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NCCWE CHILD WELFARE TRAINING CURRICULA

Reaching Higher:   A Curriculum for Foster/Adoptive Parents and Kinship Caregivers Caring for LGBTQ Youth
This National Center for Child Welfare Excellence (NCCWE) curriculum was developed to help foster, kinship, adoptive, and guardianship parents enhance their skills in providing direct care for LGBTQ youth.  Designed for full day facilitation, this curriculum consists of nine modules that will provide participants with information about the importance of improving child welfare practice with LGBTQ youth, including the impact and scope of LGBTQ youth in the foster care system; help participants to assess their own values and beliefs to identify strategies for balancing personal views with professional responsibilities; and increase competency in using accurate and culturally appropriate terminology.  The modules also provide participants with guidance on effective engagement strategies for working with LGBTQ foster/adoptive youth and families, as well as assessing, supporting, and affirming young people in the process of “coming out”; describe how to manage day to day issues that arise in the foster/adoptive home when caring for LGBTQ youth; present strategies for advocating for LGBTQ youth in their homes, schools, foster/adoptive care settings, and communities; and help participants identify ways to increase their own learning and competence in working with LGBTQ youth and families. (2014)

Reaching Higher: Increasing Competency in Practice with LGBTQ Youth in Child Welfare Systems
This curriculum from the National Center for Child Welfare Excellence (NCCWE) focuses on improving service delivery for LGBTQ youth and their families.  This curriculum aims to increase the competence and enhance the skill of child welfare staff working with LGBTQ youth in all types of out-of-home situations.  It consists of eight modules that will provide information on the importance of improving child welfare practice with LGBTQ youth, including the impact and scope of LGBTQ youth in the foster care system; help participants to assess their own values and beliefs to identify strategies for balancing personal views with professional responsibilities; and increase competency in using accurate and culturally appropriate terminology.  The modules also guide child welfare workers in assessing, supporting, and affirming young people in the process of “coming out”; provide effective engagement strategies for working with LGBTQ foster youth and families; describe strategies for advocating for LGBTQ youth in their homes, schools, foster care settings, and communities; and help participants identify ways that they can increase their learning and competence in working with LGBTQ youth and families. (2014)

Making it Possible: Permanency Pathways for Older Youth in Care
Developed by the National Center for Child Welfare Excellence (NCCWE), this curriculum focuses on improving permanency outcomes for older youth in care.  It seeks to shift long held assumptions about what can and cannot happen for older youth in care and provide concrete steps for achieving positive permanency outcomes for older youth in care.  This one-day curriculum consists of six modules designed to help participants develop knowledge and understanding of policies and legislation related to permanency for young people in out-of-home care; the definition of youth permanency and the importance of developing permanent connections; and the four permanency pathways for youth in foster care.  Participants will also develop knowledge of how to engage and prepare youth for permanency. (2014)


Assessing Adult Relatives as Preferred Caretakers in Permanency Planning: A Competency-Based Curriculum

This curriculum developed by the National Center for Child Welfare Excellence focuses on kinship care.  Through six modules, caseworkers and supervisors are provided with the family-centered and culturally responsive knowledge and skills necessary for making assessments and decisions regarding the appropriateness of relatives as placement and permanency planning resources for children requiring out-of-home care.  (2014)