Documenting Contacts and Court Reports: Putting it Together

Demonstrate the ability to use observation terms in identifying and expressing case observations that accurately reflect home visits, office visits, and client contact, identify what information needs to be documented in case records, state how purpose driven contacts with families, caregivers, and collaterals impact the court report.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: MAINTAINING RIGOR WHEN PARTNERING WITH FAMILIES

Domestic violence can have an impact on the physical and emotional safety of the children and the functioning of the entire family. This hands-on training will engage participants in critical thinking about their practice when there is a perpetrator pattern of coercion, control and violence.

DSM IV for Social Workers

This course is designed for social workers who want a better understanding of DSM IV diagnoses as they relate to mental health issues with clients.

DSM V for Social Workers

The course will address the changes from the DSM IV-TR to the DSM V and will utilize modalities such as video examples, social media examples, and news headlines. This course will offer practical interventions for a CPS social worker when dealing with clients with mental health issues and identified symptoms of mental health.

Effectively Working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Youth eLearning

In this course, trainees will learn how to differentiate between sexual orientation and gender identity, identify risk factors and vulnerabilities for LGBTQ youth, various barriers that LGBTQ youth face, social work practice interventions that can assist LGBTQ youth in positive identity formation, and possible counter transference issues.

Effects of Abuse and Neglect on Child Development: Infants and Toddlers eLearning

In this course, trainees will learn about the child’s developmental level in the context of family, culture, and language, and the effects of abuse and neglect on an infant/toddler’s social, physical, emotional, and cognitive development. The trainee will learn to differentiate between a normally developed infant/toddler from an abused/neglected infant/toddler presenting with developmental delays and identify strategies that can assist caregivers in promoting the healthy development of abused and neglected children.

Effects of Bullying and Interventions with Aggression

In this course, trainees will learn various forms of anger, identify the relationship between developmental problems and aggressive, or dangerous, behaviors, and understand the impact of adult behavior on child/youth  behaviors.

Effects of Early Trauma and Neglect on Brain and Body

In this course, trainees will learn basic concepts regarding the organization, functioning and development of the human brain and the interaction of mind and body, as well as learn about the importance of the first five years as a critical period for social, emotional, cognitive and physical development.

Emotionally and Behaviorally Troubled Adolescents

This course will address the wide range of challenging issues related to adolescents in child welfare placements and what both the foster parent and social worker can do to partner with each other and the adolescent to address them. The training will utilize small and large group activities and discussion, video presentations and didactic lecture modalities.

Engaging Families and Communities for Change

During this training, participants will discuss professional roles, partnering, and what partnership means from a new perspective, identify barriers to effective collaboration, particularly those which most influence them, and list several keys to successful partnering with families and communities.

Engaging Families in Family Group Conferencing

In this course, trainees will identify the value of FGC for successful case planning, understand the benefits of family participation in case planning, learn the necessary steps in preparation for of a successful FGC, and identify the role and responsibility of the facilitator for FGC.

Engaging Non-custodial Fathers eLearning

This is a one-hour eLearning that explores the research and links between father involvement and the outcomes for children and youth. The data from CWS/CMS, the data base for California Child Welfare, on father identification and utilization of service is presented. Strategies for how to engage fathers in child welfare services as well as barriers to engagement are reviewed.

Engaging Non-Voluntary Clients

List specific categories of incentives for willingness to engage in a relationship working toward change, describe the predictable paths in the process of change, list the different types of change and the accompanying differences in initial motivation, provide example of how anxiety affects the ability to understand explanations, and define the features of personal crisis and their relationship to engaging in unwanted, unplanned change.

Engaging Resistant Clients

Provide the worker with familiarity of common resistance patterns exhibited by families involved in the Child Welfare System and increase knowledge of effective interventions to engage resistant clients in completing case plan objectives.

Enhancing Client Engagement Using Motivational Interviewing

Review of dynamics of resistance and stages of change, review and practice basic and more advanced motivational interviewing techniques, increase knowledge of effective interventions to engage clients in completing case plan objectives.

Enhancing Worker Safety: Defusing Hostility and Violence

In this course, trainees will conduct assessments for the potential of violent behavior, identify techniques for reducing dangerous behavior, and examine contemporary research and field tested professional practices for reducing violent behavior.

