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Vol. 27, No. 2
July 2024
Track Training Supports the Child Welfare Workforce
One of the ways the NC Division of Social Services (NC DSS) is supporting Goal 3 of NC's CFSP, to "develop and support a stable, competent, and professional workforce in child welfare," is the redesign of track trainings for child welfare staff.
The Track Training Redesign Project, which began in December 2022, is a new approach to ongoing training for the child welfare workforce. Through this project, NC DSS will roll out five track trainings:
- CPS Intake
- CPS Assessments
- CPS In-Home
- Permanency Planning
- Foster Home Licensing.
The track trainings will be implemented using an academy training model. An ongoing training needs assessment completed in February 2024 informed this process by identifying essential topics, skills, and behaviors as well as a structure that would best support the learning needs of child welfare staff. Through this assessment process, outdated existing standalone courses were eliminated, some courses were revised and rolled into the new track training, and new courses were developed to meet the needs of child welfare staff. Because the assessment also showed a need to add more skill practice to training, more opportunities for that have been built into the new track training model.
Track trainings are job-specific trainings staff take after they complete pre-service training. These trainings streamline many of the current, standalone 200-level courses into one track per discipline. The intent is to give child welfare staff all the information relevant to their job role in a more comprehensive and effective manner.
The model used for the track trainings is similar to that of the re-designed pre-service. The trainings consist of a combination of asynchronous online learnings, in-person classroom sessions and, in some cases, time back at the office between training weeks. Compared to the current 200-level courses,track trainings are longer, ranging from 5-8 days, and more comprehensive. They include more opportunities for transfer of learning with supervisor guidance and integrate content related to DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and access) and North Carolina's practice standards.
A lot of forethought has gone into the development of the new track training model. Crystalle Williams, Program Manager of the NC DSS Child Welfare Staff Development Team, has been instrumental in the redesign process. She is optimistic Goal 3 of the CFSP can be achieved by focusing more on practical application and less on the forms and compliance. Her hope is that thanks to track training, the child welfare workforce will be confident in their roles and better prepared to work with families. Mrs. Williams is also hopeful that the new track training will build the capacity of a more stable workforce where child welfare staff feel supported, experience less burnout, and remain in the child welfare workforce.
Timeline and Next Steps
The completion of the track training courses is set for fall 2024, with statewide rollout projected for early 2025. The goal for initial implementation is to hold each training track once a month and increase offerings as training capacity increases. Completion of the track training will be required within 6 months of completing pre-service.
Be on the lookout for an announcement from NC DSS when these courses launch. In the interim, existing 200-level required training for the areas of intake, assessments, in-home services, permanency planning, and licensing services will continue to be offered. To access these courses, please visit NCSWlearn.org.