Social Work

The Partnership brings together many elements of social work: education, practice and evaluation. The Alliance works with all the partners to determine how to meet the needs of social workers through a wide catalog of courses that includes foundational core training, skill enhancement opportunities and mandatory or policy-related learnings.

Types of Courses

Regional Core Training

RCT is Washington State’s foundational training designed to prepare newly hired social service specialists with the basic knowledge, skills, and understanding to begin their careers in public child welfare for the State of Washington, Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).

Supervisor Core Training

SCT provides the foundation for effective supervisory practice in the child welfare system. This program will prepare you to become comfortable in assuming your new role through learnings about what it means to be a supervisor in the child welfare system and understanding the new responsibilities of this position.

DCYF marks certain courses as mandatory per certain policies, Revised Codes of Washington, Washington Administrative Codes or other directives. Find out which apply to you here. (Visit our Leadership page for recommended leadership-level courses.)

The Alliance approach to training engages the learner in developing new skills and approaches. See some options for how to expand your skills around certain topics or situations.

Forensic interviewing is used in both child and vulnerable adult interviews. It is a structured approach to gathering information from a victim or witness for use in child and adult protection legal proceedings. 

Professionals who interact often with children are obligated to report concerns about abuse or neglect Learn more about the Alliance’s specialized, in-depth eLearning that will guide you through the process of identifying and documenting those concerns.

Learner Resources

How to enroll

If you are interested in attending a training, click here or on the Courses link at the top of the Home Page. From there you can search for the course or filter based on a variety of options. Click on the course and follow the instructions.

Continuing Education Credits

If you are interested in attending a training, click on the Courses link at the top of the Home Page. From there you can search for the course or filter based on a variety of options. Click on the course and follow the instructions.

The Alliance offers Continuing Education Units (CEUs, also known as continuing education credits) for classroom and webinar courses offered to the child welfare workforce who are licensed through the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) as a:

  • Licensed Advanced Social Worker, or
  • Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, or
  • Associate-Advanced and Independent Clinical Social Worker.

Alliance training CEUs count toward “agency sponsored” training where the social worker is employed. The number of “agency sponsored” credit hours is limited to 26 hours of the required 36 hours per reporting period (every two years). CEUs are limited to classroom and webinar courses at this time. The number of CEU hours is equal to the number of classroom hours.

The individual licensed social worker is responsible for tracking and reporting their CEUs to the DOH every two years.

For more information about the licensing and continuing education requirements, visit these resources: