Statewide E-Learning

Statewide Strategic Plan

The Statewide Strategic Plan for E-Learning in California's Child Welfare Training System was created in 2009. It was created as an initial step to realize a coordinated e-learning framework to address training needs of the child welfare workforce.

  • Vision: CalSWEC, the schools of social work, the regional training academies, and counties of California will develop a shareable web-based library of high-quality, publicly accessible, e-learning curricula for statewide use.
  • Purpose: The shareable web-based library will enhance California's child welfare training system by providing flexible learning opportunities for child welfare practitioners to augment their knowledge and skills in the pursuit of improved outcomes for children and families.
E-Learning Courses Available

This section provides links to publicly accessible FREE e-Learning courses as well as provides links to courses accessible through Regional Training Academies. Some courses are more simplistic in nature and will not require specialized software or equipment. Video and audio clips may be included in other courses and may require additional software or equipment. Please see your county technical staff for assistance or email Steven Williams at CalSWEC.

Free Online Courses

Child Welfare
1. Bonding and Attachment in Maltreated Children
Description: The Child Trauma Academy presents principles of bonding, attachment, and identification of concerning behaviors in children.

2. The Cost of Caring: Secondary Traumatic Stress and the Impact of Working with High-Risk Children and Families
Description: The Child Trauma Academy presents information about burnout, stress, and secondary traumatic stress. The course describes factors that increase and/or decrease risk and staff are encouraged to create protective strategies.
3 ICWA: Inquiry and Notice
This courses describes the purpose and principles of ICWA, identifies the types of cases covered, summarizes the process of initial and further inquiry, identifies roles, best practices and primary resources on tribes.
4. Leadership Academy for Supervisors: Core Curriculum
Description: The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute presents curricula that includes one introductory module and five content modules. Content includes: leadership, building collaboratives, workforce development, accountability, and goal setting. To take the orientation module, click http://www.ncwwilas.org/Orientation/. To learn more about the curriculum, click http://www.ncwwi.org/las.html.
5.
Surviving Childhood: An Introduction to the Impact of Trauma
Description: The Child Trauma Academy provides principles of neurodevelopment and its approach to child maltreatment and presents research findings about abuse and its impact on brain development.

6
Understanding Substance Use Disorders, Treatment and Family Recovery: A Guide for Child Welfare Professionals
This tutorial will provide an introduction to alcohol and drug addiction, information about substance abuse treatment and recovery, treatment readiness and effectiveness, and cross-system communication and collaboration.
Aging and Adults
Mental Health
1. CA Mental Health Services: A Brief Overview
Description: The California Institute for Mental Health describes the changes in services over time and the evolution of laws and problems related to funding.
2. Person-Centered Planning
Description: The California Institute for Mental Health presents the principles of person-centered practice in recovery and resilience practice, including the creation of a person-centered plan.

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Courses available for downloading

The courses listed below are currently available to be downloaded to county and Regional Training Academy (RTA) learning management systems (LMSs) or content management systems (CMSs) for staff usage. Users do not have access to take and complete courses directly from this website. The statewide e-learning committee is working in concert with CDSS, RTAs, technical staff and other partners to ensure a learning environment that includes e-learning as an option. The courses were developed using various funding sources.

If your county has an LMS or CMS and would like to download one or more courses, please contact Steven Williams at CalSWEC, stevenwilliams@berkeley.edu. He can work with you and your RTA to explore accessibility options. RTAs may also download the courses by contacting Mr. Williams, who can provide technical assistance in launching the courses.

Child Welfare
1. New Addiction and the Family
2. California Division 31 Regulations
3. Effects of Abuse on Child Development--The Preschooler
4. Effectively Working with LGBTQ Youth
5. Effects of Abuse on Child Development:  Infants and Toddlers
6. Engaging Fathers and the Child Welfare System
7. Evidence-Based Practice Research
8. Intro FASD Facts of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
9. LGBTQ and Intimate Partner Violence
10. Methamphetamine and the Child Welfare System
11. Planned and Purposeful Visitation
12. Poverty and Neglected Children
13. Sibling Abuse for Adolescent Offenders
14. The Effects of DV on Children
15. The Trauma of Removal and Placement in CWS
16. Working with Perpetrators of Intimate Violence
Aging and Adults
1. California Regulations for APS
Mental Health

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Infrastructure for Sharing Courses across the State (under construction)

Infrastructure guidelines will be developed to:

  • Delineate the roles of CalSWEC, Regional Training Academies, and counties
  • Delineate the step-by-step process for sharing courses (e.g., transferring courses from a File Transfer Protocol site to a local site)
  • Indicate how to access technical assistance related to statewide courses

Infrastructure guidelines intend to expand accessibility to all training partners, while accommodating statewide variations in technical capacity.

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A Statewide E-Learning Report: Findings from the Organizational Readiness (Director) Survey and the Technical Capacity (IT Manager) Survey

A baseline assessment of the child welfare system's organizational readiness and technical capacity for e-learning was conducted in 2009-2010. It was conducted to determine the organizational and technical needs of California's 58 counties. The Director Survey assessed organizational readiness, and the IT Manager Survey assessed technical capacity.

Results and recommendations are provided in the

(1) Fact Sheet,
(2) Executive Summary, and
(3) full report.

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Content Guidelines and Technical Standards for Statewide E-Learning

Guidelines for content development and technical standards for e-learning production and distribution were created to facilitate coordinated, statewide sharing of e-learning courses. They are designed to assist course developers and expand access by end-users. Details are described in the Statewide E-Learning: Content Guidelines and Technical Standards.

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The E-Learning Committee

Under the auspices of the Statewide Training and Education Committee (STEC), CalSWEC convened an e-Learning Committee to advance alternatives and enhancements to classroom training. The e-Learning Committee began work in 2008 with representatives from the Regional Training Academies, the Inter-University Consortium, county child welfare departments, and other educational partners.

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For further information about e-Learning in California's child welfare training system, please contact Sevaughn Banks or Phyllis Jeroslow, at CalSWEC.

Last updated: January 6, 2012