Essential Skills for Trainers: A T4T Clinic for Developing Trainers

In this course, trainees will learn about adult learning theory and learning principles, demonstrate the appropriate context for Transfer of Learning and increase knowledge of methods for integrating cultural awareness into curriculum.

Essentials of Child Welfare Supervision: Update and Refresher

This 6 hour facilitated training will provide an advanced review of the Supervisor Core curriculum with a specific focus on those portions updated during the Academy’s revision to Version 2.1 completed in July 2012.

Evidence-based Assessment and Interventions with Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence

In this course, trainees will identify potential transference/countertransference issues in working with perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence, describe distinctions and typologies of violence within Intimate Partner Violence relationships, and identify the “typologies” of perpetrators from research on batterers of Intimate Partner Violence.

Facilitating Change and Overcoming Resistance Using Motivational Interviewing Techniques

In this course, managers and supervisors with be provided with the skills and knowledge on how to facilitate change in their workers who are ambivalence and resistance to change.

Facilitating Change with Teens in Foster Care Using Motivational Interviewing Techniques

In this course, trainees will learn about how to facilitate change in adolescents who are ambivalent and resistance of change, developmental issues adolescence face and its interaction with substitute care placement, and Stages of Change. Trainees will also practice O.A.R.S.

Facilitation and Coaching Skills for Coaches: Helping Staff to Facilitate CFT Meeting

After completing a course on understanding the purpose, structure, and process of a Child and Family Team meeting, CFS staff need to practice their skills to facilitate these types of meetings.

Facilitation Skills

The course will cover the basics of facilitation skills through lecture and experiential exercises. Content includes working with challenging participants, setting up rules for brainstorming sessions and focus group meetings, and skills needed for effective facilitation.

Facilitation Skills 101

Description of Course: This course is intended to provide a review of the structure of the family team meeting and roles and objectives of the facilitator. The learners will have opportunity to view a Family Team Meeting through Video and then will have time to develop facilitation skills through practice.

Facilitation Skills 101 – Teaming Strategies

This course is intended to provide a review of the structure of the family team meeting and roles and objectives of the facilitator. The learners will have opportunity to view a Family Team Meeting through Video and then will have time to develop facilitation skills through practice.

Facilitation Skills for Child and Family Team Meetings – 12 Hours

This is an experiential training for facilitators of Child and Family Team Meetings in child welfare agencies. The purpose of Family Team Meetings of any type is to build agreements between the Department, families, providers and other essential team members. It is largely the responsibility of meeting facilitators to bring a very disparate group of people into CFTMs and build critical agreements and decisions.

Facilitation Skills for Child and Family Team Meetings – Demonstration and Skill Practice

This is an experiential training for facilitators of Child and Family Team Meetings in child welfare agencies. The purpose of Family Team Meetings of any type is to build agreements between the Department, families, providers and other essential team members.

Facilitation Skills for Child Family Team Meetings – Riverside

This is an experiential training for facilitators of Child Family Team Meetings in child welfare agencies. The purpose of Family Team Meetings of any type is to build agreements between the Department, families, providers and other essential team members.

FACILITATOR-LED SKILLS BASED T4T

This training will provide trainers with skills to move from being a content expert to facilitator of peer and adult learning in the classroom setting.

Failure to Thrive

In this course, trainees will learn about the normal growth pattern in children and how to interpret a growth chart and how it is used as well as understand how “failure to thrive” is diagnosed.

Family Conferencing Overview

In this course, trainees will become familiarized with the Family Group Decision-Making model, share San Diego’s experience implementing this model, and identify the benefits and challenges of incorporating this model within a child welfare services setting.

Family Conferencing Skill Building

This course will give participants an in-depth look at the Family Group Decision-Making model, and teach participants the process of a Family Group Decision-Making meeting.

Family Finding – A Pathway to Permanency

In this course, trainees will learn about the principles of Family Finding, apply Family Finding principles to a caseload, value and appreciate a strength-based approach to families, and  learn how relatives are a valuable resource for children in foster care

Fatherhood and Fathering: Disproportionality

In this course, trainees will learn about the impact of fathers being absent and engagement techniques that can be used by social workers with fathers. They will develop an awareness of and respect for men’s culture and recognize institutional and personal biases around fathers in CWS.

