Establishing the Social Worker Educational Enrollment and Training Pilot Program; and providing for authorization of internships, for award of internships and for funding of the Social Worker Educational Enrollment and Training Pilot Program.
Summary
HB1707 would create the Social Worker Educational Enrollment and Training Pilot Program within the Department of Human Services. The program is designed to support Pennsylvania residents who are enrolled in an approved Master of Social Work program and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA. Eligible students could receive a $5,000 per-semester commitment stipend while completing an internship, with the stipend amount indexed annually to inflation using the CPI-U.
The bill also directs DHS to authorize internships at approved facilities and ensure those placements provide clinical training, supervision, and instructional experiences that prepare participants for the behavioral health care workforce and satisfy MSW supervised-practice requirements. DHS would establish the application process, issue regulations and forms, and administer the program only to the extent funding is available. The pilot authority would expire three years after the effective date, and DHS must produce a report within one year of implementation evaluating outcomes and recommending whether the program should be expanded statewide.
Impact
HB1707 would add a new temporary pilot program to Pennsylvania law focused on workforce development in social work and behavioral health. It would place new administrative duties on the Department of Human Services, including approving facilities, authorizing internships, awarding stipends, and issuing implementing regulations. The bill would not directly amend the Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors Act, but it relies on that framework to define approved MSW programs and supervised experience requirements. Its practical effect would be to create a state-funded incentive for social work students to complete internships in approved settings, potentially increasing the pipeline of trained behavioral health professionals.
Sentiment
The available context suggests generally favorable support for the bill’s workforce-development goals, though no committee transcript or vote record is available to show formal debate. The bill’s sponsors indicate an emphasis on addressing social worker shortages and strengthening the behavioral health workforce through financial support for students. Because the measure is structured as a pilot with a sunset and reporting requirement, it appears designed to attract support by limiting long-term fiscal exposure while testing effectiveness.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials, but the bill’s likely pressure points are funding, administrative capacity, and program design. The stipend amount, inflation adjustment, and DHS’s obligation to approve internships could raise questions about cost and implementation. Stakeholders may also differ on whether the program should be expanded statewide after the pilot period, and whether the eligibility rules—such as residency, GPA threshold, and reliance on approved facilities—are too narrow or sufficiently targeted.
Establishing the Social Worker Educational Enrollment and Training Program; and providing for authorization of internships, for award of internships and for funding of the Social Worker Educational Enrollment and Training Program.
In terms and courses of study, further providing for firefighter and emergency service training and establishing the Secondary Education Fire Training Pilot Program and the Fire Training Fund.
In training and certification of inspectors, further providing for education and training programs and providing for the Residential Construction Workforce Training Grant Program; and establishing the Residential Construction Workforce Training Account.
In career and technical education, further providing for Cosmetology Training through Career and Technical Center Pilot Program and for Barber Training through Career and Technical Center Pilot Program.