Quarterly Report_Q4 FY2024
Program Updates
Indian Child Welfare Policy Training Launch
The new “Indian Child Welfare Policy” training rolled out across the state in April.
This course launch was the result of months of collaboration between Alliance curriculum developers, the Inclusive Practice team, and DCYF subject matter experts and stakeholders. An eLearning is required pre-learning to ensure learners understand the foundational concepts of the Indian Child Welfare Act.
“Indian Child Welfare Policy” 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 policies and procedures throughout practice in Washington State. Sessions address each identified chapter of ICW, and analyze concepts as they pertain to Tribal Sovereignty and child welfare practice.
Participants were invited to reflect on their experience in the training through open-ended questions regarding the most useful aspects of the training, what might improve the training, and what might improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the training experience. The majority of learners were engaged with the material, often referencing the benefit of clarified policies and definitions and the discussions around active efforts. Learners appreciated the strengths and passion of the facilitators in keeping participants engaged with the material.
Learners indicate a desire for enhanced visual materials such as flowcharts or handouts, as well as more active learning and practice time. The Alliance was responsive to feedback provided by the Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) during the rollout and made changes to content and visuals as needed. Thus, some of the suggestions for improvement provided by learners in the surveys may have been addressed in later sessions of the training.
"I've had other exposure to training on policies. I think what set this one apart was the repetitive connection back to the goal of the policies. It wasn't just "you can/can't do xyz"; we discussed the goal of the policy being to preserve the Indian tribes and how each policy was important to that goal. That deeper understanding makes it easier to apply the policies to the wide variety of situations we encounter in our work."
"I really enjoyed this training. [Facilitators] had an approach that made learning fun, and during that, they were able to find ways to help us apply newly presented knowledge to real life cases to better our practices. I think we need more of the message that strength in families exist, because it often seems bleak and hopeless out here on the line. A true thank you to these two facilitators for bringing us their knowledge - I look forward to the next one!"
By the Numbers
Program Managers Conference
The Alliance hosted this year’s Program Managers Conference on May 21 and 22 at Centennial Davenport in Spokane. You can view the agenda here.
- General session topics brought forward innovative ways to address planning committee input.
- National changemaker and advocate Sixto Cancel, founder of Think of Us, opened the second day with a moving personal story tied into a look at the role of data in positive outcomes.
- Attendees were given the opportunity to break down silos with “Silo Demo,” a session where they broke into small groups and led through conversation prompts with seven individuals they had not worked with. The goal was a look at work happening across DCYF and building new relationships.
- Stevey Seymour closed out the event with the sharing of her personal journey of system involvement as an Indigenous woman.
- Breakout content included a look at navigating gender-affirming care; a panel of four caregivers representing foster and kin experiences; change management; and developing a contract scope of work.
- Attendees found the most value in sessions on change management, LGBTQIA+ related topics, and personal stories. Many attendees mentioned appreciating the opportunities to network and build relationships throughout the conference.
"I appreciated the solution'-first approach and how can 'technology help' us. In my opinion it felt like the presentation was curated for this specific audience and I appreciate the intentionality."
"Loved the presenter and her message. Having presenters with lived experience and differing perspectives is so helpful and this is timely with the new ICWA policy roll out."
By the Numbers
Administrative Professional Core Training
During Q4, the Alliance met with DCYF Administrative Professional staff from across the agency to discuss the possibility of an Administrative Professionals Core Training. The goal of the course would be to support existing and new administrative professionals as they begin their employment with DCYF across all divisions.
In addition to the meetings, a survey was sent to all Administrative Professionals across DCYF. Eighty-four individuals provided input into the possible training. As this is a new learner audience with multiple interfacing agencies involved, The Alliance will be presenting a proposal to DCYF leadership in the coming months to determine the plan moving forward into FY 2025.
Caregiver support
This quarter, CaRES rolled out a new Special Events Series for 2024 focused on several key areas. These events are among the most well-attended offerings of the program. Caregivers express appreciation for the opportunity to try something new or engage with caregivers who have had similar experiences.
Special events include in-person community events in partnership with other organizations, digital community events, and drop-in discussion groups.
During the fourth quarter, we were thrilled to partner with organizations across the state for special events such as Treehouse, OSPI, Cloth + Foster, Compelled to Care, Little Hands Creations, and our many guest presenters from DCYF and local organizations.
"It was good to hear a variety of caregivers’ experiences and to know we have support as a community as we move forward."
By the Numbers
Course Launches
Click each title for a description of courses launched this quarter.
Advanced Practice in Motivational Interviewing further support learners in achieving competence in the use of Motivational interviewing with families. During the Advanced offering they 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.
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.
In this eLearning, you will gain a better understanding of LGBTQIA+ culture, history and civil rights to become more culturally respectful and supportive of youth and individuals in this community. By using inclusive vocabulary, current definitions of laws and policies, and examining the social attitudes around LGBTQIA+ lives, you will learn how to affirm and support the lived experiences of youth in the community and empower them to thrive.
CaRES’ newest two-part book club covers Robyn Gobbel’s book “Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors.”
Big Baffling Behaviors Book Club, Introduction: This two-week book club is an introduction to the concepts in the book. The weekly discussions are focused on section one. Throughout the guided conversations, learners have the chance to consider how the neuroscience of behavior can help better understand a child’s actions and needs.
Big Baffling Behaviors Book Club, Continuation: This four-week book club is an extension of the Topic Support Group: Big Baffling Behaviors Book Club, Introduction. The weekly discussions will cover sections 2 and 3. Throughout the guided discussions, learners have the chance to consider how the concept of the Owl, Watchdog, and Possum brains impact a child’s behaviors, develop parenting strategies, and build their self-regulation toolkit.
Training Summary
* A unique learner is each individual learner who has taken any class this quarter, whereas the total number of learners will count a learner each time for each course they complete. The number of unique learners includes eLearning learners.
Foundational/Core Training data for Q4 FY2024 was not available.