Common Core 3.5 for Social Workers

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS), in cooperation with the California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC) and the Statewide Curriculum Development Oversight Group (CDOG), developed standardized curricula in the Core for Social Workers (“Core”) program to be used statewide for the mandatory training of child welfare social workers and supervisors. Instructors are experts in the field of child welfare who use a variety of teaching methods based on adult learning theory and best practices.
 

Who Should Attend

Core for Social Workers is intended for new child welfare services staff, staff transitioning into new job responsibilities and/or experienced workers who have not received formal training in the standardized core subject areas.
 

Training Structure

Core for Social Workers fulfills primary standardized core curricula requirements and includes six total modules consisting of 18 classes, 10 eLearnings and 5 field activities. Participants must complete all Core requirements (classroom, eLearnings and field activities) to receive a certificate of completion and meet state training requirements.
 

Learners, please register through your respective county’s training process.

CWDS’s Supervisor Core course incorporates statewide standardized elements. The Core is a ten-day course composed of five two-day segments scheduled one month apart.

Unlike many of the other classes offered by the CWDS, the Supervisor Core classes are not “standalone” classes. Each two-day segment is designed to meet a number of learning objectives under its respective topic and attendance at both days is required.

The month-long separation of classroom segments allows the trainees to practice skills learned in the classroom. The Supervisor Core course is designed for new child welfare supervisors, supervisors without training in effective leadership skills and/or supervisors transitioning from one position to another

If you have questions about upcoming Supervisor Core deliveries, please contact your assigned County Consultant.

CWDS’s Manager Core course has been developed as a comprehensive series for child welfare managers, linking the themes in other levels of core (lineworker, supervisor and executive) to be specific to managers and to illustrate parallel process opportunities. This curriculum provides opportunities for participants to assess their knowledge, strengths and resources and apply knowledge and critical thinking skills to real manager scenarios. The participant exercises are designed to be relevant and applicable to child welfare managers.
 

This curriculum underscores the importance of different adult learning styles and provides information in a number of ways to help trainees integrate the information they are learning. The Manager Core curriculum, which includes participant activities, is designed to integrate the knowledge and experiences of the participants and encourages them to share that knowledge and those experiences with others during the course of the training.
 

The following themes are recognized as central concepts and are present in each module:

• Fairness and equity
• Self-Assessment
• Engagement
• Outcomes and accountability
• Strength-based practice
• Evidence-based and promising practices

Competencies for managers not only encompass those that are basic and first-level for supervisors, but begin to lead to those higher-level competencies established for executives.
Basic competencies include oral communication, written communication, problem solving, leadership, interpersonal skills, self-direction, flexibility and technical competence.
First-level supervisor competencies include managing a diverse workforce, human resources management, conflict management, team-building and influencing/negotiating.
 

If you have questions about upcoming Supervisor Core deliveries, please contact your assigned County Consultant.