Alliance Course Catalog

This session will provide a basic review of the Safety Framework and an overview of the Specialized Domestic Violence Assessment, focusing on the most salient issues in screening and assessment for child welfare workers.  Participants will then consider a case example of a family experiencing domestic violence (a live case or the case scenario provided in the attachment) and apply the safety framework to determine whether the children in question are safe or unsafe.  Important issues regarding best practices for visitation and other important decisions will be touched on but are not covered in depth in this brief session.

As a result of participating in this workshop participants will:

1. Know the child safety threats most likely to be present when domestic violence endangers child safety.
2. Know CA policy regarding screening for DV and managing cases where DV is identified, including what information workers must attempt to collect to properly assess child safety in families impacted by DV.

Improve skills at assessing child safety in cases where domestic violence is occurring.

This two-day in-service training 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.

****All participants are required to bring their tablets to the training. ****

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.

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 an opportunity for participants to receive training and support on critical topics that is flexible enough to respond to their current needs.  Coaching sessions can involve one or several workers, and may be delivered in person, on the phone or by other real time collaboration (face-time, etc).  Preferably, they allow material to be understood within a context of an actual case, and completion of current work.

This coaching session opportunity for staff will aim at compliance with ICWA, give recommendations for working with Tribes and Tribal families, revisit the Federal Act, State ICW codes and current policies/procedures when ICWA applies or is being considered.  

This session will revisit current practices in CA, specialized units and steps available for staff, including tailored topics such as:

1. Initial Intake (ICW Procedures at initial contact) 
2. Tribal/State Agreements 
3. Inquiry and Verification of Child’s Indian Status 
4. Disclosure of Confidential Records/Information to Tribes
5. Child Protective Services for Indian Children 
6. Casework Activities for Court Proceedings – forms Legal Notice, FamLink Response from NAIR eLearning, Monthly Progress report, 
7. Indian Child Placement Preferences and Relative Search
8. Adoption
9. Interstate Compact on the Placement of Indian Children
10. Local Indian Child Welfare Advisory Committees 
11. Payments for Services for Children in Tribal Care or Custody
12. Casework Services for Children and Families of Non-Federally Recognized Tribes and Canadian First Nations

Coaching for Supervisors provides a one-on-one professional development opportunity and is an essential element in supporting the daily work supervisors do with their units and staff. Sessions can be scheduled in 30 minute intervals and can cover:

• Observation and feedback on monthly supervisory case reviews
• Use of Supervisor Review Tool in FamLink
• Documentation / Assessment review and approvals
• Observation and feedback on skills used to engage with staff
• Organization and Prioritization of work

Participants will learn about the importance of contract monitoring, the Contract Monitoring Team, the purpose of a Compliance Agreement, and what to do if there are concerns about a contractor’s performance.

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.

During this course, supervisors will learn and practice a feedback approach that is respectful, supports reflective practice, and supports staff in growing their clinical skills. The approach is based on Debriefing with Good Judgment, which is rooted in and supported by the science of adult learning and of organizational psychology. We will review the idea of psychological safety and its impact on how staff learn and grow. Supervisors will learn about “frames,” how they drive our thoughts and actions, as well as how they are critical places for intervention when we don’t understand why a staff (or client) is approaching a problem the way they are. Supervisors will then learn the building blocks of this feedback approach, and also anticipate some possible challenges they might face in the learning conversations they have with staff. This course is designed to provide several opportunities to learn, practice the skill with real staff, and get feedback. It includes an eLearning, two half-day classroom sessions, and a live online session. All components must be completed in order to receive credit for the course.

Important Note: You will need to complete the eLearning BEFORE your first classroom session. To access the eLearning, click the icon below.

Participants in this two-day training will increase their knowledge and understanding of early childhood development, neuroscience associated with brain development in early childhood, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), attachment & relationships, and the effects of trauma and maltreatment on development. In addition, participants will gain skills to directly impact the development of this vulnerable population through case management activities and identifying resources and interventions available in communities across Washington State. The following six modules serve as the foundation of instruction, with a final focus on how to best support the development of young children in public child welfare, and locally accessible resources to support early childhood development in your community.

