The Child Welfare Certificate allows students to specialize in an important and developing area of law. Through this certificate students will have an opportunity to focus on child welfare issues, courtroom advocacy, trauma- informed practices, and secondary trauma in the legal system.
Students interested in pursuing the certificate must first submit a notice of intent. You may submit a notice of intent up to and no later than the penultimate (second to last) semester of your law school tenure. For example, if your anticipated graduation is May of 2028, you have until December of 2027 to file your notice of intent.
Courses are taught by Mitchell Hamline faculty and practicing attorneys in multiple areas. This allows students to explore child welfare from a variety of perspectives or to focus on a specific area of interest. The Child Welfare Certificate is comprised of 18 credits. All of these credits count toward your J.D. degree. Many concurrently satisfy other J.D. requirements.
Foundational Course (8-9 credits)
Students must complete the following courses:
Elective (at least 6 credits)
Practical Experience Requirement
To obtain the Child Welfare Certificate, a student must obtain practical experience with a substantial foundation in child welfare through the equivalent of a minimum of three (3) credits (135 working hours) provided by one or more:
Courses used to satisfy the Practical Experience requirement will count as Elective Courses.
Not-for-credit practical experience with a substantial foundation in child welfare may meet the Practical Experience requirement subject to the approval of your advisor. The not-for-credit practical experience must be approved by your advisor before work begins. Your advisor may require documentation and/or reflective writings describing the time worked.
Professional Development
Complete 8 hours of advisor approved child welfare related professional development including:
- Attending CLEs
- Attending CJI/CIP
- Attending Policy Meetings
- Interviewing/networking with stakeholders, or
- Assisting with ITCP trainings
Additional Requirements
Must maintain a 3.0 GPA in certificate coursework
Notice of intent
Students are encouraged to apply early in their law school tenure. Declaring an intent to pursue a Child Welfare Certificate creates no obligation to complete one.
Child Welfare Certificate requirements tracking spreadsheet
Students are required to use this spreadsheet to keep track of all Child Welfare Certificate requirements (coursework, practical experience, professional development).
Biannual progress report
Child Welfare Certificate students must complete the form every October and March.
Child Welfare Certificate students must complete the checklist form in their final semester of law school.