Program Updates

Table of Contents

Statewide Programs

The Alliance allocated significant resources to developing courses from foundational learning to advanced skill building. This included the flagship Workforce Core, multiple in-service trainings and several focused topic areas.  The following are highlights of some of the courses developed this year.

Core

Workforce Core
The newly redesigned Workforce Core training launched in Q1. This foundational course is required for all child welfare case-carrying social service specialists and consists of 9.5 weeks of training using multiple modalities. This training follows the life of a case, which allows the learners to practice job-related skills associated with each role in child welfare, including initial assessment, voluntary cases and what to do when the court is involved.

The Alliance, DCYF and Partners for Our Children worked together to evaluate Workforce Core’s initial four cohorts. In Q4, a workgroup of DCYF program managers and leaders, and P4C and Alliance team members convened to discuss evaluation data and determine next steps. Through this three-meeting collaboration, the group created a proposed revision plan for WFC that outlines the needs and execution over FY27. Once these revisions are completed, WFC will join all other Alliance courses in the three-year revision schedule.

Caregiver Core Training
The redesign of Caregiver Core Training launched in Q3, in both English and Spanish. The new CCT consists of six eLearnings that include voices from former youth placed in care, current caregivers, and parents who have been involved in the child welfare system. 

Initial feedback around the content from more than 200 learners was overwhelmingly positive. Participants appreciated the perspective the training gave them, actionable tips and the engagement of a variety of system-involved individuals. Opportunities for improvement live mostly in the technological aspects of the training.

In-Service

Child and Family Welfare Services In-Service
The CFWS In-Service redesign project has consolidated the classes CFWS staff are required to take into a suite of courses. What originally was a 12-hour curriculum over two days, and additional standalone courses, is now broken up into five sessions, including:  CFWS In-Service: Safety Framework; CFWS In-Service: Engaging Families, Children, Youth and Caregivers; CFWS In-Service: Family Assessment, CFE, Court Preparation and Case Closure; CFWS In-Service: Permanency for Every Child; and CFWS In-Service: Working with Adolescents and Young Adults.

The redesign has resulted in more targeted learning and increased skill application.  Staff will be able to bring the knowledge they received in Workforce Core, as well as the experiences from their first few months of carrying cases, and apply a deeper level of learning and application of practice and policy.

Child Protective Services In-Service
The redesigned CPS In-Service training transitions from a standard 18-hour, three-day block to a targeted, five-session curriculum. By breaking the learning into specialized modules, including exploration of the Safety Framework and documentation, staff can better integrate their field experience with advanced practice. This modular approach ensures a deeper application of skills and builds directly upon the foundational knowledge gained in Workforce Core.

The five sessions are: CPS In-Service: Safety Framework; CPS In-Service: Family Assessment Response; CPS In-Service: Investigations and Complex Investigations; CPS In-Service: Placement Prevention and Court; and CPS In-Service: Findings, Closing and Documentation.

Family Voluntary Services In-Service
The redesigned FVS In-Service training transitions from a 12-hour course to a targeted, four-session course. The same principles were applied with the FVS In-Service as with the CFWS and CPS redesigns: focused elements, opportunities to practice skills, scaffolded learning.

The four sessions are: FVS In-Service: The Ongoing Assessment of Safety in FVS; FVS In-Service: Engaging Families; FVS In-Service: Family Assessment; and FVS In-Service: Dependency Filing & Case Closure.

Continued Learning

Foundations of Human Trafficking
This foundational course equips DCYF workers and Tribal partners with the critical skills needed to identify and support children and youth affected by human trafficking. By integrating established material on Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) with new legislation on labor trafficking, this training provides a holistic approach to exploitation in child welfare. Participants learn to implement trauma-informed and collaborative practices to effectively respond to and serve vulnerable youth across the state.

Pathways to Permanency
Pathways to Permanency is a four-part suite of courses for caregivers that provides the opportunity to deepen their understanding of ongoing planning in child welfare. Learners expand their knowledge of DCYF practice and of how permanency decisions are made. They are also introduced to post-permanency supports, including the Guardianship Assistance Program, adoption assistance, community services, and caregiver support and training.

