Target Population: Local District Social Services (LDSS) and voluntary agency child welfare and child protective services staff, including administrators, caseworkers, supervisors, directors of services; OCFS Child Welfare Home Office and Regional Office staff; other identified stakeholders, to include LDSS contract agencies providing child welfare services.

Purpose: This training provides the foundation for all child welfare professionals, regardless of specific job function (child protective services, preventive, foster care, etc.).

Training Type: Classroom, Web-Based Training

Description: YRI will use the OCFS approved curricula for this program. CWFP is a multi-part, multi-modality training. This competency-based course is intended for new child welfare professionals. It has been designed around the ten (10) domains of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services Practice Model. The ten (10) domains are: Critical Thinking; Cultural Competence; Strengths-based Family Engagement; Assessment; Interviewing; Self-Management; Intervention; Collaboration; and, Service Planning (note that the Service Planning component will include two days of CONNECTIONS training). Also included will be the one day virtual Safe and Together Overview training. This training will be conducted by another vendor. The program supports training participants in building competency and achieving performance outcomes in all these areas. This program lays the foundation for all child welfare workers, regardless of their function, and supports them in taking their next step into training related to their specific job function.

OCFS will specify the learning activities in each domain which will consist of one or more modalities (classroom instruction, WBT, skill clinic), and all domains include an on-the-job learning (OJL) component.

The OJL activities are a required part of the program. OJLs consist of casework-related tasks that help workers take what they have learned and apply it on the job. In domains that include classroom instruction, the OJL activities should be completed after classroom participation. Trainees will be required to attest to the completion of OJL activities in HSLC in order to receive credit for fully attending CWFP.

Skill clinics provide each trainee with individual practice sessions in which their skills are self-assessed and evaluated by a trainer.

Target Population: Local District Social Services (LDSS) and voluntary agency child welfare and child protective services staff, including administrators, caseworkers, supervisors, directors of services; OCFS Child Welfare Home Office and Regional Office staff; other identified stakeholders, to include LDSS contract agencies providing child welfare services.

Purpose: Assist with staff training for emerging needs impacting the child welfare field.

Training Type: Training Classroom / Virtual Classroom

Description:  Provide training as identified through OCFS BTD requests. These trainings will be delivered regionally, on-site, or on a virtual platform as directed by OCFS BTD. The number of training days will depend on the training topic.

Target Population: Child Welfare supervisors and direct service professionals in New York State who are required to complete OCFS training.

Purpose:  To provide new child welfare supervisors with the training and support necessary to make a successful transition from worker to supervisor.

Training Type: Classroom

Description: KEYS Core training focuses on the development of leadership and supervisory effectiveness skills. The KEYS Core curriculum focuses on the needs of new supervisors and the competencies they need most within the first six months of assuming a supervisory position. KEYS Core Training includes: Transitioning from Worker to Supervisor, The Process of Supervision, and Case Consultation. In addition to the classroom training, there is a pre-class web-based training (WBT) component that introduces the concept of a working agreement to participants. Another integral part of the training is a mid-class group coaching component that is conducted using a virtual platform.

The KEYS Core trainers must have training experience in child welfare/CPS supervision or comparable experience as approved by OCFS BTD

Purpose: To provide in-person skill practice opportunities for trainees who attended CWFP on the virtual platform and will not be continuing on to the Child Protective Services Response Training (CPSRT).

Training Type: Classroom

Description: This activity is intended to support voluntary agency and LDSS participants’ learning by presenting them with a series of realistic family scenarios that will enable them to integrate their newly acquired foundational skills while using the simulation space at the Human Services Training Center. Evaluations will be conducted by their peers and by trainers to support participants’ skill building and prepare for transfer of learning to the field. This in person training will be provided to participants who will not be attending the CPSRT training.

Target Population: Foster and adoptive parents; Local Departments of Social Services (LDSS) and OCFS voluntary authorized agency child welfare caseworkers, supervisors, home finders, trainers, and agency administrators.

For the Supporting Quality Family Time course, the eligible target population includes the above as well as all child welfare staff who have a role in supporting family visitation such as, but not limited to: family visitation facilitators, child welfare case aides, caseworker assistants and caseworker trainees.

Purpose: Upon successful completion of training, participants from LDSSs or OCFS voluntary authorized agencies will be able to locally facilitate the pre-certification process for prospective foster/adoptive parents.