Fatherhood Engagement: Connecting to the “Whole” Dad

A focus on fatherhood engagement in Child Welfare is going viral across the country. Social service professionals are recognizing the need to connect with fathers as it relates to their involvement in planning and executing their case plans. This training will share strategies and tools that focus on using a coach’s approach to engage and build proactive relationships with fathers who are involved in the Child Welfare system, and co-creating a plan for their success.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) – Part 1

In this course, trainees will gain the historical understanding of the effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol and how this relates to present and future awareness, describe the mechanism, effects and main neurological deficits of prenatal exposure, their characteristics and prevalence, and understand the difference between primary and secondary disabling conditions associated with FASD.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) – Part 2

In this course, trainees will recognize the neurobehavioral characteristics of FASD at different ages, become familiar with reasonable expectations and the most effective strategies for facilitating positive change and effective communication with individuals with FASD, and understand the prevention and remediation of secondary disabling conditions associated with FASD.

Field Advisor Training

Field Advisor Training is a one-day training to ensure the foundational knowledge and skills are obtained for field advisors implementing core field activities.

Field Advisor Training E-learning

This module is designed to provide field advisors in California with information about Common Core 3.0 Training, the California Core Practice Model, and the role field advisors play in supporting the transfer of learning for new social workers.

Field Interventions for Youth in Care: Talking with Youth About Addiction

In this course, trainees will gain additional skills and knowledge to intervene in sensitive ways to support youth in understanding and coping with a family member who has an addiction.

Forensic Child Abuse Investigations

In this course,, trainees will obtain information and the skills needed to conduct interviews, gather evidence, and work with other professionals in child abuse investigations.

Foster Youth Suicide Prevention

This training, Foster Youth Suicide Prevention, identifies the causes of foster youth depression. It focuses on the loss and grief of young people in the foster care system and shows how this leads to depression and anxiety. Then the training focuses on the specifics of suicidality, and how to talk to a young person you think may be suicidal to help them get care.

Foundations for Managers in Child Welfare, LA DCFS: Module Five – Maintaining Self-Care While Balancing Priorities & Resources

In-person, foundational training for Managers

Foundations for Managers in Child Welfare, LA DCFS: Module Four – Growing and Sustaining Effective Internal and External Teams

In-person, foundational training for Managers

Foundations for Managers in Child Welfare, LA DCFS: Module One

In-person, foundational training for Managers

Foundations for Managers in Child Welfare, LA DCFS: Module Six – Strategic Thinking and Planning for the Manager

In-person, foundation training for Managers

Foundations for Managers in Child Welfare, LA DCFS: Module Three– Strategies for Effective Organizational Communication

Level:           Advanced

Credits:        6

Intended Audience:  Assistant Regional Managers, Regional Managers, Division Chiefs’ or CSA II and CSA III

Description of Course: In Person

Intended Objectives:

• Identify information as a management tool
• Recognize the importance of translating the big picture and mandates to supervisors
• Identify the components of a learning organization
• List steps to managing up and across programs, regions and systems
• Develop strategies for facilitating autonomous supervisors
• Review stages of change in order to facilitate change
• Identify strategies for organization and time management

 Competency:

Taking an Organizational Approach; Develops new insight into situations and applies innovative solutions to make organizational improvements; Designs and implements new or cutting-edge programs/processes

Foundations for Managers in Child Welfare, LA DCFS: Module Two – Effective Relationships as a Manager

In-person, foundational training for Managers

Full Disclosure and Ethical Issues in Adoptions

This is a 3-hour course that will examine the aspects of full disclosure of information to prospective adoptive parents and caregivers, the goals, values, and ethics involved, and related policies and regulations.

Writing for Child Welfare – Court Reports, Case Notes, and More

This course will review child welfare documentation pertinent business writing and child welfare documentation strategies and allow for practice to increase skill development upon completion.

Grief and Loss in Child Welfare

In this course, trainees will  learn about the impact of separation from family on children’s development and emotional well being, and the psychological tasks and attempts at mastery for children dealing with grief and loss.

