Alliance Course Catalog

Caregiver Core Training (CCT) is the mandatory training for Washington State’s caregivers to become licensed. Caregiver Core Training can be taken two ways – online or in the classroom.

If you prefer to use a self-paced, online eLearning, please click this link to read more about general guidelines for online trainings to make sure it is a good fit for you, and to register for your online training.

If you prefer to take the course in a classroom (conducted at various locations around the state) please continue reading and register below.

Both the online and classroom training cover the same critical content.

Each participant must register separately: if a couple plans to attend together, each member must register individually.

CCT Classroom Version

The 24-hour Caregiver Core Training is made up of eight sessions (each three hours long) and a field experience.

Session 1: Introduction to the Child Welfare System
Session 2: Working as a Member of a Team
Session 3: Working with Birth Families
Session 4: Cultural Connections and Advocacy
Session 5: Growing Up with Trauma, Grief, and Loss
Session 6: Understanding and Managing Behavior
Session 7: Communication and Crisis Management
Session 8: Getting Ready and the Effects on the Caregiving Family

Field Experience: Participants learn outside the classroom by choosing an activity that will give them more awareness of the experience of children within the system or of the role of a caregiver for children in the system. The Field Experience will be approved if it occurs within one year prior to the participant beginning CCT, both in the classroom and on-line versions of Caregiver Core Training.

The sessions are designed to help you understand how the system works, what your role is as a member of the team, how to effectively work with birth families in order to best support the child, how caregiving may impact your own family, child development and the impact of trauma, all about attachment, how to incorporate and honor a child's culture into your own family, and more.  The sessions include the voices of former foster youth, current caregivers and birth parents who have been involved with the system.

The handouts that you need in class will be provided to you. Here are the handouts you will receive in class if you need them for future reference.

Here is the complete Participant Manual with resources and information. Feel free to save it to refer back to or to print it. If you do not have printer access and want a printed copy, let your trainer know that you will need a copy printed for you.

You have one year to complete the course including the online training, and field experience. We will let the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Licensing Division and the foster care Recruitment and Retention Contractors in your area know about your progress through the course so they can offer you additional support if needed.

Here are some testimonials from potential caregivers who completed Caregiver Core Training:

"I love the passion and the willingness of the trainers to share their stories. It helps to have them give so many examples and answer questions."

"I am a foster home licensor at a CPA in the community. I was also a CFWS social worker for 3 years. I was SO pleasantly surprised by how great this training was. Even though I knew most of the information, the trainers held my attention and gave real-life examples of the concepts. There is SO much to teach about working in child welfare, and for the most part, the trainings hit the highlights."

"This is, by far and away the best training course I have ever taken. The documentation was well thought out and easy to understand. Even though I usually hate them, the activities were fun! I really wish that they could take this on the road to local schools, businesses, non-profits, etc."

"This was by far one of the best training sessions I have had the privilege of attending in a long time. The course trainers did a fantastic job with knowledge and question answering. Most of this class should be taught to teachers in the education field. The trainer did a fantastic job presenting the topics and information and wanted feedback during the class."

"The knowledge level of the presenters was outstanding and their presentation skills were great.  They were interesting to listen to and made the information relevant. I began my classes in Wenatchee and then finished in Ellensburg. While the presenters had their own styles, the above remained true for all of them."

"I really appreciated the personal stories of the former foster youth and birth parents who had been involved in the system.  Their perspectives were important to hear.  Thank you for including them."

"I appreciated having the views and experiences of each of the trainers to help with understanding the needs I will have to meet for the children in my care."

This 6-hour in-service training for caregivers provides a foundation for caregiving and behavior management for children in out-of-home care who struggle with physically aggressive behaviors.  Participants will explore the potential impacts of trauma and maltreatment on attachment, behavior and development as well as the risk factors for violent behavior in children.  Participants will closely review the newest Washington Administrative Code (WAC) related to discipline and will contrast principles of positive discipline and punishment. Skill building will focus on creating a plan to prevent a crisis; the various forms aggression may take and how to look for signs of when a child is agitated or escalating; how to intervene during a crisis; and how to manage ongoing or explosive aggressive behaviors via teaching coping skills and Collaborative Problem Solving.  Local resources and supports for the youth as well as the caregiver are discussed.

Many children in foster or kinship care have a history of exposure to trauma. Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma: A Workshop for Resource Parents (RPC) Session 1 is a 4 module, 6 hour focused topic training which includes nine case studies of representative foster children from the ages of eight months to 15 years, as well as cases of secondary traumatic stress in parents.