Human Trafficking of Children and Youth: What Caregivers Need to Know
This new course brings together information about sex trafficking and labor trafficking to help caregivers understand, build empathy and develop skills to support youth in their homes who have been trafficked or are at risk for trafficking.  This is a thoughtful, detailed, interactive eLearning that tackles a heavy subject and helps caregivers feel empowered to make a difference.

This year, The Alliance provided 688 coaching sessions, totaling 865.5 hours of individualized support. Coaching was provided to frontline staff, supervisors, and Area Administrators and focused on strengthening practice through learner-centered, reflective coaching.

In addition to individual coaching, four Facilitated Cohort Learning Sessions were provided, including an Indian Child Welfare Act Practice session designed specifically to support After Hours staff.

Coaching supported staff transition from training to day-to-day practice, applying knowledge from WFC and other learning opportunities, strengthening critical thinking, and building confidence through reflective practice.

During FY26, coaches also increased their involvement within Workforce Core, for foundational practice. These supported learning transfer and skill acquisition during training and are not reflected in the coaching totals above.

The Coaching Team also continued to invest in its own professional development:

  • Three Alliance team members became members of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT).
  • Coaches participated in professional development to strengthen facilitation, coaching, and adult learning practices while remaining current on emerging child welfare research and evidence-informed approaches.
  • Team members engaged in ongoing learning through Indian Child Welfare (ICW) training, curriculum development, policy updates, peer-reviewed journal article reviews, and collaborative practice discussions to ensure coaching reflects current research, policy, and child welfare practice.

The Alliance planned and hosted four conferences this year:

  • Supervisors Conference: 207 registrants
  • Administrative Professionals Conference: 131 registrants
  • Area Administrators Summit: 52 registrants
  • Program Managers Conference: 104 registrants

Consulting, administrative and financial support was also provided for the Indigenous Children, Youth, and Families Conference.

Highlights from this year’s program included:

  • Sessions focused on inspiring and motivating audiences, including “Making Changes in the System That You Want to See” with former U.S. HHS Commissioner Rebecca Jones Gaston; “It’s Your Turn to Center Down and Rise Ready” with Dr. Amelia Franck Meyer; and “Rooted in Purpose: Reengaging Your Why and Protecting Your Energy” with LICSW and Clinician Mackenzie Dunham.
  • Innovative interpretations of audience needs that led to sessions on “How Trust Works” and “How to Make Networking Not Feel Gross.”
  • Two panels of Parents 4 Parents, offering perspectives from individuals personally impacted by the child welfare system and who also work within it.
  • Pilots of implementing a “skip day,” or a day off between two days of conference sessions, offering attendees the chance to address urgent needs by not taking too much time away; and “deep-dive breakouts,” offering longer sessions on high-value topics as a response to survey feedback.

Equity and Belonging

Alliance Connector
In December the Inclusive Practice team launched the Alliance Connector, a resource that gives an overview of skills and knowledge that staff are available to share expertise around. This can be used in the curriculum development process as well as any circumstance where a unique perspective is needed. This document supports both staff strengths and opportunities for collaboration.

Experts by Experience Program
The Inclusive Practice team continued the priority work of foregrounding marginalized and underrepresented voices through the development of its Experts by Experience program. In January, The Alliance welcomed practicum student Marcella Taylor to support growing this initiative. Marcella is a certified peer supporter, former CASA and currently serves on several boards/committees that focus on behavioral health, affordable housing, DCYF and low-income community programs. Through her personal experience with poverty, domestic violence, child welfare involvement and parenting a child with special needs, she brings a grounded perspective shaped by resilience, compassion and cultural humility. Her partnership supported bringing two panels of local Parents 4 Parents to spring conferences, offering valuable personal experience to help guide attendees’ work.

WICWA
The new Washington State ICW training deepens learners’ understanding of the Indian Child Welfare Act’s legal foundations, its historical significance and its vital role in ensuring that American Indian and Alaska Native children remain connected to their Tribal communities. Importantly, participants also learn where and how to access helpful resources while doing this work and upholding the Federal Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 and Washington State Indian Child Welfare Act. This course achieved a notable 5.9 out of 6 score around quality of facilitation in initial evaluations.

