Professional Training

The Child Welfare Certification Training Program is a competency based training curriculum for child welfare social workers in the state of North Dakota. This means the training is designed to meet certain goals which are the responsibility of Child Protective Service Social Workers in response to reports of suspected child abuse and neglect and in the delivery of additional child welfare services to protect children and strengthen families. Specialized knowledge and a specialized set of skills are necessary for the social workers in this very important field.

Each topic in the training program has one or more competencies or objectives that will be discussed. It is the expectation that participants will be actively involved in achieving the objectives and competencies. These form the basics for the knowledge and skills required to carry out the legal and ethical mandates of CPS and child welfare work. The competencies for the first week of training are related to the foundation of child welfare practice and to child abuse and neglect assessment procedures. In week two, the provision of services to families, using the wraparound process, will be presented. The objectives for the third week of training deal primarily with the knowledge and skills applicable to working with the legal system and the Indian Child Welfare Act. Finally, in the last week of training, the competencies will provide a foundation for social workers in the areas of foster family assessment and licensing, concurrent and permanency planning, and work with foster families, foster children, and out-of-home placement issues.

There will be assignments and tests for you to complete to indicate your level of knowledge and skill as it relates to the competencies of the particular topic. Some of the tests will be taken in class immediately following the particular section; other exercises will be completed during the sessions. Several assignments will be required “homework” to “take home” to a work site and apply to current cases.

Click here for a list of the current assignments and competency tests. There may be some revisions and there is always a possibility of some additions. You will always be given ample notice of changes and sufficient time in which to complete the assignments. Successful completion of assignments is necessary to receive the certificate of completion.