Module 1: Why Early Childhood Matters
Module 2: Understanding the Science of Brain Development
Module 3: Understanding the Science of Attachment
Module 4: Understanding the impact of maltreatment, stress, and separation on development.
Module 5: Helping Children Thrive
Module 6: Informing Child Welfare

If you have young children on your caseload, or you are caring for young children in your home, you will find the information in this training invaluable in supporting your work with children aged birth-five.

This three-hour workshop provides an opportunity for DCYF staff to broaden and strengthen their knowledge of and response to domestic violence experienced by the children and families with whom they work. Dynamics and definitions of domestic violence are explored through research and advocacy praxis. Workshop participants discuss potential strategies for engagement, assessment, and intervention with families where domestic violence is occurring (or has occurred). The workshop is offered by an EWU social work faculty member and will reference current research, the DCYF domestic violence training, and the 2016 Social Worker’s Practice Guide to Domestic Violence.

This two-day in-service training will prepare new Family Voluntary Services (FVS) caseworkers and experienced FVS 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 to reducing or mitigating safety threats and risk. Participants will be provided opportunity to improve the quality of case plans by linking services to behavior changes. Participants will learn policy expectations and good practice strategies for family engagement.

*****Participants are required to bring their tablets to the training.

This 6-hour course will help child welfare staff build skills to more accurately identify youth who are or may be commercially sexually exploited. The training will provide a framework for understanding this issue, as well as for understanding the basic social work practices that support helping these youth reach positive outcomes. Participants will leave understanding CA's policy and legal requirements related to screening and supporting these youth, will practice and consider approaches to supporting these youth, and will be provided with a list of statewide community resources.

Using objective evidence, recognizing patterns of behavior, considering families’ perspectives, and utilizing collaterals can improve decision-making in child welfare.  Skills to ensure incorporation of new information and to identify biases, including confirmation bias, will be examined in this course to improve decision making.

Qualifications of presenter: Dee Wilson has worked in the child welfare field since 1971. Mr. Wilson worked as a caseworker in public child welfare in Colorado Springs, Colorado from 1971-74 and in Canon City, Colorado from 1974-78. From 1978-2004, Dee Wilson worked in various capacities for Washington State's child welfare system: CPS caseworker (1978-85), CPS supervisor (1985-89), area administrator in the Spokane office (1989-1995), training director (1995-97) and regional administrator in southwest Washington (1997-2004).  Since 2004, Mr. Wilson worked at the University of Washington and then went to work at Casey Family Programs as a consultant in child protection.

Supervisors, Program Managers, and Quality Practice Specialists need to achieve competency in understanding the child welfare practice as well as in the higher levels of systems management. This course provides Supervisors and Program Managers with an introduction of baseline competencies for middle managers in public child welfare, and opportunities to develop and practice new skills regarding these competencies. Managing self, managing others, managing systems and managing outward are the four main themes integrated throughout this course.

Day 1: Foundations for Managers in Child Welfare
Day 2: Effective Relationships as a Manager
Day 3: Strategies for Effective Organizational Communication
Day 4: Growing and Sustaining Effective Internal and External Teams
Day 5: Essentials for Resource Management
Day 6: Strategic Thinking and Planning Tools for the Manager

Peter Dahlin, MS, is an experienced child welfare worker, supervisor, administrator and educator in the public sector for nearly 30 years. He has provided curriculum development, training, and evaluation services to child welfare, foster care, and family service agencies throughout the country and in Quebec. He has trained extensively throughout Washington and California. His specialty areas include trainer, supervisor, manager and executive development, and he has developed and delivered numerous training programs in these areas. He has created advanced trainings for supervisors and managers, including a required three-year program for Los Angeles County. He teaches the core manager (AA) course in the State of Washington, and developed and delivered part of the Core Supervisor Series in the State of Florida. His curriculum development work and training delivery, including that of “train the trainer” has also included clients such as National CASA and Casey Family Programs. As the former director of the Bay Area Academy, he oversaw an 18-month recruitment & retention study reviewing practices in thirteen counties with an emphasis on succession planning, and he has consulted with San Diego State’s Southern Academy on developing and delivering part of its Executive Development Program. He also provides executive coaching to managers and deputies in San Diego Child Welfare Services.

