Child Welfare Training System

Leadership in child welfare takes many forms and can be both a challenging and exciting prospect—so it’s natural that new leaders might wonder where to start. In the New Supervisor Academy: Foundations in Leadership, emerging leaders will explore both the adaptive and technical elements of leading in child welfare, leaving with a solid understanding of both the “why” and “what” of leadership, as well as the “how.”

The series opens with an orientation to set learners up for success, providing an opportunity to connect with peers, ask logistical questions, prepare for protected learning time, and design how learners want to be together during the six-week learning experience. From there, learners engage in a three-day workshop to explore leadership development on a personal level, cultivating a clear picture of their strengths as leaders and a vision for their future work. Drawing on best practices in leadership, learners consider how their personal perspectives impact their team, why leadership development is a personal, ongoing process, and how to shift their focus from casework to leadership. As Brené Brown says, “Who you are is how you lead,” and the workshop component of the academy invites learners to take a deep dive into who they are as leaders and what they are uniquely situated to offer.

Following the workshop, learners attend three weeks of short technical sessions, designed to support new leaders in tackling the “what” of leadership. These sessions combine independent work (exploring topics like data, policy and practice, and documentation) with facilitated discussions. Participants engage in dialogue, learn from peers, and practice concepts reviewed in the New Supervisor Manual.

While they engage in the technical sessions, learners also put their knowledge to work through an independent learning project (with facilitator support), choosing a project of relevance to their team or themselves. Learners have the benefit of regular pod meetings with peers to connect, collaborate, and challenge one another as they implement what they are learning in their own organization, culminating in a project presentation to their pod. The series concludes with a final session to celebrate learners’ hard work and completion of the academy.

This course is designed as a series comprising multiple components. Learners must complete all components in order to receive credit.

Training credit Hours: 55 hours

Week 1: Orientation

Week 2: 3-Day workshop, self-scheduled pod

Week 3: Three 90-minute technical sessions, self-scheduled pod

Week 4: Four 90-minute technical sessions, self-scheduled pod

Week 5: Three 90-minute technical sessions, self-scheduled pod

Week 6: One 90-minute pod presentation session (scheduled during orientation), closing session

Read and bookmark the Supervisor Manual prior to orientation.

Visit the CWTS learning management system to register.