Eje 1. Protocolo tecnológico

Policy

Caseworker Training

As of 2006, ORC § 5153.122 increased new caseworkers mandated training to 102 hours of training during the first year of employment. Previously 90 hours of training during the first year of employment was required. In addition, workers are also required to receive 12 hours of domestic violence training within two years of hire.

Supervisor Training

New supervisors/managers are required to complete 72 hours of Core training within the first 18 months of beginning work (OAC 5101:2-33-56).

Practice

Caseworker Training

Each county child welfare supervisor handles the rate of assignment and tasks associated in the management of intake and/or ongoing cases. Child welfare supervisors serves an integral role in how and when cases are given to new staff. This may include co-mentoring or working closely with another peer or more seasoned employee. However, this is based upon the structure, design, caseload service needs, and managerial input of the local leadership team. Some Ohio counties have an internal orientation or training program, which varies from six to sixteen weeks, to orientate and prepare new staff for the challenges of child welfare. During this time, staff may complete a portion of core training before being assigned to a permanent work team in designated areas and may experience exposure to other key stakeholders in their communities. Ohio does not have a statewide policy or rule on the standardization of what training must be completed before a caseworker would assume responsibility for a caseload.

Training methods may vary across the eight regional sites, but the common theme for a training unit is for a closely guided and mentoring approach, exposure to community resources, observation and role play practices; assessment and writing modules; and other activities for those employees who share common challenges inside their assigned groups. Inside the training unit, the immediate supervisor can further assess the skill levels of the workers, determine any outstanding training needs, and may allow for recommendations for future assignment within specified work groups. For example: a trainee may have been pre-assigned to an ongoing foster care team. However, the training supervisor, after working closely with that individual may offer additional insight to determine that the individual is more suited for perhaps intake and investigation. For those county agencies without a training unit, supervision and ongoing training needs are determined by the agency leadership, ideally in dialogue with the employee. The methodology for supervision may also vary according to agency's resources or other developmental needs of the employee.

Caseworkers are required to comply with first year training requirements through enrollment in OCWTP core training. Caseworker Core Modules are:

Module 1: Family-Centered Approach to Child Protective Services (12 hours) Pre-Training: Child Welfare Values and Principles Put into Action

Post-Training Assignment: Assessing Factors Correlated with Maltreatment Module 2: Engaging Families in Family-Centered Child Protective Services (6 hours)

Learning Lab: Engagement Skills (3 hours)

Module 3: Legal Aspects of Family-Centered Child Protective Services (12 hours) Pre-Training: Legal Aspects of Child Protective Services

Module 4: Assessment in Family-Centered Child Protective Services (12 hours) Learning Lab: Interviewing Skills for Assessment (6 hours)

Module 5: Investigative Processes in Family-Centered Child Protective Services (6 hours) Learning Lab: Interviewing Skills for Investigations (6 hours)

Module 6: Case Planning and Family-Centered Casework (18 hours) Pre-Training: Case Planning in Child Welfare

Module 7: Child Development: Implications for Family-Centered Child Protective Services (18 hours)

Pre-Training: Child Development

Post-Training: Using Tools to Assess Development

Module 8: Separation, Placement, and Reunification in Family-Centered Child Protective Services (18 hours)

Supervisor Training

Throughout each regional training center, county PCSAs vary in their training approach and plans for new supervisors. Most if not all, work from a standard "on the job" training model. Some of training sites have

"training units," for new employees. For those employees who are not serving in a casework role, their time inside of a training unit might be shortened in comparison to a caseworker. Some units may go from 30 – 90 days under a highly structured and supervised model. Inside training units, both individual and group supervision of cases may occur.

Supervisors are required to complete their initial 18 month training through OCWTP by enrolling in the following Supervisor Core Modules:

Module 1: Casework Supervision (12 hours) Pre-Training: Child Welfare Values

Module 2: Leadership in the Child Welfare System (12 hours)

Pre-Training: Effective Leadership, You Are Part of the System, and Taking the View From the Balcony

Post-Training: Transactional and Transformational Leadership Post-Training Email Prompt: Strengths Based Questions Module 3: Improving Staff Performance (12 hours)

Pre-Training: Staff Strengths and Barriers to Performance

Post-Training email prompt: What Have You Done S.M.A.R.T Lately?

Module 4: Leading the Unit Team (12 hours)

Pre-Training: Characteristics of an Effective Team Module 5: Improving Unit Performance (12 hours)

Module 6: Professional Development of Staff (12 hours) Pre-Training: Module Competencies

Monitoring

PCSAs are responsible for maintaining all employees’ education and training records and notifying their designated Ohio Child Welfare Training Program Regional Training Center of new caseworkers and supervisors hired by the agency in order for the regional training center to establish a training history of their employees. PCSAs are required to ensure completion of ITNAs and submit ITNA data to their respective RTC.

If staff fail to comply with training mandates, such non-compliance would be handled on an individual county basis.