Many children in the foster care system have lived through traumatic experiences.  Understanding how trauma affects children can help you make sense of your child’s sometimes baffling behavior, feelings and attitudes.  Once you understand why your child behaves the way he or she does, you’ll be better prepared to help him or her cope with the effects of trauma.  In this workshop, you’ll improve your ability to communicate with your child, learn skills and techniques to influence your child’s behavior and attitudes, and learn ways to reduce the stress of parenting a traumatized child.  The goal of this workshop is to make you a more effective resource parent, and to enable you to have more of the positive experiences that make being a resource parent so worthwhile.

Session 1 is a 4 module, 6 hour training, including:

• Module 1: Intro on Trauma Informed Parenting
• Module 2: Trauma 101
• Module 3: Understanding Trauma’s Effects
• Module 4: Building a Safe Place

This session will support staff in caring for and keeping children safe when children must be transported by or cared for by afterhours staff.  Participants will review basic considerations for caring for children across developmental stages, including children who have challenging behaviors or exceptional care needs.  An introduction to car seats, including recommendations and mandates for their use and overall installation process is provided to further support staff in keeping children safe.  Participants will identify and discuss general worker safety considerations, both in the field and while supervising youth in our care, as well as ways to respond early to support everyone’s safety.  Lastly, an overview of professional writing for case notes is provided.

This in-service training will provide instruction on the principles and application of research-based child interviewing, effective testimony, and interviewing skills with cultural considerations. It will address the special challenges of working with vague allegations, resistant children and adolescents, non-offending parents and alleged offenders. The purpose of this training is to enhance child interviewing skills. Participants will have the opportunity to participate in intensive interview skill building exercises with trained actors. Training will provide individualized feedback concerning dealing with complex situations, and working with children who are reluctant to talk or have special needs.

Schedule for all locations listed below:

• Mon.: 8:15 am to 5:00 pm
• Tues.: 8:15 am to 5:00 pm
• Weds.: 8:15 am to 5:00 pm
• Thurs.: 8:15 am to 5:00 pm
• Fri.: 8:15 am to 9:15 am  (early start for test available at 8:00 am)

This two-day in-service training delivered by webinar will prepare new CFWS caseworkers and experienced CFWS caseworkers who wish to improve their practice to engage parents and families from the point of transfer or case assignment. Participants will learn how to make the most of the first meeting and monthly visits with the parent in building a working relationship geared toward safe reunification and timely permanency. Participants will explore engaging children and caregivers during monthly visits, best interest considerations and permanency planning. Participants will be provided tools to improve the quality of court reports in addressing policy requirements and good practice.

A pre-requisite to the webinar training is the Permanency Considerations (eLearning). Participants must register and complete this eLearning prior to the webinar.

This eLearning primarily features a video of a popular Child Protection Medical Consultation (MedCon) presentation for Regional Core Training. The video showcases two respected and well-known child abuse pediatricians, Dr. Rebecca Wiester and Dr. Joyce Gilbert. Dr. Wiester and Dr. Gilbert discuss important aspects of Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, and Neglect within the context of their expertise as child protection medial consultants.

Viewers are walked through recognizing sentinel injuries; understanding Abusive Head Trauma and its connection to the Period of PURPLE Crying; identifying when to seek medical consultation, how to submit a referral, and what information to provide; and how to locate important county protocols and policy resources online. Viewers will also be provided with a helpful Notes Worksheet, which will guide them through capturing important information needed in practice, and to pass the quiz at the end. This eLearning also provides a Facilitator Guide and can be viewed either individually, or facilitated for a small group viewing.

Coaching sessions are utilized to enhance a learner’s specific skill attainment in an identified area of practice.  Coaching sessions are provided to Children’s Administration workforce to help workers attain specific skills pertinent to their daily work/practice in child welfare.  Identified goals are created and progress towards those goals is measured by both the learner and the coach after each session. 

Ad Hoc field based coaching topics include:

Tasks such as AFCARS, redaction, case closure, and entering ICWA/NAIR information into FamLink, filing of documentation into case files.

This Coaching Session for Caregivers covers the financial, legal, and emotional challenges of raising a relative’s child. Services and support when raising a relative's child can be a lifesaver. Often kinship caregivers do not access the benefits which are available to them. This coaching session will address the issues that Kinship Caregivers struggle with most at an individual level:

1. Financial Needs
2. Legal Challenges
3. Navigating public service systems
4. Needing more social services
5. Information about resources/caregiving

This class is designed for licensed and unlicensed caregivers caring for children currently or previously involved in the dependency system. Caregiver Core Training (CCT) is not a prerequisite. However, this course is supplemental to CCT for kinship caregivers, and can be a field experience during CCT.

Coaching sessions are utilized to address a caregiver's specific needs and build specific skills. Identified goals are created and progress towards those goals is measured by both the learner and the coach after the session.

