mamendez

About Melissa Mendez

Melissa Batalden Mendez, MSW, LICSW is the Title IV-E Field Coordinator at CASCW. She coordinates the field placements for MSW students who are receiving the Title IV-E child welfare stipend through CASCW. She leads a special Title IV-E field placement program at Hennepin County.

February 2016

2016 Student Blog Series about Permanency and Adoption

By |2016-12-01T19:32:52-06:00February 26th, 2016|Categories: Stability, Permanency, and Adoption|Tags: , , , , , |

It’s that time of year again.  Spring semester at the School of Social Work means guest blog posts from students enrolled in the SW5905 Permanency in Child Welfare course.  Each week, starting next week and continuing through to the end of May, we will be publishing blog posts written by students learning about permanency and [...]

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MSW IV-E Fellows attend UMD Winter Institute

By |2016-12-01T19:32:52-06:00February 25th, 2016|Categories: Field Notes|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

On Tuesday, February 23rd, eight MSW IV-E Fellows attended the University of Minnesota - Duluth School of Social Work's Winter Institute in Hinckley, Minnesota.  This year's topic was Addressing American Indian Child Welfare Policy and Practice in Minnesota.  Over 260 child welfare practitioners from around the state of Minnesota, representing 19 counties, 7 tribal agencies, [...]

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December 2015

From Where I Sit…

By |2016-12-01T19:32:53-06:00December 17th, 2015|Categories: Field Notes|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

For more info on Southside Family Nurturing Center, please visit www.ssfnc.org/ Foundation MSW IV-E Fellow, Danielle Allen is completing her first field placement at Southside Family Nurturing Center (SSFNC) located in the Phillips neighborhood of South Minneapolis. Below, Danielle reflects on how her perspective on early childhood intervention has shifted during her time [...]

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A Student’s Experience in ICWA Unit – Seeing some Excellent and Dedicated Work

By |2016-12-01T19:32:53-06:00December 9th, 2015|Categories: Field Notes|Tags: , , , , |

Christi Anderson (right) with her Hennepin Task Supervisor, Sara Crotteau, MSW, LGSW (left). Below, IV-E MSW student, Christi Anderson writes about her advanced field experience at Hennepin County within one of the 4 ICWA units.   For me, there is no better time than the present to be a learner and intern within [...]

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The Greatest Skill I’ve Been Able to Observe is Passion

By |2016-12-01T19:32:53-06:00December 1st, 2015|Categories: Field Notes|Tags: , , , , |

Rachel Madison, first year MSW IV-E student (left) Jennifer Bulmer, MSW, LICSW Field Instructor (right) Below, first year IV-E MSW student, Rachel Madison writes about her foundation field experience at a level four school setting where she works with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Emotional Behavioral Disorders, and Developmental Cognitive Disorders “Sometimes I feel [...]

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November 2015

A Unit Retreat – When I Needed It Most

By |2016-12-01T19:32:53-06:00November 20th, 2015|Categories: Field Notes|Tags: , , |

IV-E Advanced Standing Student, Lea Stucci, is interning in Washington County in the permanency unit. Below, she reflects on the importance of gathering as a team outside of the office to receive needed support, guidance and perspective. The permanency unit at Washington County provided us with a treat. They brought us on a [...]

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October 2015

“The Art of Social Work” – Reflections from the Field on Child Protection Court

By |2016-12-01T19:32:53-06:00October 9th, 2015|Categories: Field Notes|Tags: , , |

An important skill for all social workers is the ability to critically reflect upon the work they are engaged in. MSW IV-E students are asked to keep a field journal to reflect on growth, experiences, strengths, challenges, difficulties, successes, supervision, etc. from their field placement. At times, they write about integration of theory into practice, [...]

MSW IV-E Students Attend DHS Child Welfare Foundation Training

By |2016-12-01T19:32:53-06:00October 2nd, 2015|Categories: Field Notes|Tags: , , , , |

Earlier this week, advanced year IV-E MSW students from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and the University of Minnesota Duluth attended classroom 2 of DHS' Child Welfare Foundation Training (CWFT).  Prior to this classroom training, all students completed 10 on-line learning modules. Foundation Training meets the statutory requirement {Minn. Stat. 626.559, subd. 1a} for [...]

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