Meaningful Cultural Connections
The first cohort for Meaningful Cultural Connections was held in Q1. This training focuses on increasing learners’ commitment to, and skills for, engaging with Tribes so that children, youth and families have cultural continuity and culturally relevant safety, permanency and wellbeing. 

Learning objectives center on understanding resources and supports; knowing how to document efforts made to support families; and supporting a commitment to uphold and facilitate cultural connections for the safety, permanency and wellbeing of the child, family and Tribe.

Social Determinants of Health
The Effects of Historical and Present-Day Trauma on the Social Determinants of Health launched in Q2, with offerings in November and January. The course supports learners in understanding how to best work with and support wellness in Indigenous families and communities. The content examines how adverse childhood experiences become normalized and perpetuated through social construction, how it can and does inform decision making, and ways to partner with our Tribal partners to improve outcomes and promote wellness.

Operations and Innovation

This year, The Alliance overhauled its learner experience platform with the implementation of Intellum’s learning management system (LMS). Intellum is the LMS that is used by caregivers, Tribal staff, CPA staff and other non-DCYF employees The Alliance serves.

This move has allowed The Alliance to respond to key caregiver requests such as improved mobile experience, better reliability in completing eLearnings and a fresher look with easier navigation. In a continued move toward growth, current planned improvements include:

  • A new publishing standard for eLearnings to better support completion for longer courses like Caregiver Core Training;
  • Improved search filters to allow searching for courses by modality or audience; and
  • Easier distinctions between workforce and caregiver for those who have access to both.

This launch was the culmination of over two years of work surveying caregivers and LMS administrators for peer programs across the country; meeting with child welfare and licensing staff at DCYF, aligning audiences for our trainings; soliciting and meeting with prospective vendors; ironing out new contract details; and testing and piloting with different user groups. This project evidenced the strong partnerships in place, including between LD program managers at DCYF and the Alliance CaRES staff, mentors and connectors.

The Trainer Standards were developed in collaboration between the Alliance and the DCYF Office of Practice and Professional Learning to capture essential knowledge and skills necessary to be an effective trainer. In FY2026, the Alliance CQI team produced a Trainer Standards Report that pulls together information the team gathered while engaging in observations throughout 2025, completing an observation with almost every Alliance facilitator and contractor. The report summarizes and analyzes the data from 33 observations.

Sustained Excellence 

As part of The Alliance’s ongoing efforts to develop internal expertise and best meet partner needs, the Sustained Excellence program continued this year.

The Sustained Excellence: Professional Development Series was created to ensure Development and Facilitation Specialists and Coaches remain informed about DCYF policy, practice changes, child welfare topics and relevant legislation, while also strengthening facilitation and coaching skills through ongoing professional development. Participant feedback is also used to identify future learning needs.

Quarterly meetings this year included information on:

  • Facilitation and coaching skill development;
  • Motivational Interviewing practice;
  • Curriculum Development support;
  • TBRI practice;
  • CAST;
  • Child Interviewing (CAIA);
  • Indian Child Welfare (ICW); and
  • Youth and Family Meetings.

National Staff Development and Training Association Distinguished Leader award

In October, Foundational Learning Administrator Lisa Sinnett was selected as the recipient of the National Staff Development and Training Association Distinguished Leader award for 2025.

She has demonstrated exceptional commitment to elevating the standards of professional training across human services. Through her leadership, she has advanced innovative approaches to curriculum design, adult learning, and workforce engagement, ensuring that training is both impactful and sustainable. Her work reflects a deep understanding of how effective staff development drives better outcomes for families and communities.

A true leader in her sector, Lisa is known for her ability to inspire others, foster collaboration, and mentor emerging professionals. She consistently goes above and beyond to design and deliver programs that prepare human services staff for the profound responsibilities of their work.

The NSDTA Distinguished Service in Training Award spotlights individuals whose leadership, creativity, and dedication to workforce development have made a lasting impact on public human services.