social Work Practice Among Systems Serving Children, Youth, and Families (3 credits)
- Social Work Practice in Early and Middle Childhood (3 credits) OR Social Work Practice with Youth in Families (3 credits)
- 3 additional credits of practice-focused coursework, chosen from a list of preapproved options
You will also complete a leadership and management course, an evaluation course, and 9 credits of elective courses. These elective credits can be used to broaden expertise in other areas or to pursue additional CYF-related courses.
Concentration Practicum
The MSW program requires 600 hours of concentration practicum (in addition to 360 hours of foundation practicum). The concentration practicum must take place in an agency that serves children, youth and/or families.
Sample CYF practicum sites include:
- Annie Malone Children & Family Services
- Better Family Life
- Boys Hope Girls Hope
- Children’s Advocacy Services of Greater St. Louis
- City Academy
- East Side Aligned
- East St. Louis School District 189
- Equal Shares Parenting
- Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri
- Maplewood Richmond Heights School District
- Parents as Teachers
- Positive Impacts
- Unleashing Potential
- Youth in Need
Concentration Chair
Brett Drake began his social work career as an investigative worker in Child Protective Services. For the past 30 years, he has conducted epidemiological and service research in the areas of child welfare, poverty and racial disproportionality. Drake’s current research analyzes census and child protective data to assess the efficacy of protective and preventative services.
“The Children, Youth and Families concentration has given me the tools I needed to be successful. After graduating I moved to India to start my dream organization, Foster Care India. Fom there, I moved to global child welfare advocacy work. Every day I use skills learned at the Brown School to bridge policy to practice and see healing for our communities.”
Ian Anand Forber-Pratt, MSW’11
CEO, Institute for Child Welfare Innovation;
Director of Global Advocacy, Children’s Emergency Relief International