Comments from previous participants in this training:

"What we do is so difficult we rely on each other. And part of that is building a strong team that all come from the same mission and vision. Some of my folks had been here for a long time and they were on the verge of burnout and I had to think differently about how to look at that. Like what still motivates you to come in? why do you do it? What keeps you coming? That tool [from the AA training] I’ve used, asking them what are their passions and how can I help them get there."

"The team work portion [was the most valuable part of the training]. I had them all do the short version of the disk assessment and it brought up different communication styles and what we can expect in their management group. The most meaningful part of this training is because of the team and the connection they have. It’s the driver of retention in my opinion and I want to work on building teams to retain people."

"There are some trainings where they tell us to go back to our staff and our staff come back and say ‘no we’re not going to do that.’ But we go back and this is real, what he gives us [in this training] we can use."

"The value for me is the value for staff, the budget the grant information shouldn’t be hidden if you disperse that in a good way it will encourage creativity."

"I found it helpful to learn about the relationship with money and funding. The detail was really helpful, because I had a general idea. We always talked about half of our salary was IV-E but that’s not really true, it’s a more nuanced conversation."

"I really enjoyed the activity around staffing the formula around how much staff we should have. I want to go back and look at what the formula looks like for us, I appreciated the discussion around what types of different data we can use and the value of it."

Tribal Member who participated in this training:

"[Learning about the value of] external stakeholders was valuable. We’ve done work in the tribe around [our] vision and mission. But in terms of values, strategic plans in terms of bringing in other stakeholders was valuable information to remember to bring those folks into the discussion."

This eLearning covers the correct way to administer, log, store, and dispose of medications. In addition, this eLearning will provide information/protocol to revise agency policies and procedures with current information and best practice.

This in-service level training will teach participants the steps for identifying Indian Children, address practical steps to input information into FamLink, and give CA staff tips on completing Ancestry Charts and submitting referrals to the Native American Inquiry Request (NAIR) unit to fulfill the requirements of the Federal ICWA, State Law and CA policies.

The NCAST Parent-Child Interaction (PCI) scales are designed for parents/caregivers and children age birth-3 years (36 months). The PCI scales consist of two measures – a Feeding Scale and a Teaching Scale. Both scales are assessment tools which provide valid and reliable measurements of parent-child interactions. When used in child-welfare, either assessment can provide recommendations for services to strengthen parent-child interactions, both scales can also serve as reliable pre-/post- measures of progress made through service engagement.

Participants will learn how to use NCAST PCI scales as a tool to gather pertinent information about the parent-child dyad; assessment of parent-child interactions; and intervening with parents and young children.

Participants can become certified assessors in one or both the Feeding Scales or the Teaching Scales. The Feeding Scales can be used with parents/caregivers and infants age 0-12 months (1 year old), the Teaching Scales can be used with parents/caregivers and infants age 0-36 months (3 years old).

Certification, or reliability, is obtained through first practicing, and then scoring videos from the Parent-Child Relationship Program at the University of Washington. The videos depict parent-child interactions in both feeding and teaching scenarios.

Instruction for each 4-day certification course is delivered across two weeks so participants are only away from their desks for two days at a time.

