Workforce Training Schedule_August 2025
Training Locations
Regions 1/2 Training Hub: 316 W. Boone, Suite 180, Spokane
Regions 3/4 Training Hub: 4045 Delridge Way SW, Seattle
Regions 5/6 Training Hub: 6860 Capitol Blvd., Tumwater
In this training, you’ll consider how to best explain the safety threat that’s keeping a child in out-of-home care and think about how this threat impacts child safety during family time. You’ll practice applying the threshold questions to decisions about family time and articulating to the court why you are recommending a specific level of supervision, even when the child needs to remain out of the home.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 6
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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.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 20 and 21
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This three day in-service will describe the two different CPS pathways, Family Assessment Response (FAR) and Investigations. Participants will be asked to review several examples of CPS intakes and the information in the course will be presented through using these case examples.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 5, 6 and 7
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This training is intended to give you the information you need to provide Qualified Expert Witness (QEW) testimony in Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Indian Child Welfare cases. This training provides an overview of background information on the history and impacts of colonization on Native American and Alaska Native children and families that led to the passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, an introductory level overview of the Indian Child Welfare Act and Washington Indian Child Welfare Act, an overview of DCYF Dependency Cases, and a detailed look at QEW purpose, qualifications, and procedures.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 4 and 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Aug. 5
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Domestic Violence in Child Welfare
In this course, you’ll learn more about the policy and legal guidance for child welfare work with families experiencing domestic violence. More importantly, you’ll learn the best practices for this work and get to practice applying these best practices.
9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Aug. 1, 8, 15 and 22
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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. You 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. You will be provided opportunity to improve the quality of case plans by linking services to behavior changes and you will learn policy expectations and good practice strategies for family engagement.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 13 and 14
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This course will help workers who do ongoing work with adolescents in the child welfare system identify youth who are at risk for or are being commercially sexually exploited. The training will provide a framework for understanding this issue that greatly impacts adolescents in the child welfare system, as well as for understanding the basic social work practices that support helping these youth reach positive outcomes.
1-4:30 p.m. Aug. 18, 19 and 20
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Infant Safety: Plan of Safe Care
The Plan of Safe Care is an element of case planning for families with infants born with and affected by substance abuse or withdrawal symptoms resulting from prenatal drug exposure, or a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, or born to a dependent youth. The focus of this course is to provide opportunities for demonstration, practice, and feedback pertaining to meeting the practice and policy requirements for this component of the Infant Safety Education and Intervention Policy.
1-4:30 p.m. Aug. 25
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Infant Safety: Period of PURPLE Crying
The Period of PURPLE Crying will provide social workers with an understanding of the importance of assessing for both prolonged crying in infancy and the caregiver’s ability to manage long periods of crying. Emphasis will be placed on safety in terms of the connection between prolonged crying and child abuse/neglect, as well as completion of the Period of PURPLE Crying Training Certification through dontshake.org (if not previously completed).
8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Aug. 19
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Informed Decisions Through Critical Thinking
During this training, you will enhance your decision-making in child welfare by employing objective evidence, identifying behavior patterns, considering family perspectives and utilizing collateral information. This course will explore techniques for integrating new information effectively and recognizing biases, such as confirmation bias, to enhance decision-making abilities.
1-4 p.m. Aug. 4
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LGBTQIA+ Youth: Guiding the Work for Licensing Staff
In this course, licensing staff will learn to center the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ youth in conversations with licensed providers, both in childcare and out-of-home care systems. You will have the opportunity to look at your own assumptions, biases, and reactions related to LGBTQIA+ youth, as an opportunity to build your confidence in guiding providers through similar processes to prepare them to better serve these youth.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 26
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Permanency for Every Child
The focus of this course is on the role of the CFWS caseworker in achieving permanency for children taking into consideration how safety threats, risk factor and protective factors apply to achieving timely permanency.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 27 and 28
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Strategies for Interrupting Oppression
This course reminds you how to critically examine race and racism, how implicit bias can negatively impact an organizations culture and efficacy, and how to effectively employ strategies to interrupt them. It also helps you learn how to employ Courageous Conversations to better address and mitigate racial bias.
1-4 p.m. Aug. 13
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Supporting LGBTQ+ Children, Youth and Families
This course will focus on providing information and engaging in conversation about LGBTQ+ children, youth and families. You will learn about identifying and addressing systemic institutional and personal biases when serving LGBTQ+ children, youth and families. Activities and self-reflection exercises will prepare you to return to your work and create a welcoming, safe and affirming space. Included in this training is updated terminology, resources, and current data/statistics.
9 a.m.-12 p.m. Aug. 12
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This class will provide opportunities for participants to utilize the various supervisory case review tools as well as reflective supervision to promote permanency, critical thinking and reflection when supervising staff. Ideally this session will be delivered to a combined group of CFWS and Adoption Supervisors to strengthen the connectedness between units and eliminate potential barriers to permanency. It is intended that this session and the materials presented will promote active participation and discussion in the context of real cases.
9 a.m.-12 p.m. Aug. 21
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