Summer 2026 Unpaid Social Work Internship (Fort Dodge)

Full Job Description

This is a non-merit internship position. Positions in this class are exempt from the screening and referral requirements of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services - Human Resources Enterprise.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Division of Family Well-Being and Protection, Bureau of Child Protective Services is seeking a Social Work Intern to join our team!

This internship will be for Summer 2026 and will be based in the Fort Dodge office and will work in that and surrounding counties. This posting will be open for until filled.

Make a Lasting Impact: Child & Family Services Case Manager

Are you someone who believes in the power of connection, healing, and long-term support?

As an Unpaid Social Work Intern in the Family Well-Being & Protection Division, you’ll walk alongside our Case Managers and maybe even Child Protective Workers as they work with families, helping them navigate challenges and build stronger, safer futures together.

We have two different functions for our Social Workers:

A Child & Family Service Case Manager’s primary focus is in providing ongoing case management and support services to families after the initial assessment phase.

These vital frontline positions play a key role in preparing and supporting children and families to be successful.

They also assist families in realizing their full potential by working with them as experts, case planning with team members, and the courts, and connecting families to community resources.

A Child Protection Worker’s primary focus is conducting initial assessments in response to reports of child abuse or neglect.

These vital frontline positions require multi-tasking and the ability to gather physical and documentary evidence and analyze information with accuracy and efficiency to assist in protecting the most vulnerable Iowans.

Internship hours are typically Monday-Friday between 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM, however, flexibility in schedule is structured with supervisory approval and ideally set before internship begins There may be opportunities for afterhours experience if requested.

If you use your own vehicle, mileage is paid at $0.50/mile travelled according to the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) State Accounting Enterprise Procedures.

Our internship opportunities typically provide opportunities working alongside our Child and Family Service Case Managers (Social Worker 2’s, but if desired, some opportunities to observe parts of the Child Protection Worker may be available.

Intern Experiences with Child & Family Service Case Manager may include but are not limited to:

• Manage a diverse caseload of children and families that require ongoing service provision to ensure safety (These cases may have children placed in foster care and/or oversight by juvenile court);
• Address the needs of children and families including safety, basic needs such as food, hygiene, education, health, and mental health
• Evaluate the on-going safety and risk of children by conducting home visits with the children and parents, foster parents, relatives, and others involved while providing timely professional documentation of these contacts and report
• Upload/e-file timely, accurate and detailed documentation for court involved cases and manage your schedule to accommodate your caseload
• Respond to situations decisively and effectively (within policy) as family needs change which would include supervisory consultation as needed
• Engage the family in creating a family-centered plan in accordance to policy that analyze and assess the strengths and needs of the child and family and address on-going danger and risk concerns
• Assess the ongoing risk to the children, while developing safety plans and make recommendations to various county attorneys and courts;
• Collaborate with medical/mental health community partners, schools, legal partners, law enforcement, local community resources and others based on case needs
• Professional and timely documentation of referred and provided services
• Attend court hearings
• Attend and participate in various training sessions offered by HHS and other partner agencies
• Understand and use multiple computer programs and data systems.

Intern Experiences with a Child Protection Worker may include but are not limited to:

• Assess the ongoing risk to children, develop safety plans, assess the strengths, and needs of the child and family, and make recommendations to various county attorneys and courts
• Frequent interaction with law enforcement, medical/mental health community partners, schools, etc.
• Apply Iowa Code, agency policy, and sound professional judgment to highly complex situations involving crises and or chronic abuse or neglect
• Home visits, detailed interviews, and thorough narrative documentation
• Confront crisis situations and high stress situations in a calm and orderly manner
• Maintain confidential information as required by the agency and assuring safety is a top priority for all in the office
• Obtain information from a wide variety of sources, including written materials, telephone conversations and through computer databases and to be able to read and interpret the data
• Interact in a team environment to manage group processes, facilitates, and encourages cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity, fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals
• Interact with employees and customers in a positive customer service manner to resolve problems and answer customer inquiries.

The following experience/skills are preferred for being hired as a HHS Social Worker and are helpful for an intern:

• Critical thinking skills and plan development
• Strong observational and analytical skills
• Exceptional customer service including de-escalation of conflictual or adversarial situations
• Ability to respectfully engage families as partners in planning for safety and establish a working relationship with families
• Excellent oral and written communication and report composition
• Teamwork, collaboration, and consultation
• Integrity
• Strong work ethic
• Ability to multi-task
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines
• Preference is often given for the ability to speak more than one language. Please list any additional languages you speak in your application.

Requirements to be considered for this internship:

1. Currently enrolled as a student at a college or university.

2. Ability to work in the United States.

3. A valid driver’s license is required.

4. If offered the internship, you will be required to Pass a level 1 background check (Criminal History, Child and Adult Abuse Registry, Sex Offender Registry and National Criminal History).

E-Verify and Right to WorkThe State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees.

Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States.

The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization.

For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov.

Qualifications

Applicants for positions in this class must be currently enrolled students in a degree program at an accredited educational institution, as determined by the Iowa Department of Administrative Services – Human Resources Enterprise.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description.