New Caseworkers Curriculum
UMCWTA developed and implemented a 128-hour training curriculum for new caseworkers. Themes of the curriculum include:
- prepare appropriate services timely
- ensure safety and risk management
- preserve connections and relationships
- provide individualized and timely case planning
At the end of each of the four weeks of classroom training, a competency test is administered based on the trainee’s knowledge and skills which requires a 70% or above. At the end of each week, prior to taking his/her test, the trainees conduct an evaluation of each trainer and his/her performance during the week. Each trainer is a graduate level, licensed social worker with extensive experience in child welfare.
Supervision Curriculum
UMCWTA also developed and implemented a 40-hour training curriculum directed specifically at the supervision of child welfare caseworkers. Qualified trainees are required to attend the supervisory training prior to assuming any supervisory responsibilities. The week long training is followed by a 6-month mentoring program in which an experienced mentor is assigned to meet with the supervisor once a week for 24 weeks.
The curriculum includes:
- assess worker skills
- promote abilities and engagement
- educate, direct, motivate, and facilitate growth of the worker
- review the risk and safety of workers
- review comprehensive child and family assessments completed by the worker
- determine the appropriateness of a case plan and casework decision-making
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- CWTA Faculty & Staff
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- 12 trainees from the Mississippi Department of Human Services, Division of Family and Children’s Services, participated in a 40 hour session of Clinical Supervisory Training held by the Child Welfare Training Academy (CWTA) on October 19-23, 2015 in Canton, Mississippi. CWTA trainers, Minnie Hoey and Christina Shumpert (not pictured), conducted the session. As a part of the session, trainees were able to select a hat and were asked to state how their chosen hat related to child welfare supervision. Throughout the week, they learned about the “many hats” of supervision and how to be an effective supervisor.
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