CYF Internships

Not All Internships Are Created Equal. An internship with the Office of Children, Youth and Families (CYF) will:

  • Help a child be safe
  • Make a positive difference in the life of a family
  • Enhance your leadership and problem-solving skills
  • Open the door to a wide variety of career opportunities
  • Change your life forever

Our CYF Internships Offer a Range of Options

Casework Support Internship

Paid undergraduate & graduate internships involve observing, shadowing, and helping a certified CYF caseworker. Students in a program for social work, psychology, criminal justice, criminology, sociology, or other related human service may conduct up to 40 hours per week internship hours in one of our 6 office locations. Accepted students are hired as a Casework Support Intern and paid $10 per hour for bachelor’s level and $12 per hour for master’s level.

Interested applicants may apply here.

975-hour Internship

Undergraduate students in their senior year of a human service-related program, who are interested in becoming a Child Welfare Caseworker, can intern for an intensive 975 hours.

This internship starts the summer before the senior year with two months of PA child welfare mandatory training. During the fall and spring semester of the senior year, students will spend 3 days per week assigned to a CYF unit. The internship will include shadowing and helping certified CYF caseworkers, with responsibility increasing until eventually carrying a small caseload. The student is hired as a county paid intern earning $10 per hour. After graduation and successful completion of 975 hours, the student will be offered full-time employment as a Child Welfare Caseworker II. Watch an informative video that interviews caseworkers here.

Child Welfare Education Baccalaureate Program (CWEB)

  • Aligned with the 975-hour internship, students who attend a Pennsylvania state school for social work are eligible to additionally apply for the CWEB program
  • If accepted to the CWEB program, the participant receives a monthly stipend during the internship
  • Upon graduation and successful completion of the program, the student commits to working at a PA county child welfare agency for one calendar year. In exchange, the CWEB participant’s senior year tuition and fees are paid in full.

For more information regarding the CWEB program, social work students should contact their school advisor and see this CWEB Informational Video.

Experience

As a Casework Intern you may experience, first-hand, families challenged by:

  • Drug and alcohol addiction
  • Mental health crisis
  • Housing insecurity
  • Parent/child conflicts
  • Intimate partner violence
  • Child neglect and abuse

Your work with families may involve:

  • Home visits
  • Assessments
  • Court testimony
  • Investigations
  • Case documentation
  • Removals of children from the home

Requirements

  • Express interest to the Internship Program Coordinator at CYFinternships@alleghenycounty.us between January & March of your junior year
  • Show that the internship meets the requirements of your school’s program
  • Submit a County application including supplemental questions, resume, and cover letter
  • When posted to the PA State Civil Service Commission, apply for a Child Welfare Intern civil service vacancy
  • Be available to attend mandatory paid training Monday-Friday 9:00—4:00 throughout July & August before your senior year
  • Have a valid driver’s license, access to a trustworthy vehicle, and car insurance
  • Obtain new Act 33 (ChildLine), Act 34 (State Police) and FBI clearances

Begin Today!

What are you waiting for? Contact the CYF Internships coordinator at 412-473-2208 or at CYFinternships@alleghenycounty.us and jump start your social work career. Your efforts will be meaningful, appreciated, and valuable.

Testimonials

Your rewards will be significant and enduring.

“Being an intern provided me the opportunity to put my education into practice in addition to learning about myself. I discovered my passion and it contributed to my overall personal and professional growth and development.”
Mitchell Hortert, CYF CWEB intern

“This experience has definitely helped me become more self-aware. I have learned better communication skills and I continue to learn from families every day.”
Casey Winters, CYF CWEB intern

"My internship allowed me to work one-on-one with a diverse group of people dealing with many of life's challenges. Although tough, it is the most rewarding and humbling work I believe one will ever do."
Vanessa T., CYF CWEB intern