This Coaching Session for Caregivers builds upon information contained in Caregivers Core Training (CCT) and provides detailed training related to the writing and submitting of the Caregiver’s Report to the Court. Participants will understand the caregiver’s role in the court process and how to effectively communicate with the court and other parties through the Caregiver’s Report to the Court. During the session the caregiver will have the opportunity to compose an actual court report about the child in their care and receive specific feedback from the Child Welfare Trainer.

Coaching sessions are utilized to enhance a learner’s specific skill attainment in an identified area of practice.  Coaching sessions are provided to Children’s Administration workforce to help workers attain specific skills pertinent to their daily work/practice in child welfare.  Identified goals are created and progress towards those goals is measured by both the learner and the coach after each session. 

Case Organization and Prioritization field based coaching topics include:

How to prioritize the daily work, including:  using outlook, desk calendars, and reminders; prioritization of caseload activities, assessments and due dates for different programs; reassessing safety and updating safety assessments at pivotal points in the case.

Coaching sessions are utilized to address a caregiver's specific needs and build specific skills. Identified goals are created and progress towards those goals is measured by both the learner and the coach after the session.

This Coaching Session provides in-depth support around specific topics identified by the caregiver as needed. The topics covered may include:

1. Understanding the child welfare system, regulations, expectations, and how to navigate available resources
2. Navigating crisis
3. Understanding and supporting child development
4. Effective communication (with birth parents, extended family, social workers, and the child in your home)
5. Self-care, secondary trauma, and healing

Coaching sessions are utilized to enhance a learner’s specific skill attainment in an identified area of practice.  Coaching sessions are provided to Children’s Administration workforce to help workers attain specific skills pertinent to their daily work/practice in child welfare.  Identified goals are created and progress towards those goals is measured by both the learner and the coach after each session. 

Permanency (Timeline/Case Planning /Case Management) field based coaching topics include:

Permanency timelines; permanency from day one; engaging with families to co-create case plans; setting safety objectives; measuring progress versus compliance in cases; transition planning for children; knowing when to file for Termination of Parental Rights (TPR); understanding the court process and when to change permanency plans; understanding the adoption process; understanding parent/child visitation plans (supervised, monitored, etc.); understanding reasonable efforts versus active efforts for ICWA cases.

Would you like more compassion in your life? In your parenting? For you? For your children? This training is for you!

Discover what compassion really is, how it starts by being compassionate with ourselves and see the positive results with our families and others.

You’ll hear about and learn the roadblocks, hurdles and challenges that often prevent this kind of parenting and discover ways to move through them so you, and your children, win!

Topics include:

• Separating the children’s behavior from who they are
• How to not take what they do or say personally
• Being compassionate with ourselves supports positive results with our families
• Learn the roadblocks, hurdles, and challenges of this type of parenting and how to move through them.
• The role self-esteem plays in all of us

You’ll learn real world concepts that work!

This course provides information on the service contract process and the role of Social Workers, Fiduciaries, Program Managers, and Contract Managers. Participants will learn how to identify what types of services do and do not require contracts, how to determine if a contract is already in place, how to access contracted providers appropriately, how CA Contract Managers develop contracts and the Social Worker’s role in the process, as well as the process for paying for contracted services through FamLink.

Required training for all caregivers in First Aid/CPR, Blood borne pathogens/HIV training. Training made available in English- and Spanish-speaking participants.

The Alliance contracts with certified trainers to provide CPR, First Aid, and Blood-borne pathogens/HIV training.

Keep the Beat offers this class to all caregivers of foster children free of charge.  This includes grandparents, babysitters, etc.  Keep the Beat provides these classes statewide and free of charge whether or not you are licensed.

For years society has encouraged colorblind ideology without taking into consideration the impact this has on People of Color.  Through video, interactive activities and discussion of the research, participants are challenged to examine implicit bias, stereotype threat and its effect on cross cultural relationships and ethnic/racial identity development.  As a result, participants deepen their appreciation of challenges facing People of Color, grow in self-awareness and learn ways to mitigate the impact.

Objectives:
Participants Will…

1. Engage in courageous conversations;
2. Deepen their understanding of implicit bias and stereotype threat;
3. Learn strategies to mitigate the impact of implicit bias.

This training is presented by Cultures Connecting, LLC. Cultures Connecting, LLC was founded in 2008, providing culturally relevant professional development, keynote addresses, consulting and coaching services to organizations seeking to improve their staffs’ ability to effectively work with diverse cultures. 

Owners, Caprice D. Hollins, Psy.D., and Ilsa M. Govan, M.A., have over 30 years combined experience researching race related topics, designing curriculum, and facilitating culturally relevant professional development workshops.