Child Protection Hotline (CPHL) Screeners are attending 3-hour sessions designed to let each screener practice real-time interviewing with a family therapist, a school counselor, neighbor, or a CSW reporting panhandling on her way to another assignment. Screeners also have the opportunity to mentor other screeners, use their SDM tool or complete an information sheet utilized by the CPHL. 

Meanwhile, on April 11, 2007, the Emergency Response Command Post (ERCP) will be applying the C.A.L.M. method of conflict resolution to workplace communication problems.  For further information regarding either training, please contact Donna Toulmin at dtoulmin@usc.edu.

LA DCFS has recently hired human services aides (HSAs) to assist CSWs by transporting parents and children, and serving as visitation monitors. USC Center on Child Welfare and Dr. Colleen Friend have developed a 3-hour curriculum designed to enhance their listening and family engagement skills. For further information, please contact Donna Toulmin at dtoulmin@usc.edu.

Investigative Interviewing for ER Academy: CSULB has developed a new “Investigative Interviewing” module which presents a comprehensive framework for the interviewing process which acknowledges that from universe of information, the ER worker must elicit, gather and select those issues that lead to the most accurate assessment possible.

Team Decision Making-Reinforcement: CSULB has developed a new ½ day session that focuses on the role of the CSW in presenting case information in the three types of TDM © meetings. Participants learn the required elements of TDM presentation, how to engage the family and community members during the case presentation, and gain hands-on experience in presenting cases.

Child and Adolescent Sexuality Development: In collaboration with Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, CSULB has developed a 1 ½ day module on child and adolescent sexuality. The curriculum includes an overview of normative infant and early childhood development with a focus on early development of gender identity and sexuality. The major emphasis will be on healthy adolescent sexuality and disruptions to healthy development. There will also be an emphasis on preparing DCFS social workers to provide sensitive, accurate and age-appropriate sexuality education to caregivers.

SDM Refresher Training: CSULB has developed a new ½ day session that presents the new SDM 2.2 tools used by staff. The Safety Assessment includes revisions on child vulnerabilities, safety threats, protective capacities and safety interventions. The DCFS Safety Plan is reviewed as well as time frames and departmental policy on opening cases.

Training for new Human Service Aides: CSULB has developed two new modules for the Human Service Aide Academies. A full day session on Structured Decision Making introduces HSAs to Structured Decision Making (SDM), the guide to making critical assessment decisions throughout the life of a child welfare case, and includes an overview of the SDM assessment tools (Safety, Risk, Family Strengths and Needs, Risk Reassessment and Reunification Reassessment). HSAs are introduced to the concept of assessment, the need for consistent decision making, and the critical role of the HSA in being familiar with safety threats to a child. In collaboration with the LA County Sheriff’s Department, CSULB also delivers a ½ day session on Signs and Symptoms of Substance Abuse. CSULB also collaborated with CSULA and the DCFS Training Section on the development of the Case Planning & Placement and Visitation modules.

Communicable Diseases & Failure to Thrive in Children: In collaboration with Dr. Angela Rosas of the BEAR Care Center, CSULB has developed a ½ day session for Public Health Nurses with up-to-date information on the topics of Communicable Diseases and Failure to Thrive.

TDM-R – CSULB will be delivering 14 sessions to El Monte, County-wide Specialized Services and Glendora in the next phase of this county-wide training.
SDM Refresher – CSULB has just completed delivering 11 county-wide sessions of Refresher training.
Kinship – CSULB continues to deliver “Collaborating with Kinship Caregivers” county-wide.
Child and Adolescent Sexual Development – CSULB will deliver 5 sessions county-wide.
SCSW Academies – Due to increased staff hiring and promotions, CSULB will be delivering four 15-day SCSW Training Academies in FY 06/0 with two concurrent Spring sessions.
STEC Activities – CSULB continues to play an active role in the Statewide Training and Education Committee, developing learning objectives for topics designated in the next phase of New Worker Training, including Substance Abuse, Child Welfare Practice in a Multicultural Environment, and Self Care (Time Mgmt, Stress Mgmt and Worker Safety).

The conference will bring together Department managers, key leaders from other County Departments, advocates, stakeholders, and select community partners to assist DCFS in gaining an increased understanding regarding the dynamics and factors related to gang involvement and "at risk" behavior. We will be discussing tools and strategies for dealing with this issue and exploring ways to strengthen DCFS partnerships with local public and private agencies at the community level.

The IUC and DCFS collaboration has been instrumental in supporting innovation in the evaluation of training of new CSW trainees in the CSW Core Academy. The IUC/DCFS collaboration has introduced locally-developed and statewide training evaluation in which the goals are threefold: (1) early identification of trainees who require additional training reinforcement; (2) maximizing opportunities for supportive supervision; (3) enhancement of transfer of learning to the field.

The report, "Inter-University Consortium Core Academy Assessments - Interim Results" (Todd Franke, UCLA Department of Social Welfare Associate Professor; Walter Furman, IUC Evaluation Coordinator; Lori Ring, UCLA Department of Social Welfare Doctoral Student), was released. The report is significant at two major levels: First, the report results buttress the process that the IUC/DCFS collaboration has introduced, and support expansion of the program of knowledge and skill testing of new workers. Secondly, the report results suggest that trainee participation in the Title IV-E graduate intern programs is "...significantly related to performance on all academy tests...Trainees who participated in Title IV-E consistently have a higher average score on all Academy tests than do trainees who have not..."

UCLA Center on Child Welfare develops a new six- hour training on “Paradigm Shift in Adoption Practice” for experienced CSWs which is to be offered in May and June 2007 by trainers Dorlie Burge, Ph.D. and Monica McCurdy, MSW. For further information , please contact Carole Bender at bender@spa.ucla.edu

UCLA in collaboration with CSULA and USC Centers on Child Welfare developed a one day skill focused training for SCSWs and CSWs on Implementing Full Disclosure with Adults which is being delivered to all DCFS SCSWs and CSWs. To date eleven hundred CSWs and 252 SCSWs have been trained. Phase III is scheduled to begin in June 2007. Training is being delivered at locations convenient to the local regional offices whenever possible. For further information, please contact Carole Bender at bender@spa.ucla.edu