The Acorn | January 2023

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month
Children and youth who may be disconnected from their family, including those in foster care, are often more vulnerable to trafficking. The Child Welfare Information Gateway has compiled an extensive list of resources that can be used by child welfare professionals to protect young people and educate your community. Additionally, DHS has published updated policy guidance and tools for child welfare staff, which includes comprehensive guidance on prevention, screening and identification, investigation, placement, and permanency: Minnesota’s Best Practice Response to Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children and Youth: A guide for county and tribal child welfare agencies.

Mandated Reporter Training for Youth Programs Launch Delayed
Our Curriculum and Development Team has been working on a new Mandated Reporter Training module with updates to reporting requirements for youth program staff. We had hoped to launch this module in late 2022, but usability testing uncovered navigation issues. The designers are working hard to make the necessary changes, and our hope is to launch in the next few months. Once we know more, we will let you know.

Request for Proposals for Child Welfare Coaching Curriculum
The Department of Human Services (DHS) is seeking proposals from qualified responders to develop and support the delivery of a coaching curriculum and training for child welfare supervisors in both county and tribal child welfare agencies. The last day to bid on this RFP is January 17, 2023.

Difficult Conversations in Child Welfare Training
Child Welfare Foundations Training is a crucial process in preparing new child protection and child welfare professionals for the situations they will encounter on the job. In order to be effective, this training includes conversations about sensitive topics, like race, bias, and the importance of being culturally responsive when working with families. Unfortunately, these topics can be triggering for some, causing defensiveness and leading to conflict. We have created an article called Difficult Conversations in Child Welfare Training for new employees to help prevent negative situations and prepare them for what to expect.

Pro Tip #2: How to Update Your Password
Now that the Training Portal has been in use for over a year, users will likely be contacted to update their password. The UMN guest account password expires one year from the date the account was created or reset. Check out our latest Pro Tip on this subject. An archive of all Pro Tips can be found here.

Signs of Safety Three Month Review (CWTA X207)

January 26 | 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Online

Collaborative Safety - Advanced Practice (CWTA X208)

January 31 - February 1 | 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Each Day | Online
Note location change from in-person to online

Structured Decision Making (CWTA X200)
February 2 | 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Online

Responsive Child Welfare Practice with LGBTQ Youth (CWTA X210)
February 27 | 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Online

Legal Practice Skills (CWTA X201)

March 14 | 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. | Southeast Regional Training Center

Self-Paced Online Training

Mandated Reporter Training (CWTA X101)
This 45-minute training is designed for child welfare professionals identified by law who must make a report if they have reason to believe that maltreatment of a child has occurred. The course you select will depend on your job title and responsibilities.

National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative (NTI) CW Supervisors (CWTA X401)
NTI for Child Welfare Supervisors is a 25-hour, web-based training that focuses on case work practices and professional skills for staff across the child welfare continuum to promote child well-being, permanency, and family stability for children living with foster, adoptive, or guardianship families. Child Welfare Supervisors will receive a “Supervisor Coaching and Activity Guide” to support staff in applying learning to daily practice.

Coming Soon

Human Trafficking and Sexually Exploited Youth: Basic Training for Child Welfare (CWTA X205) | Online

April 18
April 24

New Worker Training

Child Welfare Foundations Training (CWTA X100)

Foundations training is only for new county and tribal workers who are involved in child protection, and is assigned by a supervisor or tribal leader through the Training Portal. Participants must be able to attend all dates/times. Remind your employees that they still need to enroll in a course even after you assigned it to them. Learn more here. A checklist of all new worker requirements can be found here.

NTI Modules: The NTI self-paced online training, which previously was built into each Foundations cohort, is now a separate course. Supervisors can assign this to new workers, or have new staff register on their own, as it is still a requirement for completing Foundations. Look for the National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative (NTI) CW Professionals (CWTA X401) course in the Training Catalog.

Cohort 104 | Twin Cities Metro Learning Center

Classroom 1: January 31-February 2 (9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Each Day)
TTCP ICWA/MIFPA Training: February 15-16 (9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Each Day)
Classroom 2: March 7-9 (9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Each Day)
SSIS Classroom 2 Lab: March 21 (9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Online)
Classroom 3: March 28-30 (9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Each Day)
SSIS Classroom 3 Lab: April 4 (9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Online)
Classroom 4: April 18-20 (9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Each Day)

Cohort 105 | Southwest Regional Learning Center

Classroom 1: March 14-16 (9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Each Day)
TTCP ICWA/MIFPA Training: March 28-29 (9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Each Day)
Classroom 2: April 11-13 (9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Each Day)
SSIS Classroom 2 Lab: April 18 (9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Online)
Classroom 3: May 2-4 (9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Each Day)
SSIS Classroom 3 Lab: May 9 (9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Online)
Classroom 4: May 16-18 (9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Each Day)

Coming Soon

Cohort 106 | April - June | Twin Cities Metro Learning Center

Cohort 107 | April - July | Southeast Learning Center

Cohort 108 | May - July | Northwest Learning Center

Cohort 109 | June - August | Northeast Learning Center

Accommodation Requests
If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in a training, contact us as soon as possible at info@mnchildwelfaretraining.com.

Attendance
Trainees who miss more than 30 minutes of any given training will not receive CEUs; for required training, you will need to repeat the entire course.

Need to Cancel Your Registration?
Our class sizes tend to be small and we often have a waiting list. Follow the instructions here if you need to drop a course.

ICWA/MIFPA Ongoing Worker Training
This training is brought to you by the University of Minnesota Duluth Tribal Training and Certification Partnership (TTCP). This is an introductory course to the basics of the history of ICWA and application of ICWA and MIFPA. Course registration is located in the MNCWTA Course Catalog. ICWA/MIFPA Ongoing Worker Training (CWTA X212)

January 19-20 | 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Each Day | Online
February 8-9 | 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Each Day | Online

Permanency Regional Training
The DHS Permanency Support Unit staff will hold permanency trainings at the Regional Learning Centers across Minnesota. Each training will be in person; space will be limited to the room size at each location. These offerings are designed for county and tribal child welfare and/or child protection workers. Below are the dates:

February 8: Twin Cities Metro Learning Center in Roseville
March 8: Southeast Learning Center in Owatonna
April 12: Northwest Learning Center in Detroit Lakes (WAITLIST)
May 10: Southwest Learning Center in Marshall
June 28: Duluth Government Services Center

Each training is from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Learn more about these trainings and how to register here.

SSIS Coffee Talk
SSIS users are invited to join the DHS SSIS Business Operations Section for an open discussion on Tuesday, January 17 at 9:00 a.m. This session does not have a specific SSIS topic but will provide the opportunity for agency staff to ask questions, provide feedback, and share agency processes with each other. Registration is required and will close one hour prior to the event. Submit questions in advance to Heide Moris at heide.moris@state.mn.us.

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Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy (MNCWTA), 1711 County Road B West, Suite 200N, Roseville, MN 55113, United States

The Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy (MNCWTA) is a collaboration between the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) Child Safety and Permanency Division and the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.