The City of Austin Intern Unit consisted of a cohort of ten first-year graduate students and one field faculty member. The students provided social services to children and families involved with early childhood programs and the subsidized child care program for Travis County. The same faculty member instructed the students on campus in the course Social Work Methods and conducted an Integrative Seminar.
Services provided by the student interns included case management, support groups, training groups, individual and family counseling, assessment and referral, crisis intervention, and child development center consultation and support. Interns intervened with children and their families in the home environment, child development centers, and school settings to enhance the success of children and families in distress. The unit format provided an integrated and cohesive experience with agency-based practice and classroom curriculum. The City of Austin Unit enabled under-served families to access much needed services and provided a community link and partnership between the university and the community at large.
With the change from the City of Austin to the Texas Migrant Council as the administrative entity for the Child Care Management Services program, funding for the intern unit was no longer available. At the conclusion of the spring 1999 semester, the unit concluded a four year tenure of providing quality experiences to several students in the master’s degree program.
Sponsor:
City of Austin