Healing the Healer: Transforming Secondary Traumatic Stress Through Intentional Creativity

Description of Course: This experiential course uses Intentional Creativity, which includes painting and mindfulness practices—to give child welfare professionals personalized tools to rejuvenate, prevent and heal secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout so they can best serve their clients while maintaining vibrant health.

Health Care Needs

In this course, trainees will identify the common health care issues of children and youth involved in the child welfare system and recognize the role of care providers and foster care public health nurses in the care, treatment, advocacy, and follow-up of health care needs for children in their care.

Health Care Needs of Children and Youth in the Child Welfare System Tier 2 eLearning

This course covers content on attending to the health care needs of infants, youth and non-minor dependent youth in foster care. The course also covers services available to meet medical needs, as well as a process to ensure continuity of care for children in the foster care system.

Helping Staff Integrate Cultural Humility Into Practice

In the population served by child welfare institutions across the country, workers must identify various resources to assist clients in achieving their best outcomes which frequently requires workers to set aside their own personal goals, values and beliefs

HIV/AIDS: Basics and Beyond

In this course, trainees will learn about the characteristics and psychosocial issues of people living with HIV and AIDS and methods of assessment.

Holidays for Kids in Care: Happy? Horrible? or Both?

In this course, trainees will learn about the impact of separation from family at the holidays, understand and develop empathy for the child’s feelings of ambivalence, and explore ways to help children with the psychological tasks associated with being separated from family on a temporary or permanent basis.

Identification and Assessment of Victims of Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation

Identification & Assessment of Victims of Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation is designed to give a broad overview of Human Trafficking, narrowing in on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (including youth in the foster care system) and the different forms of trafficking they may be involved in.

Identity Development and Foster Care

In this course, trainees will identify key theoretical principles in identity formation during a child’s development and key areas of identity formation for adolescents and how foster care impacts identity formation.

Integrating Cultural Humility into Practice: Focusing on LGBTQ Issues

This highly interactive workshop begins with a focus on participant self-awareness of his/her own identity and its strengths, challenges and resources and then moves to the application of this awareness in working with clients, youth, children, colleagues and other community partners, using a framework of building blocks for a healthy cultural identity.

INTEGRATING CULTURAL HUMILITY INTO PRACTICE: UNDERSTANDING ITS FOUNDATION

This highly interactive workshop begins with a focus on participant self-awareness of his/her own identity and its strengths, challenges and resources and then moves to the application of this awareness in working with clients, youth, children, colleagues and other community partners, using a framework of building blocks for a healthy cultural identity.

Interventions with Oppositional Defiance and Reducing Power Control or Struggles

In this course, the trainee will distinguish between motivations for oppositional defiance, explore attachment and conduct disorders and consequent tendencies toward defiant behavior, and outline the role of discipline in the development of clarifying cause and effect relationships.

Interviewing Children Who Have Witnessed Violent Death

Steps for preparing the interview, interviewing techniques to be used for reducing the risk of additional trauma to the child during an investigative interview, identify coping mechanisms children utilize in traumatic situations, and identify resources for workers experiencing vicarious trauma.

Interviewing Children with Developmental Delays

In this course, trainees will understand the definitions and range of a variety of conditions which come under the heading of “developmental disabilities,” and the patterns of maltreatment and risk indicators among children in this population. Trainees will be able to describe language and communication issues among children in this population and how they can better prepare for the interview.

Interviewing Persons Suspected of Child Maltreatment

In this course, the trainee will learn to prepare for an investigative interview in child maltreatment assessments/investigations, the difference between a traditional “helping” interview and a fact-finding interview with a person who may have a reason to mislead, the stages of a complete investigative interview, and identify the concepts involved in assessing information provided by individuals believed to have committed child maltreatment or who have knowledge of child maltreatment.

Interviewing Skills and Special Considerations in Child Sexual Abuse Cases

In this course, trainees will increase self-awareness of how their own values, beliefs, experiences, and bias may serve as barriers to interviewing sexually abused children and/or investigating sexual abuse cases, and understand barriers to interviewing sexually abused children as it relates to child dynamics, family dynamics, abuse dynamics, and cultural dynamics.

