Orientation

January 2015

Core Child Welfare Pre-Service Curriculum | Orientation-TG 1

CORE Orientation Display Slide

Time: 1.5 to 2 hours

Materials:

• Printed scenarios for the “Value of Teamwork” activity. Welcome and Introductions

Trainer should introduce him/herself and all staff involved in the training. Have participants introduce themselves or combine introductions into an Ice Breaker.

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Agenda: Review the agenda.

1. Welcome and Introductions 2. Introduction Activity – Ice Breaker 3. Secretary’s Message 4. Introduction to the Department

January 2015

Core Child Welfare Pre-Service Curriculum | Orientation-TG 2

5. Introduction to Child Welfare - Video or Guest Speakers 6. Team Building Exercise 7. Program Agenda for CORE and Specialty Tracks 8. Labs / Fieldwork Requirements 9. Florida Certification Board Requirements 10. Questions and Answers Session

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Secretary’s Welcome and Message Show the video of the Secretary’s Welcome and Message.

Introduction to the Department of Children and Families

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The major responsibilities of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) are mandated by the Florida Legislature. The programs in the department that carry out these responsibilities include:

• Office of Self Sufficiency (ACCESS) • Adult Protective Services • Child Care

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• Domestic Violence • Child Welfare • Homelessness • Substance Abuse and Mental Health • Refugee Services

As a child welfare professional, you will often encounter families who might benefit from other programs that the department offers. You will want to become familiar with the referral process in your circuit or program. The Office of Self-Sufficiency (ACCESS) provides cash

assistance, manages food stamp benefits and provides eligibility determination for Medicaid, a state and federally funded health insurance program.

Adult Protective Services investigates vulnerable adults when there are reported concerns of abuse, neglect or exploitation; they also provide services to those vulnverable adults needing assistance.

The Child Care program is responsible for child care licensing and training throughout Florida.

The Domestic Violence program provides funding for 32 certified shelters and a range of services for victims of domestic violence.

The Office on Homelessness coordinates the services of various state agencies and programs to serve persons who are, or about to become, homeless.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Program is responsible for the oversight of a statewide system of care for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of children and adults with serious mental illnesses or substance abuse disorders.

Refugee Services coordinates and oversees many of the services provided to refugees and entrants in Florida to help them become economically self-sufficient. Services include assistance for newly-arrived eligible clients in obtaining employment, learning English, acquiring job skills and

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overcoming legal or medical difficulties.

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The child welfare system consists of five major components:

• Florida Abuse Hotline • Child Protective Investigations • Community Based Care • Case Management • Foster Care • Adoptions • Children’s Legal Services • Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children

As you know, the child welfare system is responsible for the identification of children that are not safe, and providing a full range of interventions and services to help them achieve safety, permanency and well-being. You will be learning in-depth about the child welfare system in this pre-service training.

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The DCF website offers a wealth of information about all of the programs offered, including links for locating local providers.

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The state is divided into six regions, each with its own Regional

Managing Director. Within each of these regions, there are several circuits which were created to align with the state’s judicial circuits. These judicial circuits handle civil cases which include child welfare, referred to as “dependency,” as well as delinquency and other family matters. Each of these circuits covers one or more counties. Child protection investigations are provided by DCF employees in all counties expect six where sheriff’s organizations are responsible (Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Seminole, and Broward). All child protection investigations are conducted in accordance with the same laws, rules and training. The purpose of child protection investigations is to determine whether or not a child has been abused, neglected or abandoned by their caregiver, and whether they will be safe if they remain with that caregiver. A child protection investigation is different from a criminal investigation where the focus is whether a crime against a child has been committed. Child Protection Investigators will often need to work closely with law enforcement officers to coordinate their respective investigative activities. In each region, DCF contracts with one or more Lead Agencies for Community Based Care to organize and provide, or arrange for, all

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of the services that might be needed for a child who is unsafe, and their families. Most Lead Agencies contract with one or more Case Management Organizations to provide case management for the children and families where children investigated have been determined to be unsafe. DCF employs Children's Legal Services (CLS) to handle the legal dependency cases. CLS is the Department's law firm representing the State of Florida and acts as Florida's legal authority on child welfare issues. CLS is also organized by the six regions, each with a CLS Regional Director. Each Circuit has a Managing Attorney who oversees the attorneys and legal staff in the Circuit.

