Galloway, N.J. – More than 20 years ago, the unsettling case of 7-year-old Faheem Williams’ remains being found in a Newark basement sent shock waves throughout New Jersey’s child welfare system, leading to calls for major structural and programmatic reforms.

Stockton University and several higher education institutions in New Jersey accepted the challenge and formed a consortium to support the next generation of social workers through financial and academic assistance.

Since then, Stockton’s Child Welfare Education Institute (CWEI) has continued to lead the federal- and state-funded Baccalaureate Child Welfare Education Program (BCWEP) and has provided tuition and valuable internship experience within the Division of Child Protection & Permanency (DCP&P) for more than 600 eligible undergraduate Social Work students statewide.

During the program's 20th anniversary recognition ceremony on April 11, Stockton Provost Michael Palladino called the partnership between the consortium, the New Jersey Department of Children & Families (DCF) and the NJ chapter of the National Association of Social Workers “vital for social work education.”

“Stockton has always taken great pride in its role as a community-centered Anchor Institution, and in so many ways, the work of the center that Dr. (Dawn) Konrady Fanslau oversees and programs such as BCWEP exemplify Stockton’s commitment to its community,” Palladino said. 

In Sept. 2004, Karolyn Peterson, a 2005 alumna of Stockton’s undergraduate Social Work program, was asked to talk about her aspirations for the state’s child welfare system during a news conference Stockton held after receiving a $500,000 federal grant toward social work education.

In her remarks on April 11, she reminisced on the impact that Williams’ case had on her and the 13 other students selected to receive a scholarship, and how the program helped her with the various roles she has held within the child welfare system.

“When I heard Faheem Williams’ name, I teared up a bit, because it brought back all of the memories – it broke our hearts back then, which is why we were all so passionate about coming into this work,” said Peterson, who is currently an intake supervisor for DCP&P's Cumberland West’s local office  in Bridgeton. “We knew that we needed people who were trained to understand familial dynamics and what people have gone through, without holding that against them, to strengthen and save familial bonds.” 

Brittany Farrell, a 2007 Stockton alumna, expressed similar sentiments and said the program allowed her to experience a full circle. She now works within BCWEP as a practicum instructor, helping train future social workers, and she even earned her master’s at Stockton through the program’s graduate-level equivalent, MCWEP. 

“I was immediately drawn to the program; it was such an innovative program that took a critical look at the cracks and issues within our child welfare system and sought to better prepare our future child welfare social workers to be specially educated, trained and ready to take on the challenges of a fast-evolving system,” Farrell said. “I’m not sure that I would’ve survived this long, let alone thrive, without the support I’ve gotten through BCWEP and my fellow graduates.” 

Kathleen Mathis is set to graduate from Stockton’s undergraduate Social Work program this May, following her internship within the DCP&P. Like many of the children within the welfare system, Mathis’ life was riddled with challenges, which included an unstable home life, an abusive marriage and grieving the untimely death of her older sister.

However, “out of adversity comes resilience,” she said.

“Through my internship with DCP&P, I’ve seen the power of presence, of being there for children living through things they don’t have the words to explain, and I’ve been able to be a calm presence, advocate, or simply someone who saw them. I knew I was where I was meant to be,” Mathis said. “BCWEP has taught me that my past doesn’t define me, but it does equip me to be a better mother, partner, social worker and a light in the lives of those who may be surrounded by darkness.”  

Dawn Konrady Fanslau, director and principal investigator for Stockton’s CWEI, looks forward to another 20 years of preparing social workers.

“I hope that we continue to provide an opportunity to educate and prepare the next generations of emerging social work students willing to step into the world of public child welfare and serve New Jersey’s families with compassion, empathy and care when they are at their most vulnerable moments,” said Konrady Fanslau. “I also look forward to our newly expanded partnerships and the possibility to expand again if the opportunity presents itself, so that we can have a chance to impact and change the lives of not only students but also families in New Jersey for the better.”

– Story by Loukaia Taylor

– Photos by Susan Allen