Washington Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence

Charter for Standing Committees

Background and Purpose

In 2010, the Children’s Administration sought the partnership of the University of Washington and Eastern Washington University, Schools of Social Work, and University of Washington, Tacoma, Social Work Program, to assist in expanding and deepening the current social work education and child welfare training programs. Therefore,the Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence has been created with the intent to utilize the strengths and expertise of the Children’s Administration and both universities towards a comprehensive continuum of child welfare professional development and training across the state.

The primary purpose of the Alliance is to enhance the delivery of education, training, and professional development opportunities for social work staff, supervisors, administrators, and managers at Children Administration, and for the foster, adoptive, and relative caregivers and private community agency partners. The focus is on these target groups as the customers, and utilizes a university-based service alliance that works through partnerships to strengthen knowledge and skills. The partnership with both universities and the Children’s Administration working collaboratively will result in a highly skilled workforce and prepared caregivers with the competencies needed to serve Washington’s children and families.

All of the Alliance partners agree to share their own knowledge, skills, and resources, which leverages and maximizes much more than what is possible when each is working alone. The efficiencies and effectiveness of coming together has tremendous benefits for sharing curriculum, delivery methods, and evaluation tools. Each university and Children’s Administration office also represents an array of resources, which often can be used to benefit all child welfare professionals.

While the Schools of Social Work from both universities and the Children’s Administration are primary allies in this partnership, all agree that other disciplines and fields of study will be included to allow a full interdisciplinary enrichment.

The University of Washington, School of Social Work, (UWSSW) is the lead partner for coordinating and supporting the partnership. In this role, the UWSSW coordinates among the partners, assuring all partners participate in adopting competencies and curriculum, and in the evaluation of the partnership. They are responsible for assuring a full continuum of professional development and training occurs across the state.

A central structure or entity is essential in assuring a single, coordinated training system exists for developing and maintaining common professional development training goals and activities. UWSSW takes on this role in a highly collaborative manner and provides a way to coordinate and develop professional development training policies and activities in response to common issues. It is recognized that while a central lead is essential, regional and local needs and interests vary, and for the system to be effective and efficient, a level of autonomy and nimbleness also needs to exists.

Alliance Partners

  • Children’s Administration (CA)
  • University of Washington, School of Social Work (UWSSW) and Partners for Our Children
  • Eastern Washington University, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences and Social Work,

School of Social Work (EWUSSW)

  • University of Washington, Tacoma, Social Work Program (UWTSWP)

Goals of the Charter

  • This Charter is designed to identify membership, purpose, and roles and responsibilities, to establish the decision making structure, and to support the work and relationship of the Alliance to its partners.

Alliance Vision

We join together as one entity to support the readiness and continued learning of child welfare workforceand caregivers with the intention of achieving the best possible outcomes for Washington’s children and families.

Alliance Guiding Principles

•Competency Based. Competencies, or knowledge and skills, for successful job performance are used in determining and developing training, education and professional development opportunities.

•Continuum of Learning. Social work education and child welfare pre-service and in-service training are integrated to provide a consistent and relevant continuum from foundation to advanced proficiency to gain efficiencies and workforce excellence.

•Accessible. Accessible training is delivered in areas close to where the work occurs, and considers community and regional differences.

•Evaluation. Evaluation is a constant and integral component of the partnership and demonstrates a commitment to being accountable for the impact and outcomes of the partnership.

•Responsive and Timely. Evaluation results and other lessons learned are used proactively to improve our own learning.

•Policy and Practice. Learning opportunities link to policy, practice,and quality assurance. Children’s Administration sets out a practice model that the partnership, in turn, is responsible for building the skills required to implement it successfully by training staff, supervisors, administrators, and external partners.

•Quality Improvement. A strong connection is built between the partnership and Children’s Administration Quality Improvement efforts to receive critical feedback about the state of practice and to help guide training content.

•Delivery Methods. Methods and formats for delivering training utilize state-of-the-art knowledge and technology in order to ensure successful transfer of learning.

•Supervisors and Administrators. Supervisors are essential to professional development and the success of the training program. Supervisors’ competencies are a companion set to direct service social workers, as well as their own set of competencies. Their role in transfer of learning is considered in all training.

•Nimble. Our work is nimble enough to shift and respond according to the changing needs and achieve change when required.

Organizational Structure

Executive Team

  • The Executive Team is the governing body of the Alliance and is comprised of representatives from each partner.
  • The Executive Team is responsible for the overall coordination, development and monitoring of all professional development training for the entire child welfare workforce and for training foster, adoptive, and relative caregivers in Washington.
  • Specific responsibilities and duties of the Executive Team include:
  • Adopt common standards for professional development, including competencies for each target group and for the recruitment, selection, support and evaluation of trainers.
  • Develop and approve an annual plan by utilizing a common needs assessment, linked to competencies for each target group, which will identify specialized or advanced education and training needs.
  • Develop and recommend professional development education and training policies that improve the quality and outcomes of the system, including all components from social work education related to child welfare and the preparing of prospective employees to advanced levels of learning opportunities.
  • Provide a workforce projection that evaluates staff demographics and employment trends with future workload and hiring practices to be used to forecast tuition and stipend assistance to social work students who are also prospective or current CA employees.
  • Evaluate the professional development system routinely and recommend improvements to the entire system based on the results.
  • The University of Washington, School of Social Work, is the lead partner who accepts and maintains the fiduciary responsibility. TheUniversity of Washington, School of Social Work,provides the statewide coordination and staff support for the partnership.
  • The Executive Team may create standing committees to advise them on such decisions regarding competencies, curriculum, trainers, and evaluation. All standing committees shall include representatives from all partners at a minimum.

