The Acorn | April 2021

Welcome to The Acorn! Each month we share the latest trainings, data, and resources available to child welfare professionals throughout Minnesota. This April we are looking at the worker competencies involved with Advocacy, which involves recognizing individual or group needs, providing intervention on behalf of children and families, communicating to decision makers, and initiating actions to secure or enhance a needed service, resource or entitlement that children and families need to meet personal and administrative goals. Throughout this month watch for a new blog article on advocacy and social media postings with more information about these competencies.

Every month we look at specific competencies within the Framework for Competent Child Welfare Practice to explore what competency development really means to our work. If you have stories to share about your experiences in child welfare, or feedback about developing competencies in your work, let us know!

Registration
To register for any of the following courses, visit TrainLink and select Class Schedule. For full courses please add your name to the waiting list; this will help us determine if additional sections need to be scheduled.

Attendance
If you need to cancel, even if it seems last minute, please contact Myrna Klegin at mklegin@umn.edu. Our class sizes tend to be small and we often have a waiting list. 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.

Case Planning (CSP2103B)
April 16 | 9:00AM-4:00PM Each Day | Online
May 14 | 9:00AM-4:00PM Each Day | Online
June 18 | 9:00AM-4:00PM Each Day | Online
Participants will utilize strengths-based strategies in case planning with complex families in the child welfare system. Participants will complete goals and tasks for Child Protective Services and Out of Home Placement Plans.

Sexually Exploited Youth Overview (CSP239A)
April 19-20 | 9:00AM-12:30PM Each Day| Online
May 17-18 | 9:00AM-12:30PM Each Day| Online
June 22-23 | 9:00AM-12:30PM Each Day| Online
This course will provide an overview of human trafficking and sexually exploitation of children in Minnesota, including identifying risk factors, red flags and best practices for working with Sexually Exploited Youth. Participants will learn the Department of Human Services’ guidance on responding to Sexually Exploited Youth within Minnesota’s Child Welfare System in the context of legislative efforts including Public Law 114-22, Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, and Minnesota’s Safe Harbor Law and No Wrong Door Model.

Signs of Safety (CSP8301B)
April 20-22 | 9:00AM-1:00PM Each Day | Online
May 10-12 | 9:00AM-1:00PM Each Day | Online
This three-day workshop will cover the basic principles, skill, and tools of Sign of Safety (SofS). This will include, but not be limited to: A Signs of Safety overview and brief history; Appreciative Inquiry; The Questioning Approach; Harm and Danger Statements and Safety Goals; Three Houses, Safety House; Mapping; Safety Planning and Safety Networks.

Sexually Exploited Youth Human Trafficking Child Welfare Response (CSP239B)
April 22 | 9:00AM-12:30PM | Online
May 20 | 9:00AM-12:30PM | Online
June 25 | 9:00AM-12:30PM | Online
Participants will learn the Department of Human Services’ guidance on responding to Sexually Exploited Youth within Minnesota’s Child Welfare System in the context of legislative efforts including Public Law 114-22, Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, and Minnesota’s Safe Harbor Law and No Wrong Door Model.

Child Protection Practices with Families Experiencing or Exposed to Domestic Violence (CSP310C1)
April 30 | 9:00AM-4:00PM | Online
June 23 | 9:00AM-4:00PM | Online
This training will address crucial aspects of best practice in co-occurrence cases— both partnering with non-offending parents and engaging offenders in accountability and change. Training will include both historical/theoretical and practical/applied information, focusing on strengths-based practice. In particular, participants will utilize two key protocols and practice applying them in scenario-based exercises to help build skills to enhance field work.

Structured Decision Making (CSP204C)
May 12 | 9:00AM-4:00PM | Online
June 16 | 9:00AM-4:00PM | Online
This training will refresh the professional's knowledge and deepen the application of safety focused practice utilizing the SDM safety and risk assessments, and strengthen connection between the safety assessment and safety planning. Additional outcomes include understanding the "why" behind the SDM assessments, how to leverage the tool within consult teams, and connect engagement skills with assessments. Participants will be expected to bring applicable practice experiences.

Responsive Child Welfare Practice with LGBTQ Youth (CSP314)
June 8 | 9:00AM-4:00PM Each Day | Online
June 15 | 9:00AM-4:00PM Each Day | Online
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth and families live in all regions of the state and are often invisible to communities and institutions, including the child welfare system. Like all youth and families, LGBTQ youth and families have strengths and challenges, and are members of all racial and ethnic cultures, communities, and religious backgrounds. LGBTQ individuals have been subjected to historical discrimination and oppression, causing attendant challenges to their well-being. LGBTQ youth in out-of-home care are especially vulnerable to discrimination and stigma. This training is intended to increase the awareness, knowledge, skills and abilities of social workers and supervisors to work effectively with this unique population.

This training will model current language used to define sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression. LGBTQ youth are over-represented in child welfare systems and are particularly vulnerable. Through self-reflection, data, resource sharing, and interactive activities, participants will learn best practices in working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth.

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

The Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy (MNCWTA) would like to introduce Josh Geiger, our new curriculum developer.

Josh is originally from St. Paul and currently live on the West Side. He has worked as a trainer, adviser, and teacher. He is inquisitive by nature and really enjoys uncovering the connectedness of seemingly disconnected things. He brings an artistic lens to his work and is particularly driven to transform complex concepts into digestible and relatable chunks. Learn more...

Coffee with Tracy and Liz
In order to better connect with workers and supervisors in all Minnesota counties, our co-directors will be hosting informal monthly gatherings simply to chat, ask questions, get feedback, etc. The conversation can be whatever is on your mind. The next chat is Wednesday, April 28 at 9:30 a.m. If you are interested, email info@mnchildwelfaretraining.com.

New Worker Training Curriculum Update
Our co-directors would like to present an update on the findings from the New Worker Training Listening Sessions that were held in December 2020. These findings will be used by our curriculum developer team to build the revised model for new worker training.

The best way to thrive during these trying times is to find ways to take care of yourself. Following are several options that may be helpful:

The Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing at the University of Minnesota offers a number of monthly webinars on topics designed to help you take charge of your health and wellbeing. Webinars are free but registration is required.
This KQED article discusses the serious consequences of burnout on individuals' mental health, and offers ideas for how to deal with it.

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

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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.