WELCOME TO NEW STAFF TRAINING FOR FAMILY SERVICE WORKERSCoy2021-12-01T09:31:11-06:00
Welcome to New Staff Training for Family Service workers. We at MidSOUTH are excited that you have taken this challenging and rewarding job. DCFS, MidSOUTH and the other universities of the IV-E Partnership are very invested in your professional development. You will have a lot of support from all of us along the way.
MidSOUTH is part of the College of Business and Health and Human Services at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). We provide the classroom parts of New Staff Training at our five sites throughout the state. Click here to locate the site nearest you. In addition, MidSOUTH provides field training in Areas 3 and 6.
Training is more than just the classroom experience. It is a process that occurs over the first year of your employment. It is based on competencies identified by DCFS and aligns with the DCFS Practice Model. Training is a combination of classroom instruction, field training, co-worker mentoring and support, and self-directed learning experiences. Click each link below to learn more about the training structure.
When you began with DCFS, MidSOUTH created an account for you in the MidSOUTH/DCFS Portal. During New Staff Training you will access the portal for your Orientation and On-Job-Training (OJT) Manual. During class you will access it for pre and post assessments. Throughout your employment with DCFS, you will access the portal for on-line trainings required by your agency.
Orientation exercises are designed to start your first week on the job. These activities are things that are likely to be significant and/or frequent job tasks. Some of these are done with your field instructor, supervisor and/or your DCFS mentor. Others are self-directed study exercises to acquaint you with your policies and procedures. The policy exercises should be started early because it takes some time to complete them.
Field Training begins your first week of employment. The Field Trainers should meet you or contact you during that week. The Field Trainer’s primary responsibility is to help you improve the quality of your work with families. However, during the first several weeks, the Field Trainer may also show you how to access policy exercises in the Orientation and OJT Manual that are part of the New Staff Training.
Click here for a list of IV-E Field Trainers
You should be assigned a DCFS FSW Mentor when you begin. This is an experienced worker who is available to help teach you this challenging job. You will be assigned secondary on some of this worker’s cases. During the time before you come to classroom training and during OJT weeks during classroom training, you will work with the families on your secondary caseload. You, your supervisor and your DCFS Mentor, will meet frequently to share information about the work done during your times with the family.
CHRIS Orientation and Navigation is designed to familiarize you with common CHRIS Tasks and how to navigate through the CHRIS database. The training is presented in a MidSOUTH lab by a CHRIS Trainer and should occur within two weeks of the day you start work. You will receive a manual and navigation tip sheets during this training. Please remember to bring your Participant Data Sheet to this training.
Classroom training takes place at a MidSOUTH training site. It consists of 5 weeks of classroom training with a week of OJT between each classroom week. DCFS requires that the training be completed prior to you assuming primary responsibility for a caseload. The training weeks are as follows:
Week 1: Mission, Practice Model, Values, Communication and Definitions of Maltreatment (Framework for work)
Week 2: Effects of Maltreatment on Human Development and Dynamics of Child Maltreatment (physical abuse, neglect and sexual abuse)
Week 3: Legal Training and Initial Assessment of Health and Safety (Child maltreatment investigations)
Week 4: Foster Care – Policy Considerations; Foster Care – Effects of Separation and Placement
Week 5: Putting it All Together – Assessment and Case Planning; Court Training, Permanency Planning
The OJT assignments after each module are designed to help in the transfer of learning from the classroom to direct practice. Each OJT assignment also includes a resource location assignment. The resource assignments are one method of helping you develop the resources and connections you will need to work effectively with families. The resource assignments are required by your agency as part of a federal program improvement plan.
Click here for the OJT Manual
MidSOUTH tracks your training records and arranges your hotel room if you are eligible to stay in a hotel during training. So there is some data we need to collect from you. Please complete this form and bring it with you when you come for your CHRIS Orientation and Navigation Training.