Interviewing Techniques for Continuing Services

In the course, trainees will review basic interviewing techniques, understand the differences between investigations interviews and ongoing interviews, and develop specific skills for interviewing across racial and gender lines
Learn to assess caregivers capacities to participate in the case plans.

Interviewing the Non-Offending Parent in Child Abuse Investigations

In this course, the trainee will learn the importance of prior planning in conducting an effective investigative interview with a parent/caretaker not believed to be involved with the maltreatment of his or her child, and the importance of understanding the family history and cultural background in preparing for and conducting the investigative interview with the “non-offending” parent/caretaker.

INTRODUCTION TO THE CULTURAL RESPONSIVENESS ACADEMY (CRA)

The participants will get an overview of the CRA and the upcoming classes.

Introduction in the Use of Motivational Interviewing with Survivors of Domestic Violence

Learn the basic techniques of motivational interviewing, understand the principles of motivational interviewing and how to use it with domestic violence survivors, understand how to integrate motivational interviewing into current case work practices, and learn how to adapt motivational interviewing techniques to different populations.

Introduction to Child Development CORE 3.0 eLearning

This is an interactive eLearning course which focuses on child developmental milestones, how culture affects these milestones, developmental problems and service interventions.

Introduction to Ethnographic Interviewing eLearning

This course will focus on: a) a brief discussion on the rationale for using ethnographic interviewing; b) cultural competence and communication; c) definition of ethnography; d) phases of the ethnographic interview; e) use of questioning techniques during an ethnographic interview; f) case application.

Introduction to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder eLearning

In this course, trainees will learn about the mechanism, effects and main neurological deficits of prenatal exposure to alcohol, the diagnoses associated with FASD and their characteristics and prevalence and neurobehavioral characteristics of FASD.

Introduction to Safety Organized Practice eLearning

This 90-minute self-paced module provides an introduction to basic concepts of Safety Organized Practice (SOP) as it relates to various roles throughout the Child Welfare System. Practice related to engaging families in safety, risk, and protective capacities throughout all interactions with Child Welfare staff levels.

Investigation of Child Fatalities Child Protective Services

In this course, trainees will learn to read and evaluate a child fatality vignette, and form an investigative plan, articulate the intervention considerations in physical abuse and neglect cases, and demonstrate an effective techniques in suspect interviewing in child fatality cases.

Investigation of Multiple Victim Cases

In this course, trainees will learn about referrals and/or cases likely to involve multiple victims, multiple offenders, and/or multiple jurisdictions, as well as the investigation needs and resources needed to effectively investigate such referrals/cases.

Investigative Interviewing of Pre-Schoolers 3-5 years old

Trainees will be able to better assess the developmental level of young children to be interviewed and design appropriate questions for specific children. Trainees will be able to describe the variables which affect child maltreatment disclosures from very young children. Given a scenario, the trainee will be able to design an age appropriate child interview.

Investigative Interviewing of Young Children

To learn various techniques for interviewing young children who have had potentially traumatic experiences

Juvenile Dependency Statutes and Rules Changes

In this course, trainees will receive a yearly update on child welfare laws, statutes and court case decisions that impact child welfare practice.

Kinship Care: Benefits and Challenges eLearning

This is an interactive eLearning course that provides information about the benefits and challenges of kinship care, the clinical issues experienced by children in kinship care as well as their parents and caregivers. You will hear from kinship caregivers about their experiences and will be provided with resources to support them.

Leadership Overview of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and Case Reviews

This one day training will provide a brief, high-level overview of Continuous Quality Improvement including a review of the components of a CQI system, what is needed to implement CQI and a brief review of the new CFSR case review tool.

Learning from Anger

In this course, trainees will increase their skills in dealing with angry and non-voluntary clients.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Youth and Fostering Connections After 18 AB12 eLearning

This one hour eLearning course will explore how to differentiate between sexual orientation and gender identity, identify risk factors and vulnerabilities for LGBTQ young adults, the basics of Fostering Connections After 18/Assembly Bill 12, and how to apply social work interventions in your practice that can assist LGBTQ young adults in taking advantage of the legislation.

