Workforce Training Schedule_January 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
For social workers, difficult conversations are part of a broad landscape of interactions necessary to achieve the best outcomes for children, youth and families. This new training, “Advanced Guidelines for Difficult Conversations,” will give you the tools to feel prepared to manage these exchanges effectively and with respect.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 28
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Advanced Practice in Motivational Interviewing
Advanced Practice in Motivational Interviewing will further support you in achieving competence in the use of Motivational interviewing with families. During the Advanced offering you will have multiple opportunities for practice and skill development as well as the opportunity to begin the process of being coded to fidelity through the use of the Motivational Interviewing Competency Assessment (MICA) tool. Coding staff to fidelity of MI is an opportunity for caseworkers to become professionals in MI. Motivational Interviewing is eligible for federal reimbursement when used by case-carrying professionals who are coded to fidelity.
9 a.m.-12 p.m. Jan. 6, 7, 8 and 9
1-4 p.m. Jan. 13, 14, 15 and 16
Region 1/2 Training Hub, Spokane: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 21 and 22
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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.-3 p.m. Jan. 15
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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.
8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Jan. 14, 15, 16 and 17
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Foundations of Motivational Interviewing in Child Welfare
Foundations of Motivational Interviewing for Child Welfare Staff will introduce you to the Spirit of MI; provide the opportunity to begin developing core skills, including using OARS (Open Ended Questions, affirmations, reflections and summaries) responding to the way people talk about change; and understand how to work with resistance. You will get practice opportunities to increase your skill at strategically responding to sustain talk and change talk and helping families make Brief Action Plans.
Bellingham DCYF: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 14, 15 and 16
8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Jan. 27, 28, 29 and 30
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Identifying and Supporting Commercially Sexually Exploited Children for Workforce
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.
8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Jan. 7, 8 and 9
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Impacts of Parental Mental Health on Child Safety
Participants will be engaged to consider their own thoughts, beliefs, and biases about mental illness; understand basic definitions associated with parental mental illness and child safety; and identify family assessment strategies that can focus on the intersection between parental mental illness and child safety.
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Jan. 17
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Indian Child Welfare Policy Training
This course provides key information incorporating changes necessary to comply with Washington State Supreme Court decisions, In re Dependency of Z.J.G. and M.E.J.G. and In re Dependency of G.J.A. The policy training introduces content that sets the stage for applying the revisions to the Indian Child Welfare (ICW) Policies and Procedures throughout practice in Washington State.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 21
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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. Jan. 22
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Infant Safety: Assessing the Infant’s Environment
Assessment of every environment in which an infant lives and sleeps, as well as all individuals providing care, is critical to ensuring the safety of this vulnerable population. Emphasis will be placed on developmental needs, attachment, and the infant’s relationships.
9 a.m.-3 p.m. Jan. 29
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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).
1-3 p.m. Jan. 27 and 30
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Next Steps For Intake Staff In Their First Year
As DCYF intake workers who have finished the introductory eLearning trainings and worked at least six months on the job, you’re ready to take a deeper dive into the intake world by advancing your skills when working with Special Circumstance Intakes. In this course you’ll learn more about how to effectively document intakes that involve Substance Exposed Newborns, Domestic Violence (DV), Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) and Indian Child Welfare (ICW). You’ll also discuss intakes related to providers, critical incidents, and consider legal issues related to intakes.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 30 and 31
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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. Jan. 8 and 9
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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.
1-4 p.m. Jan. 14
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Tools for CFWA/Adoption Supervisors
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.
Region 5/6 Training Hub, Tumwater: 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Jan. 27
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This course applies lessons from trauma studies to child welfare practice for children, youth, and adults. Participants will discuss practice guidelines crucial to trauma-informed practice in any setting. Participants will learn to distinguish trauma from other adversities and suffering; describe the characteristics, dynamics and effects of trauma; and emphasize the ways in which chronic trauma and complex trauma compromise normal functioning.
1-4 p.m. Jan. 21 and 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Jan. 22
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Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) for DCYF
TBRI for DCYF Staff is a foundational level training for DCYF workforce. This introductory training will help you learn the basic approaches of the three TBRI Principles (Connecting, Empowering and Correcting) by engaging participants in group activities and discussions based on real-life scenarios.
9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Jan. 6
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Understanding Bias and Impacts on Engagement
Through a series of interventions and strategies, you will learn how to interrupt unconscious bias and address subtle acts of exclusion. You will develop behaviors that reflect Cultural Competence; engage in discussions about the negative effects of stereotypes, microaggressions, and bias on effective case work; and practice courageous conversations to develop appropriate responses to these issues.
9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 14
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Understanding Chronic and Complex Neglect
This course takes a deeper dive into the dynamics of chronic and complex child neglect. You will consider effective ways to engage and assess families where neglect is present and how to evaluate each child’s unique characteristics, including how each child’s needs are impacted by neglectful behaviors and conditions in the home. We will look at how the impacts of substance misuse, unaddressed mental health concerns, domestic violence and cognitive challenges may interrupt the parent/child relationship resulting in unmet child needs.
9 a.m.-12 p.m. Jan. 30
Register Here