Training Type: Classroom

Description: ¨  Through the use of the NTDC curricula, this training supports the preparation of local district and OCFS voluntary authorized agencies child welfare staff to become qualified to provide local training and activities to prospective foster/adoptive families.  This training provides the knowledge and skills to locally deliver the training to their prospective foster/adoptive parents. The program includes the selection, development, preparation, and certification of prospective foster/adoptive parents.

Target Population: Foster and adoptive parents, foster care and adoption caseworkers, supervisors, home finders, trainers and agency administrators in local districts and voluntary and provider agencies

Purpose: Assists with staff training for emerging needs with specially designed training to meet those needs.

Training Type: Classroom or Virtual Classroom

Description: ¨  Provide training as identified through requests to OCFS BTD based on emerging training needs of local/regional foster/adoptive parents and/or local district/agency trainers, home finders and related staff. Trainings can range from half (½) day to two (2) days in length.

Some special topics days can support group coaching of home finders and related staff who train at regular intervals. This includes coaching on practice issues, sharing successful strategies to deal with foster/adoptive parent issues, practicing trainer techniques and resources. Special topics may also include vendor staff co-training with OCFS BTD staff to assist in the facilitation and roll out of a foundational level foster care course.

Target Population: Foster and adoptive parents; Local Departments of Social Services (LDSS) and OCFS voluntary authorized agency child welfare caseworkers, supervisors, home finders, trainers, and agency administrators. As well as the above, it includes all child welfare staff who have a role in supporting family visitation such as, but not limited to: family visitation facilitators, child welfare case aides, caseworker assistants and caseworker trainees.

Purpose:  This training is designed to equip child welfare professionals with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to facilitate safe, supportive, and developmentally beneficial family visits for children in foster care.

Type:  Training: Classroom

 Description: This two (2) day course redefines visitation as quality family visitation, emphasizing trauma-informed, strength-based approaches to ensure safe, engaging, and developmentally appropriate interactions between parents and children. Designed for child welfare professionals, family visitation facilitators, and agency child welfare staff, this training provides the skills, tools, and best practices needed to implement effective, supportive family visitation programs. Participants will learn how to facilitate visits that encourage caregiver-child connection, provide coaching to support parental growth, and document progress effectively while keeping child safety at the center.

Purpose: To develop dedicated Kinship Champions within the local districts and OCFS voluntary authorized agencies who will in turn search for, engage, notify, and assess potential kin caregivers and provide support to those families and act as an expert resource for colleagues. Instilling a Kin First philosophy within their districts and/or agencies and, in doing so improving outcomes for the children, families and communities served. 

Type:  Distance Learning: Virtual Classroom

Description:  Kinship Champions, which is a two (2) day training, will be delivered once each quarter of the year. This training will be conducted on a virtual platform.

Target Population: Foster and adoptive parents, foster care and adoption caseworkers, supervisors, home finders, trainers and agency administrators in local districts and voluntary and provider agencies

Purpose: To make training more convenient and accessible for foster/adoptive parents statewide through a distance learning format. This training helps reduce the rate of placement disruptions within a foster family; and distance learning has proven to be a successful method to reach foster/adoptive parents with relevant information on a variety of topics.

Training Type: Distance Learning: Virtual Classroom

Description: YRI will deliver Introduction to Developmental Disabilities training.  This five-part series will be delivered on a virtual platform once in the first two quarters of the year and once in the last two quarters of the year. There will be both am and pm offerings of each of the five parts.  It is intended for foster/adoptive parents who are raising children with developmental disabilities.  

Target Population: Local Departments of Social Services (LDSS) child welfare staff who have CPS roles, including administrators, caseworkers, supervisors; OCFS Child Welfare staff and OCFS or LDSS contracted child welfare service provider staff involved in FAR, excluding administrative support or clerical staf

Purpose: Develop the knowledge and skills needed to conduct accurate investigations and assessments and to use both the casework practice skills and legal processes to promote child safety, well-being, and permanency.

Training Type: Classroom, Virtual Classroom

Description: Provide specialized training to CPS caseworkers or supervisors who have successfully completed Child Welfare Foundations Program. CPSRT builds the skills and knowledge base of CPS workers to enable them to conduct thorough investigations on reports of alleged abuse and maltreatment. This allows workers to accurately assess safety and risk, to promote safety and reduce risk and support child well-being and permanency.

An integral part of this training program is on-line pre- and mid-classroom modules through a virtual platform. These components are mandatory for course completion and build on the skills learned in the classroom.

One (1) day of this training is facilitated by an attorney trainer and two (2) attorney trainers facilitate a half-day mock fact-finding hearing. The attorney trainers will be provided by another vendor.