Lethality Assessment and Safety Planning in Domestic Violence Families

In this course, trainees will learn to assess the lethality of batterers, determine the potential risk of the mother and children if they remain in the home with the batterer, and the level of intervention needed to ensure the safety of the family.

LGBTQ and Intimate Partner Violence eLearning

In this course, trainees will obtain a working knowledge of terms as it relates to LGBTQ and IPV,  gain knowledge of the stages of identity development and how this can influence IPV in LGBTQ community, identify the unique dynamics for LGBTQ individuals when IPV is present and understand the impact of IPV on children and special considerations when working with LGBTQ families.

Life in Foster Care and Beyond

An honest and reflective life storytelling of the trainer’s lived experiences of family loss, growing up in foster care, entry into juvenile justice system, becoming a teenage mother, emancipation from foster care and on to receiving a Master’s degree and becoming a recognized advocate. This training also focuses on factors that contribute to youth overcoming trauma, the importance of cultural identity and restoration of self-esteem.

Life in the Cycle of Poverty

In this course, trainees will learn about the cycle of poverty, identify characteristics of the poor, examine fairness/equity issues of those caught in the cycle of poverty, discuss the challenges/barriers to escaping the cycle of poverty, and present techniques for delivering more fair and equitable services for better client outcomes.

Maintaining Morale in the Midst of Challenge and Change

In this course, trainees will examine the inherent stresses encountered when dealing with change and explore ten specific strategies that can be used to maintain morale during challenging and changing times.

Making Meetings Work for You

In this course,  supervisors and/or managers will learn methods and skills to enhance the effectiveness of meetings while making them more productive.

Management Transition Training: Together Everyone Achieves Milestones

In this course, trainees will learn about the organizational shift to strength-based teamwork, and the parallel processes of individual and teamwork.

Managing Difficult Conversations with Staff eLearning

This is a 1-hour interactive eLearning course that will discuss the importance of building effective relationships with staff and the importance of having difficult conversations with staff. You will learn skills related to having those difficult conversations including feedback and recognitions skills and the importance of supervising with the perspective of cultural humility.

May I Have Your Attention Please – Key Strategies for Engaging Emerging Adults in Extended Foster Care

This is an interactive learning environment where strategies for engaging youth and emerging adults will be encountered by the participants as we explore the dynamics of our newest population in Child Welfare. EFC participation requirements and placement options will be confirmed and dilemmas considered. PowerPoint, learning groups, creative activities, and digital stories will be utilized to enhance the learning environment and offer examples of a paradigm shift in how we think of young adult clients.

Measuring Outcomes in Child Welfare – Imperial County

This class will review Imperial County’s current Child Welfare Performance Indicators. Participants will gain knowledge and understanding of how Imperial County’s data compares to comparable counties. Participants will have opportunities to formulate questions for future data analysis. Participants will leave class with ideas for research questions and will be able to identify data reports that will be helpful in improving outcomes.

Mental Health and Mental Disorders

In this course, trainees will learn about commonly occurring mental disorders can affect a person’s ability to parent, and the range of social functioning and intervention responses among children, adolescents, and adults who experience symptoms of mental and emotional disorders.

Mental Illness and Suicide Risk Implications for Child Safety and Well Being

In this course, trainees will review the four mental illness diagnoses most often associated with suicide risk, the implications of parental mental illness on the safety and well-being of children, and describe and discuss all elements of a suicide assessment.

Methamphetamine and the Child Welfare System eLearning

In this course, trainees will learn about signs and symptoms of Methamphetamine addiction, Methamphetamine paraphernalia, Methamphetamine labs and how Methamphetamine addiction impacts children.

Motivational Interviewing

In this course, trainees will learn to effectively interview children and families by identifying issues that facilitate or inhibit effective interviewing.

Motivational Interviewing in CWS

This course will provide an introduction to Motivational Interviewing, the Stages of Change and how social workers can utilize Motivational Interviewing in the Engagement and Assessment stages of the Core Practice Model established to address Katie A.

Multidisciplinary Practice with Social Workers, Law Enforcement and the Courts

In this course, trainees will discuss the importance of developing a multidisciplinary child abuse team that includes representatives of various disciplines, highlight the ramifications of the term “team,” identify the knowledge, skills and experience needed for creating an effective multidisciplinary child abuse team.