The Los Angeles County DCFS + UCLA Academy of Workforce Excellence Stipend Training Program, is a federally funded program and partnership between County of Los Angeles Department of Children and Families and six Masters of Social Work programs in Los Angeles, including UCLA, under the IV-E provision of the Social Security Act, with the goal of improving the professional preparation of public child welfare agencies.  UCLA provides a number of stipends annually to full time MSW students interested in public child welfare, who then agree to work for Los Angeles DCFS for at least one year upon graduation.

All UCLA Faculty are involved in the training of Los Angeles County DCFS Stipend Training Program students. The program provides a quality experience in public child welfare as part of the overall Masters of Social Work degree, with particular emphasis in course work in the second year of study.


Frequently Asked Questions about the LADCFS + UCLA Academy of Workforce Excellence Stipend Training Program (coming soon)

Child and Family Placements (coming soon)

Recent Graduates of the Program (coming soon)

Clinical Speaker Series (coming soon)


LADCFS + UCLA Academy of Workforce Excellence Stipend Training Program is led by:

Maria Lourdes Brown, Executive Director, mlbrown@luskin.ucla.edu

Todd Franke, Ph.D., Principal Investigator and Department Chair, tfranke@ucla.edu

Michelle Talley, MSW/LCSW, Consultant/Liaison, talley@luskin.ucla.edu

Gerardo (Gerry) P. Laviña, LCSW, Field Director, glavina@ucla.edu