Regional Advisory Groups

  • Each of the three regions and campuses has one regional advisory group. The purpose of the Regional Advisory Groups is to 1/ gather regional input on training needs and gaps to include in a statewide training plan and 2/ oversee and support the implementation of the statewide training plan in the region.
  • Each Regional Advisory Group maintains its own meeting schedule.
  • Co-chairs are University and CA in each of the three regions.
  • Each Regional Advisory Group determines its own committees or work groups.
  • Staff support for each advisory group is provided by a designated Regional Lead who is responsible for facilitating and coordinating the activities of the Regional Advisory Group.
  • Regional Leads attend statewide meetings to coordinate, share or exchange information, and plan together.
  • Regional Advisory Groups are provided framework, competencies, and data by the Executive Team.
  • All competencies and related curriculum arestandardized statewide. Training outside the statewide competencies and curriculum may be developed and implemented to meet regional or agency needs but will not necessarily be supported by the Alliance.
  • Membership of the Regional Advisory Groups will include a minimum of the following representativeslisted below. Subject area experts can be used when needed without adding members. Members are responsible for gathering input and representing the needs of others to their Regional Advisory Group.

Required at a minimum:

  • Foster Parent
  • Supervisor/Area Administrator
  • Child Welfare Trainers for Caregivers Coach
  • Social Worker
  • Child Welfare Training Advancement Program (CWTAP) Representative
  • Faculty
  • Community Partner (optional)

Statewide Standing Committees

•There are two Statewide Standing Committees: Competencies and Curriculum, and Evaluation.

•The purpose of Statewide Standing Committees is to provide consultation and advise on content areas. Members bring expertise to the Standing Committees.

•The Statewide Team provides staff support to Standing Committees.

•Standing Committees can use subject area experts when needed without adding members.

•Membership of the Standing Committees includes at a minimum the following representatives.

  • Child Welfare Trainers for Caregivers – one from each region
  • Coach – one from each region
  • Faculty – one from each region
  • CA Headquarters (includes DLR)
  • CWTAP – one from each region

The Statewide Standing Committee on Competencies and Curriculum (CCC)

•Outcome: The development and maintenance of a competencies and curriculum for direct line workers, supervisors, administrators, and foster parents.

•Broad Deliverables and Deadlines

•The Statewide Standing Committee on Competencies and Curriculum (CCC) developsand recommends or advises the Executive Team on competencies for all child welfare groups for their consideration and adoption.

•The CCC maintains competencies over time by reviewing and revising periodically but not less than two times per year.

•The CCC recommendsand advises on specific curriculum changes as needed.

•The CCC receives all new policy and other training topic requests, and develops and maintainscompetencies to sustain and integrate in the training.

•The CCC requests and receives input on competencies and curriculum from Regional Advisory Groups on a routine basis.

•Membership and Terms of Service

•Membership represents and includes the groups that the competencies are for, as well as other constituent groups.

•Members commit to one-year or two-year terms. To start, members are asked to choose either one-year or two-year terms. When the term is completed, replacements will be two-year terms.

•Meeting Schedules

•The CCC meets as often as needed to develop and complete the competencies.

•The CCC meets routinely but not less than two times per year.

•Co-chairsRole and Leadership Function

•The CCC has two co-chairs: one from Children’s Administration and one fromthe university partners.

•The CCC co-chairs set direction for the full CCC, meet more often with subcommittee chairs, and make decisions based on the CCC work to recommend to Executive Team.

•Subcommittee structure

•There are three subcommittees, one for each group that has specific set of competencies and curriculum – social workers, supervisors and managers, and foster adopt and relative caregivers.

•Each subcommittee has one chair or two co-chairs selected by the subcommittee.

•Each subcommittee has Alliance statewide staff assigned to provide staff support for its work.

The Statewide Standing Committee on Evaluation (CE)(still in draft)

•Outcome: Evaluation occurs at different levels throughout the professional development system, and includes both short term and longer term evaluations.

•Broad Deliverables and Deadlines

•Develop overall dashboard measures to be used as benchmarks.

•Review and revise evaluation and measures over time.

•Advise on specific recommendations regarding evaluation.

•Long term appointments[membership and terms]

•Meeting schedules

•Co-chairs Role and Leadership Function

•Research to Practice

•Applied research and evaluation results are used to understand what is working and what is not.

•Social work students are engaged in and dedicated to applied research opportunities to enhance research capacity and infuse content in curriculum development.

•A commitment to emerging best practices, constant scanning of research results, and including it in training; commitment to constantly integrating information into education and training.

Amending the Charter

Amending this Charter is possible by recommending changes through the Statewide Standing Committees to the Executive Team.

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