Child Welfare Office of Workforce Development

Under this partnership with DCFS, the School of Social Work provides staff and services required to provide professional, administrative and support functions including, but not necessarily limited to the development, design, delivery, management, and technical support of a wide array of child welfare training and professional development programs as mandated by state law and administrative rules, federal court orders, federal Title IV-B and Title IV-E, and Medicaid programs.  The target audience for services are child welfare employees from both DCFS and private child welfare agencies, substitute caregivers, and prospective child welfare employees completing either graduate or undergraduate course work.

Through the various programs within the Office of Workforce Development, the following child welfare related training services and more are provided: supervisory training and coaching; employee licensure training and ongoing professional development for direct service staff; foster and adoptive parent training; academic internship placement; job shadowing placement; employee preservice training for graduate and undergraduate students; employee testing and evaluation; and simulation based staff development.

The specific programs under the Office of Workforce Development include:

• Chicago Child Protection Training Academy
• Registration and Logistics
• Pre-Service and In-Service Training
• Field Implementation Support Program
• PRIDE (Foster and Adoptive Caregiver Training)
• Academic Partnership
• Learning and Development