Target Population: Local Departments of Social Services (LDSS) child welfare staff who have CPS roles, including administrators, caseworkers, supervisors; OCFS Child Welfare staff and OCFS or LDSS contracted child welfare service provider staff involved in FAR, excluding administrative support or clerical staff.

Purpose: To prepare CPS workers for Child Protective Services Response training.

Training Type: Classroom, Virtual Platform

Description: This training will include content on risk and the Risk Assessment Profile (RAP) as well as foundational legal content necessary to attend Child Protective Services Response training (CPSRT). This activity includes two (2) attorney trainers for one (1) day. The attorney trainers will be provided by another vendor.

Target Population: Local Departments of Social Services (LDSS) child welfare staff who have CPS roles, including administrators, caseworkers, supervisors; OCFS Child Welfare staff and OCFS or LDSS contracted child welfare service provider staff involved in FAR, excluding administrative support or clerical staff.

Purpose: Skill development to administer the work of a CPS unit, provide support to CPS caseworkers and to develop the knowledge and skills of CPS casework staff so that they can conduct effective and efficient assessments and investigations in accordance with the NYS Child Welfare Practice Model.

Training Type: Classroom

Description: Provide training for supervisors who have successfully completed CPSRT and KEYS Core. This training will build supervisors’ ability to coach, support, and monitor child protective services caseworkers through the CPS investigative process, including information gathering, safety, and risk and needs assessments, determination decisions, and family court involvement.

This course fulfills the NYS mandate, required by Chapter 525 of the Laws of 2006 that all CPS supervisors participate in a CPS specific supervisory training course. This course is part of a CPS series of prescribed and mandated trainings including Child Welfare Foundations Program, CPSRT, KEYS and Supervising CPS.

One (1) day of this training is facilitated by one attorney trainer. The attorney trainer will be provided by another vendor.

Target Population: Local district social services (LDSS) CPS and child welfare caseworkers, supervisors and administrators and provider agency FAR staff as well as OCFS CWCS staff involved in FAR.

Purpose: Provide child welfare LDSS staff with training to meet needs.

Training Type: Classroom

Description: Provide training as identified through OCFS BTD request. This will include, but is not limited to, training on the New York State Universal Assessment Tool. These trainings will be delivered regionally, on-site, or on a virtual platform as directed by OCFS BTD. The number of training days will depend on the training topic

Target Population: Local district social services (LDSS) CPS and child welfare caseworkers, supervisors and administrators and provider agency FAR staff as well as OCFS CWCS staff involved in FAR.

Purpose: Provide and increase the knowledge and skill of caseworkers, supervisors, administrators and other key individuals to provide an effective Family Assessment Response to families reported to the NY Statewide Central Register of Abuse and Maltreatment.

Training Type: Classroom

Description: Deliver training that will include, but not be limited to: FAR Process and Practice, Solution-Focused FAR Practice, Assessing Safety and Risk in FAR, Supervising to a Practice Shift in FAR, and Increasing the Voice of Children and Youth.

The Increasing the Voice of Children and Youth will be a standalone course; it will not necessarily be delivered sequentially with the other FAR courses.

These trainings will be delivered based on local district needs due to expansion of program or staff turnover; provided to new districts to begin implementation or for other reasons as decided in consultation with OCFS BTD. To support the future growth of FAR in NYS, YRI staff who train FAR will be included in an OCFS created Trainer Collaborative. All staff are expected to attend and participate in quarterly Trainer Collaborative meetings when able to do so.

Target Population: Local district social services (LDSS) CPS and child welfare caseworkers, supervisors and administrators and provider agency FAR staff as well as OCFS CWCS staff involved in FAR.

Purpose: To increase the availability of in-service training to assist child protective services caseworkers and supervisors to meet their annual training requirement, including specific practice topics identified in Chapter 525 of the Laws of 2006 and the OCFS and LDSS ongoing practice improvement plans.

Training Type: Classroom

Description: YRI will work with OCFS Regional Office and local district social services staff to assess the needs of the CPS workforce and provide a minimum of 25 days of professional in-service training through qualified experts on specific CPS casework and supervisory practice topics.

Target Population: Local district social services (LDSS) CPS and child welfare caseworkers, supervisors and administrators and provider agency FAR staff as well as OCFS CWCS staff involved in FAR.

Purpose: To provide skill demonstration opportunities for trainees who received CWFP/CPSRT training only via a virtual platform.