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Introduction to Child Welfare Instructions:

This is an opportunity for participants to meet some of the staff and individuals that they may encounter during Pre-Service Training. The trainer can choose to show the short video(s) or can invite guest speakers. Orphan Train: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWTTcNBfaRw

• Protective Investigator • Case Management • Licensing • Adoptions • Supervisor • Foster Parent

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Activity: The Value of Teamwork

Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate how critical it is to

work as a team. Trainer Instructions:

• Split the participants into groups of four. • Hand out the four different scenarios within the teams. Advise each person to

read the scenario quietly to themselves and then begin discussing it with their team.

Trainer Notes: As this will be the class’s first exposure to sexual abuse in the classroom setting, take a moment to acknowledge this and briefly discuss self-care. As they begin discussing the case they will begin to discover that everyone has different information. Take note of how they work together, once they realize that they all have different details.

Debriefing: • Have each group report who they would seek a search warrant for. • Allow time for the team to discuss their choices and weigh the evidence back

and forth. • Process with each team how they felt when they realized they all had

different details. Do they think this could happen in the work they do as a Child Welfare Professional?

• Emphasize the importance of working together as a team to ensure the best possible outcomes for the families we work with.

• At every point in a child welfare case, from the investigation through case

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management services to case closure, there are many persons who have information about the family or individual family members. Those persons include any providers who are working with family members, and extended family members or friends of the family.

• In our best work, the family becomes part of the team. • When we function as a team by sharing what we know, and come to

agreement as to what we need to do, our decisions will be better and children will be safer.

Activity STOP

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Program Agenda for CORE and Specialty Tracks

Review with participants the outline for CORE and Specialty Tracks. The new Pre-Service Curricula for Child Welfare Professionals offers:

• CORE Pre-Service o Five-weeks of Core Classroom training includes formalized content

delivery and skills-based exercises. o Communication Skills Labs designed to develop both knowledge and

beginning proficiency with the use of interviewing skills to obtain sufficient information. Participants will practice the written skills associated with the information they gather about child functioning, adult functioning, parenting and discipline. They are designed to help

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new child welfare professionals learn skills in a deliberately sequenced way. Practice during the labs, follow-up structured field observations and debriefings, and learning how to provide and receive feedback on skills demonstrated (in the labs) are key to successful transfer of learning.

o Structured Field Shadowing days where participants are provided specific activities in which they must engage. The activities provide participants their first encounter with the nature and scope of their jobs as child welfare professionals. Field Shadowing of experienced child welfare professionals during CORE is designed to assist in bridging the knowledge, skills and tasks taught in the classroom and labs with situational application in the field.

• Specialty Areas • Continuing In-service Opportunities

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Labs/Fieldwork Requirements

Review with participants the purpose of the labs and provide an overview of what they will include. Purpose: The Communication Skills labs are intended to develop both knowledge and beginning proficiency with the use of interviewing skills to obtain sufficient information. Participants will:

• Learn skills in a deliberately sequenced way. • Knows what needs to be accomplished during four distinct phases of

an interview, and what skills will help them accomplish those tasks. • Conduct structured field observations. • Participate in field observation debriefings. • Learn how to provide and receive feedback on skills demonstrated. • Practice the written skills associated with information domains.

Lab 1: Foundations for Interviewing, Lab 2: Exploring Skills

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During these two lab days, participants will: • Learn phases of an interview and engagement skills continuum. • Learn exploring skills. • Expectations for field observation—

o Observe and record exploring skills. o How to establish a working agreement with the child welfare

professional they will be shadowing. Lab 3: Focusing Skills. During this one day lab, participants will:

• Debrief field observations and working agreements. • Learn about focusing skills to gather specific information details. • Be introduced to stages of change and the purpose of motivational

interviewing at a very high level. • Practice focusing skills to learn about parenting. • Expectations for field observation of exploring and focusing skills.

