National Child Welfare Association

Tribal Child Welfare Worker Certification

mother holding son - photo by Kristin Beadle

Contact

NadjaJones Nadja Jones Email

Senior Community Development Specialist

(503) 222-4044, ext. 146

The National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) has developed a certification process that can lend itself to the growing and changing field of tribal child welfare. The interest in the field for this program is immense and will serve as an aid for the continual development of Indian child welfare workers to better serve our tribal children and families.

Application Process Overview

To sit for the certification examination, candidates must submit a completed application along with collateral materials including academic transcripts, supervisor documentation, and employment verification. The application steps include:

  1. Review the candidate handbook prior to completing the application. Follow the instructions given and address any questions to NICWA. Failure to follow the instructions can lead to the denial of an application.
  2. Review the competency requirements. To sit for the certification examination, a candidate must meet certain education, employment, training, and professional competency requirements.
  3. Complete the application. Candidates will be required to successfully pass a criminal background check concerning crimes considered by the Tribal Child Welfare Worker Certification Council (TCWWCC) to be a danger to children. Candidates can submit confirmation of successful completion of the background check, if provided by their employers.
  4. Submit the application and pay the application fee. Currently, the application fee for all candidates is $25. The fee must be paid in U.S. funds. The application fee is not refundable. We will accept purchase orders as a form of payment.
  5. Arrange for independent submission of academic transcripts. The candidate should contact the academic institution of his or her highest level of academic achievement and arrange for his or her transcript to be sent directly to Nadja Jones, MSW (email), Senior Community Development Specialist, at NICWA. Academic transcripts sent directly by the Academic candidate cannot be accepted.
  6. Arrange for independent submission of letters of endorsement. The candidate should contact the required endorsers (one tribal administrator, a supervisor, and a community elder, community reference, community service provider, or sponsor) to send their letters of endorsement directly to Nadja Jones, MSW (email), Senior Community Development Specialist, at NICWA. A sample letter of endorsement is included in the handbook on page 11.
  7. Arrange for the independent submission of the skill standard checklist/community activity checklist and the cultural competence checklist. The candidate should copy and forward the skill standard checklist/community activity checklist contained in the application to his or her current supervisor for completion. The supervisor should mail the forms directly to Nadja Jones, MSW (email), Senior Community Development Specialist, at NICWA. The candidate should copy and forward the cultural competence checklist (in the candidate handbook) to his or her tribal endorser for completion. The endorser should mail the form directly to Nadja Jones, MSW (email), Senior Community Development Specialist, at NICWA.
  8. Allow sufficient time for application review. Candidates are encouraged to submit their applications and collateral materials as early as possible to allow for any unanticipated delays in obtaining the needed letters of endorsement and transcripts. NICWA will confirm a candidate's employment and training experience and will process the application as quickly as possible. Major delays are often caused by incomplete applications or by missing letters of endorsement. Nadja Jones, MSW, Senior Community Development Specialist, will work with candidates to ensure preparedness by providing support and guidance.
  9. Sit for the examination. If a candidate is approved to sit for the examination, he or she will be informed in writing that he or she is now eligible to sit for the examination.
  10. Wait for the examination results. In order for statistical analyses to be completed on the certification examination, examination results will be mailed approximately six weeks after the examination date.