Training Type: Classroom

Description: This activity will provide participants who attended CWFP/CPSRT via a virtual platform with opportunities for skill demonstration and feedback from their immersive experience using the simulation space at the Human Services Training Center.

Target Population: All OCFS Staff, Local Departments of Social Services (LDSS) child welfare and adult protective services staff, representatives from family court, OCFS or LDSS child welfare contracted services provider staff, not including administrative support or clerical staff; stakeholders affiliated with Native American Services; non-traditional child welfare stakeholders and Non-Federal Funding participants.    

Non-traditional child welfare stakeholders may include, but are not limited to, county probation officers, county mental health staff and county youth bureau staff. 

Non-Federal Funding Participants may include staff from other state agencies including, but not limited to the Office of Court Administration and Office of Addiction Services and Supports.  

Purpose: Participants will learn and be able to apply Motivational Interviewing techniques and skills within their work. 

Type: Classroom Training 

Description: YRI will provide training and consultation to support LDSS, OCFS or LDSS contracted services provider staff, OCFS staff and OCFS identified stakeholders in the use of Motivational Interviewing techniques in their work. This activity may also include consultation on skill development and application.  

Motivational Interviewing for Supervisors Training will be delivered regionally, with the goal of deliveries occurring twice in each region. Dates and locations will be based on need and in discussion with OCFS BTD. Locations should be centrally located in the Regions to enable participants to attend training as a commuter. 

YRI is expected to survey local districts/contracted agencies/OCFS Divisions/Bureaus and others to determine where the need for these trainings are and schedule accordingly. YRI will deliver these trainings on site at the request of districts/agencies/OCFS when approved by OCFS BTD. If these courses are to be delivered in the Albany region, and local district/agency space is not available, the training will be held at the OCFS Human Services Training Center.

Target Population: All OCFS Staff, Local Departments of Social Services (LDSS) child welfare and adult protective services staff, representatives from family court, OCFS or LDSS child welfare contracted services provider staff, not including administrative support or clerical staff; stakeholders affiliated with Native American Services; non-traditional child welfare stakeholders and Non-Federal Funding participants.

Non-traditional child welfare stakeholders may include, but are not limited to, county probation officers, county mental health staff and county youth bureau staff. 

Non-Federal Funding Participants may include staff from other state agencies including, but not limited to the Office of Court Administration and Office of Addiction Services and Supports.  

Purpose: Participants will increase awareness and understanding of trauma informed and equity-focused organizational practices.  

Type: Virtual Classroom/Classroom Training 

Description: To increase awareness and understanding of trauma informed and equity-focused organizational practices. Participants will learn key vocabulary; explore the impact of stress and trauma on brains, bodies, and behaviors; understand the intersection of trauma and oppression; and recognize signs of trauma and its impact on individuals involved with organizations and systems, including the workforce. 

This training will also cover Trauma Responsive Resilience Oriented Skills & Practices to help participants move from awareness and understanding to responsiveness, equipping participants with practical approaches to apply their knowledge of trauma and its impact into daily work. Opportunities to transform and strengthen trauma-responsive practices will be identified, including evaluation of policies and procedures, physical environments, and culture of inclusiveness, designed to promote resilience and equity. Additionally, the training will focus on addressing the impact of the work on staff, learning strategies to promote professional resilience, and incorporating a focus on equity in approaching employee well-being 

To facilitate this course, the two (2) Trainers and one (1) Training Supervisor assigned to this activity are required to be certified.

This training will be delivered virtually. It is anticipated that 50% of the trainings will be held regionally/onsite. If these courses are delivered in the Albany region, and local district space is not available, the training will be held at the OCFS Human Services Training Center. The primary target population for this activity is LDSS child welfare staff. Site locations, schedule of delivery, and inclusion of other staff to the trainings will be determined in consultation with OCFS BTD. 

Purpose:  Provide Instructional Design and Development support to the Office of Children and Family Services. These services will design and develop training materials in support of all OCFS program areas. 

Type:  Other Activities – 100% Training 

Description: Support to the OCFS Bureau of Training and Development Instructional Design and Development Unit (IDD) in designing instructionally sound learning solutions using industry standard methods. This will include research into best practices, writing learning objectives, performance outcomes, skill assessments and evaluations.  Materials to be developed may include, but is not limited to, trainer guides, participant workbooks, PowerPoint presentations and posters.  The staff will work with existing IDD staff on identifying innovative and effective learning solutions for all OCFS audiences.