Family-Centered Child Welfare is the first of four parts of the competency-based Core curriculum for new child welfare caseworkers. This module addresses the knowledge and skills required for caseworkers to provide services related to family preservation and protection of abused, neglected, and sexually abused children.

New caseworkers and new supervisors.

Computer Based Training; Trails Child Welfare 2-Day Navigation or Trails Child Welfare 1-Day Navigation (more information on these trainings can be found at www.cocwtraining.com).

• Understand the impact of individual culture and values on child welfare practice.
• Understand the fundamental concepts of culture; understand how one's own culture affects one's perceptions, behavior, and values; and know how cultural differences can affect the delivery of child welfare services.
• Understand the philosophical and legal bases of child welfare practice.
• Know the values of family-centered child welfare practice, including family preservation, permanence for children, preservation of parents and children's rights, client self-determination, reasonable efforts, and respect for individual and cultural differences.
• Understand the dual roles of the child welfare caseworker to protect children from maltreatment and provide services that preserve and empower families.
• Accurately identify physical, emotional, and behavioral indicators of abuse and neglect in child victims and their families.
• Know the State's legal definitions of physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, exploitation, and dependency.
• Accurately identify physical, emotional, and behavioral indicators of sexual abuse in child victims and their families.
• Be able to identify individual, family, developmental, situational, and environmental factors that contribute to sexual abuse.
• Be able to identify parent, child, family, developmental, situational, and environmental factors that contribute to physical abuse and neglect, and be able to evaluate these factors.
• Be able to apply knowledge of indicators and family dynamics in case examples.
• Be able to understand the power and influence of the media in cultural stereotypes and the impact of these on child welfare assessment.
• Be able to define safety and risk.
• Be able to effectively complete the Safety and Risk Instruments.
• Be able to identify the factors that must be evaluated when assessing the level of risk for an abused or neglected child in the family, and family strengths and safety factors that can mitigate and reduce risk in the investigation and initial assessment.
• Know the responsibilities of the child protection agency and caseworker, including investigating reports of maltreatment, providing in-home services, temporary out-of-home care placements, and permanent homes for children.
• Know the philosophy, values, and characteristics of family-centered child welfare; and understand how effective in-home family services can prevent the removal of children from their homes.