Feeding Scales Week 1:

Day 1 – Keys to Caregiving & Implications for child-welfare
Day 2 – Infant sate, cues, and communication & the Feeding Scale items

Feeding Scales Week 2:

Day 3 – Feeding Scale practice scenarios & begin Feeding Scale reliability testing
Day 4 – Feeding Scale reliability testing & administration/application of the Feeding Scales in practice

The NCAST Parent-Child Interaction (PCI) scales are designed for parents/caregivers and children age birth-3 years (36 months). The PCI scales consist of two measures – a Feeding Scale and a Teaching Scale. Both scales are assessment tools which provide valid and reliable measurements of parent-child interactions. When used in child-welfare, either assessment can provide recommendations for services to strengthen parent-child interactions, both scales can also serve as reliable pre-/post- measures of progress made through service engagement.

Participants will learn how to use NCAST PCI scales as a tool to gather pertinent information about the parent-child dyad; assessment of parent-child interactions; and intervening with parents and young children.

Participants can become certified assessors in one or both the Feeding Scales or the Teaching Scales. The Feeding Scales can be used with parents/caregivers and infants age 0-12 months (1 year old), the Teaching Scales can be used with parents/caregivers and infants age 0-36 months (3 years old).

Certification, or reliability, is obtained through first practicing, and then scoring videos from the Parent-Child Relationship Program at the University of Washington. The videos depict parent-child interactions in both feeding and teaching scenarios.

Instruction for each 4-day certification course is delivered across two weeks so participants are only away from their desks for two days at a time.

Teaching Scales Week 1:

Day 1 – Keys to Caregiving & Implications for child-welfare
Day 2 – Infant sate, cues, and communication & the Teaching Scale items

Teaching Scales Week 2:

Day 3 – Teaching Scale practice scenarios & begin Teaching Scale reliability testing
Day 4 – Teaching Scale reliability testing & administration/application of the Teaching Scales in practice

Las personas que toman este curso digital aprenderán sobre su rol como denunciadores de abuso por mandato cuando se sospecha abuso o negligencia infantil y los pasos para reportar estas preocupaciones. Este entrenamiento provee información sobre los indicadores que pueden indicar que abuso o negligencia infantil está ocurriendo y las situaciones comunes que en que es necesario llamar a la agencia correspondiente para hacer una denuncia. Las personas tomando este curso también aprenderán a considerar el impacto de los prejuicios culturales cuando se hacen estas denuncias y el problema de disparidad racial representada en el sistema. También este curso explica los requisitos federales para reconocer el linaje de un niño/a con una tribu indígena o su afiliación a una tribu reconocida federalmente. Finalmente, este curso también repasa los pasos para comunicarse con la Administración de Protección Infantil y hacer una denuncia, la información que se necesita, y lo que ocurre una vez que la denuncia ha sido hecha e investigada. 

Case Workers are frequently faced with parents who use or abuse marijuana and the challenge to assess how this addiction impacts child safety. During this training participants will learn:

• How to assess for child safety when parents use marijuana (legally or illegally);
• The impact of second hand marijuana smoke and the science about impairment;
• The science about pre-natal exposure to marijuana use and its long term effects;
• Tips to assist workers to work with parents who use or abuse marijuana to promote child safety.

Participants will leave this training with a common language and understanding of what is meant by cultural competence and the work they need to do to grow their ability to effectively engage across cultures, an understanding of Racial Microaggressions and why they are problematic, and an increased ability to have courageous conversation about difference and to effectively engage racial tension.

This training is presented by Dr. Caprice Hollins, co-founder of Cultures Connecting, LLC.  Dr. Hollins received her doctorate in clinical psychology with an emphasis in multicultural and community psychology in 1998.   She has over 14 years of experience teaching graduate courses, working with historically marginalized populations, researching, studying, and facilitating race related conversations. Her experience includes opening and directing the Department of Equity & Race Relations for Seattle Public Schools, developing and implementing district-wide and school-based trainings, while utilizing her background in psychology to assist district leaders and staff, institutionalize change to promote equity and social justice. She also currently works as a part-time core faculty in the department of counseling at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology.

