Robin Whitney, MSW, joined the faculty of the School of Social Work in summer 2020, in the newly created position of BSW Assistant Field Coordinator with the primary responsibility of placing undergraduate social work students in their field practicums. She works with the Field Team in developing new field sites and providing training to field instructors. Robin brought several years of experience serving as a field instructor herself, as well as her extensive experience in child welfare having worked for 30 years with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). She retired from the University of Maine School of Social Work in 2023. 

While at DHHS, Robin gained increasing responsibility with multiple promotions. This enhanced her experience in roles including an Eligibility Specialist, Child Protective Social Worker, and a Child and Family Services Supervisor. Before retiring from DHHS in 2019, she had served as the Assistant Child Welfare Program Administrator and finally as the Child Welfare Program Administrator out of the Bangor Office. Robin received the School of Social Work Alumni of the Year Award in 2019.

Robin has a deep knowledge regarding child welfare and what families need to reduce the risk of abuse and neglect. She has skills as a trainer on topics such as mandated reporting, child welfare reform, and issues impacting family functioning, and she served as the domestic violence liaison for Child Protective Services out of the Bangor DHHS office.

Robin’s extensive experience as a practitioner offered her students a chance to learn via real-life examples of social work on the ground.