Topical Training for Caseworkers: Family Involvement and Engagement

Resources include training curricula and materials for child welfare caseworkers on strategies for involving and engaging families involved in the child welfare system, including information on family group decision-making, reunification, empowerment skills, parent leadership, and more. Resources include State and local examples.

Empowerment Skills for Family Workers: A Worker Handbook
Cornell Empowering Families Project (2003)
View Abstract
Emphasizes the worker's role in empowering families to become interdependent members of the community using a strengths-based perspective that focuses on family-driven goals and power shared between professionals and family members. Also see the instructor's manual and portfolio advisor manual.

Expanding the Family Circle
University at Albany, School of Social Welfare
Teaches a framework for the experienced caseworker to integrate a culturally competent family-centered approach to casework practice. The training offers skills and strategies for working with all members of a family system and includes a curriculum, activities, trainer's manual, and participant workbook.

Family Group Conferencing: Bringing the Family Into Family-Centered Practice [Teleconference]
National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning (2004)
Addresses family group conferencing in child welfare, including information on working with the African-American community and Native American families.

Lighting the Fire of Urgency: Reunification of Families in America's Child Welfare System [Teleconference]
National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning (2005)
Provides participants with information and tools to quickly identify and engage relatives in order to promote the reunification of children and youth in the child welfare system with their families.

Parent Leadership Ambassador Training Guide (PDF - 254 KB)
Circle of Parents & FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (2006)
Explains the continuum of parent involvement/engagement/empowerment and agency actions that promote such engagement and discusses an action planning process for ensuring parent involvement and leadership.

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State and local examples

Achieving Permanency for Children in Kinship Foster Care
Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program (2006)
Addresses how to convene the kinship network, empower the family, and support a permanency plan for the family.

Engaging Clients from a Strengths-Based Solution-Focused Perspective
Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program (2007)
Teaches workers skills for using solution-focused strategies when working with families involved with the child welfare system.

Family Team Meeting Toolkit
Iowa Department of Human Services
Provides planning and preparation tools, facilitation and implementation guidelines, a facilitator training database, an intake assessment tool, handouts, follow-up tools, and more.

Introduction to Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) Part 1
Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program (2007)
Introduces the foundations of the FGDM practice and prepares participants to begin planning for implementation and participate successfully in FGDM.

Introduction to Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) Part 2
Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program (2007)
Prepares participants to serve as coordinators, facilitators, and other critical partners for the FGDM process and gives participants the opportunity to practice the skills needed to perform effectively in these roles.

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Child Welfare Information Gateway encourages organizations to submit resources from their workforce or training efforts for inclusion in our library. Send information to library@childwelfare.gov.