The RIGHT RESPONSE Level 3 Workshop is primarily prevention training.  This 11-hour certification provides basic fundamental skills including Prevention, De-escalation, Postvention, and Physical Safety skills. Attendees learn about self-awareness, reflective thinking skills, positive behavior support, basic and advanced de-escalation skills, self-protection, and proactive alternatives which can prevent dangerous incidents and increase safety.

Attendees that complete the workshop receive a 2 year certification.

Since 1993, Service Alternatives has been researching and developing best practices in the management of behavior and aggression problems in families, schools, group homes, hospitals, camps, detention centers and beyond.  Together, the staff team at Service Alternatives Training Institute has more than 200 years of experience within the company.    

This 3-hour course will help Children’s Administration social workers and supervisors who do ongoing work in the child welfare system with identification of and responses to secondary trauma. The training will increase knowledge and understanding of the levels of secondary trauma, its impact, and how to manage the impact in our environment.

Phoebe Mulligan, LICSW serves as the Clinical Program Director at HopeSparks Family Services in Pierce County.  Through her role as Clinical Director, Ms. Mulligan is committed to creating a team of therapists that are culturally responsive; current on best practices in the field; and building integrated systems that seek to respond holistically to children and adults who have been victims of trauma. Ms. Mulligan is regularly invited to speak regionally on Evidence-Based Practices (EBP), effects of trauma on children and adults; and as an expert on anxiety and trauma.  Her audiences range from clinicians to judges and she is often a guest lecturer in social work master's programs. A graduate of Social Work program at the University of Washington, Seattle, Ms. Mulligan is passionate about reframing the legal paradigm of response to child trauma victims to be child-centric and creating systemic partnerships that remove barriers for children.

Christina R Fajardo, MA, LMHC is a licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Child & Family Therapist at HopeSparks, Tacoma, WA. She is responsible for providing individual/ family counseling using evidence based and best practices for mental health treatment of children and families. She is a certified instructor for the Incredible Years parenting program. 

This course is the required supervisor core training for those supervisors who do not supervise social service specialist staff (i.e., federal funding including SSI, clerical).  The course covers the administrative, educational and supportive roles of supervisors.  The course will occur over a two-month period.  The first month will be scheduled for three days; the second month for two days. 

This training focuses on completing the final 18 hours of the Supervisor Core Training (SCT) for those individuals who have completed the three-day course for Growing A Leader.

SCT is an in service training for new supervisors who are overseeing non-case carrying employees. SCT is a foundational training designed to prepare newly hired supervisors with the basic knowledge, skills, and understanding to enhance and grow their careers in the Department of Children, Youth and Family (DCYF). SCT is a comprehensive training program containing a total of 3 day in person training sessions, which lay the foundation for continuous on-the-job learning and professional development critical to developing competent, confident, and effective child welfare professional supervisors.

Growing A Leader prepared future leaders the basics of supervision; however, the Supervisor Core Training will prepare new non-case carrying supervisors to become comfortable in assuming their new role, learning what it means to be a supervisor in the child welfare system, and to understanding the new responsibilities of this position. This program is for those newly appointed supervisors who have completed the three (3) days of Growing A Leader and who have to complete the final two days and two half days of Supervisor Core Training. This course is offered on a 3-month period and covers topics such as: ICWA, Torts, Critical Incidents and Ombuds; Human Resources and Talent Management; Self Care, Secondary Trauma, Burnout Prevention and Conflict Management; and Professional Ethics.

Supervisors and supervising program managers from Department of Children, Youth, and Families will come together to learn how to strengthen their supervisory skills, discuss current practice trends, and hear strategies on how to best support the DCYF workforce. Staff will have time to engage and network with their peers from across the state and participate in break-out sessions that are pertinent to the daily work they do as front line supervisors and supervising program managers.

In this two-day training, we will follow the flow of a Child Welfare case and how workers need to incorporate ICWA.  Children’s Administration has a revised ICW Manual and attendees will strengthen their foundational base about ICWA and learn about changes in policy and procedure as it applies to ICWA practice in Washington State.