Lab 4: Child Interviewing Skills. During this two-day lab participants will:

• Learn about different types of child interviews. • Learn forensic interviewing skills and techniques that are essential in

order to gather detailed information that is sufficient and dependable. • Learn expectations for—

o Field observation of child interviewing skills. o Instructions for interview of a child to gather information

through the interview and observation about child functioning, and prepare a written analysis of information learned.

Lab 5: Interviews to Learn about Adult Functioning, Maltreatment and Circumstances Surrounding. Participants will:

• Debrief field observations of child interviews and their individual child interviews.

• Practice exploring and focusing skills to learn about adult functioning, maltreatment and circumstances surrounding with scripts and role play material provided.

• Expectations for field work-- o Observe and record interviewing skills to obtain information

about all of the information domains. o Interview a parent, gathering information through the

interview about parenting, approach to discipline, and adult functioning, and prepare a written analysis of information learned.

Other Trainer Notes relative to structured field days: • Ensure participants understand how to establish a “Working

Agreement” with person they will be shadowing/observing.

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o Emphasize the “observer role.” o Avoid getting “caught up” in the conversation. o Specifically tell them NOT to ask questions during their

shadowing experiences. • Discuss and process those experiences during classroom debrief times,

discuss any questions or concerns. o Interviewing techniques and skills observed during shadowing

that are not consistent with the training material will need to be discussed by the trainer in a way that avoids personal incrimination of “experienced” staff.

o Identify any challenges with field shadowing that need to be conveyed to the department or provider agencies.

o Need for further skill development for under-performing participants.

• After lab 4, review and assess written material developed by participants.

Specialty Tracks (Draft) Additional lab days and structured field experiences for participants to learn:

• Knowledge and practice of the information collection protocol (CPI). • Knowledge and practice of information collection standards (case

managers). • Interviewing skills related to present and impending danger, safety

planning (CPI). • Safety management, child well-being, case planning, progress

assessment, motivational interviewing (case management). • Skills for collateral interviews. • During field days, participants will practice, with field supervision and

feedback all of the interviewing skills with actual children and families involved in the child welfare system in order to develop a written analysis of all information domains.

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Florida Certification Board Requirements

The Florida Certification Board Florida Certification Board or hyperlink http://flcertificationboard.org Under the Resources tab you will find Employer-Sponsored CW Certification Forms. Policy and Support Documents. The Child Welfare Certification process is designed for anyone hired by a Florida Certification Board recognized child welfare service provider who is not certified in Child Welfare at the time of hire. Each of you will receive direct support related to training, testing and professional development during the certification process. The certification process entails both provisional and full certification requirements. The provisional status is only for individuals’ employed by a recognized child welfare services provider. Any applicant who leaves employment prior to obtaining full certification MAY NOT complete the Employer Sponsored Child Welfare Certification process. If so desired those individuals must seek certification through the Independent Applicant process which has different eligibility requirements. Any applicant who has already passed a certification exam for CWPI, CWCM, CWLC upon hire is not required to retake the exam in the new discipline. Each test has the same established core concepts and must only meet the work verification and direct supervision requirements of the new discipline. Review the candidate guide for provisional and full certification: http://flcertificationboard.org/assets/uploads/Employer-Sponsored-CW-Cert-Candidate-Guide-12-15-14.pdf All applicants must be made aware of the certification process and the Code of Ethics prior to registration. The Code of Ethics booklet:

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http://flcertificationboard.org/assets/uploads/Code-of-Ethics-April-2014.pdf Registration All new employees must complete online registration with the Florida certification Board within 10 days of hire. The Child Welfare Provisional Degree and Background Verification Form must also be completed by each office designated party after the applicant has filled it out. All of the supporting forms for registration can be found at: Employer-Sponsored CW Certification Forms, Policy and Support Documents - Florida Certification Board Dual Certification Any applicant who already holds a child welfare credential in good standing can apply for a dual certification after completion of the additional standards. Dual Certification candidate guide: http://flcertificationboard.org/assets/uploads/CW-Dual-Certification-Full-Candidate-Guide-1-7-15.pdf

Questions/Answers

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