Training is critical to the development of a skilled child welfare workforce and to achieving outcomes of safety, permanency, and well-being for children and their families. It is also key to worker retention.
Use the following resources to find curricula and related training materials for a variety of audiences, including lists of national and State training organizations and schools of social work. For more information and resources spanning the continuum of child welfare, explore the web sections under Related web sections or contact our information support specialists or librarians.
Child Welfare Information Gateway does not offer or guarantee the availability of continuing education units (CEUs). Please contact each individual training provider for CEU availability.
CapLEARN
Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative
Provides an online learning management system, CapLEARN, that delivers training around a variety of issues related to child welfare practice. Register for free access to courses.
Multimedia
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Offers multimedia resources —such as videos, webinars, and podcasts—that cover the continuum of child welfare, from prevention to permanency, to support professionals working with children and families involved with child welfare.
National and State training providers
Child Welfare Training Toolkit
National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
Provides learning opportunities and baseline knowledge on substance use and mental health problems among families involved in the child welfare system, facilitates cross-systems work, and incorporates cultural awareness and competency in child welfare practice.
National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative
Center for Adoption Support and Education
Provides two state-of-the-art, standardized, web-based trainings to build the capacity of child welfare and mental health professionals in all States, Tribes, and territories to effectively support children, youth, and their foster, adoptive, and guardianship families. Visit the Children’s Bureau Discretionary Grants web section to learn more about Children’s Bureau-funded innovation and progress in research, capacity building, and program improvement efforts.
NCWWI Online Learning Portal
National Child Welfare Workforce Institute
Offers interactive, online trainings to child welfare professionals to build skills in leadership, workforce development, and change implementation. A free account may be required to participate in some trainings.
National Training and Development Curriculum for Foster and Adoptive Parents
Spaulding for Children
Presents information about a training program to prepare foster and adoptive parents to effectively care for children exposed to trauma, separation, and loss and to provide these families with the ongoing skills development needed to understand and promote healthy child development.
Related Information Gateway website sections
Child Abuse & Neglect
- Training on Identification of Child Abuse and Neglect
- Risk Factors That Contribute to Child Abuse and Neglect
Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect
Responding to Child Abuse & Neglect
Supporting & Preserving Families
Out-of-Home Care
- Casework Practice in Out-of-Home Care
- Foster Care
- Kinship Care
- Transition to Adulthood and Independent Living
Achieving & Maintaining Permanency
Adoption
Systemwide