CPSW Training Matrix
| Course | Average Hours | Description |
|---|---|---|
| A Primer of Foster/Kinship Care for DCYF Staff | 6 | The process of becoming a foster or kinship caregiver requires familiarity with various systems, knowledge of children and families who come into care, understanding of the impact of abuse and neglect, and the willingness to care for and participate in ongoing training. This module introduces foster family and kinship care and will discuss what is involved in the process and the impact on individual families. |
| Language and Communication Access | 3 | Effective communication is essential to providing equitable, respectful, and legally compliant services. This course introduces participants to the principles of language and communication access, including the needs of individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP), Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, and others who may require communication accommodations. Participants will explore legal and ethical responsibilities, learn how to identify communication needs, find the appropriate services, and develop strategies for working effectively with interpreters, translators, and assistive communication resources. |
| Basic Bridges | 6 | This self-directed online training provides introductory information and education to staff utilizing “Bridges,” DCYF’s SACWIS data system. This training provides information on all five of the Bridges modules for staff. |
| Behavioral Health Medication Oversight | 1 | The goal of this training is to emphasize how to work as a team to provide oversight and continuity of care for children and youth who are prescribed behavioral health medications. This training will provide reasons for the House Bill 120 updates and how DCYF is incorporating these updates. Participants will learn about the expectations of the CPSW and JPPO roles to communicate, inform, and observe with their district nurse. In addition, tools and resources will be shared to provide up-to-date information in an effort to improve health outcomes for children and youth in care. |
| Central Registry | 3 | This training gives an overview of the function and purpose of the Central Registry. Participants will learn about the various parts of the Appeals Process (i.e., testimony, witnesses, rules, evidence, and confidentially). Participants will learn how to access the central registry in Bridges and have systematic instructions for sending information to the Central Registry. This course will be delivered in an online learning format. |
| Child and Adolescent Mental Health | 3 | Child and Adolescent Mental Health will focus on mental health as being part of every child and youth’s development. Children and youth with positive mental health are often able to function well across different environments. While children and youth with mental health challenges, often struggle with daily function in some way. Mental health disorders in children and youth can be treated and managed. The continuum that mental health occurs on and the changing nature of this domain will be explored throughout the course. The course will help participants become more aware of mental health disorders most prevalent in youth, including warning signs, symptoms, and issues related to specific high-risk populations. The material will cover strategies for working with youth experiencing mental health challenges and/or a mental health crisis and how to collaborate with providers and families in these situations. The role of the child welfare professional in working with children and youth experiencing mental health challenges will be highlighted. |
| Communicable and Infectious Diseases | 6 | This training provides an overview of a variety of childhood infectious diseases and alerts caregivers to situations that have the potential for disease transmission. The course clarifies how infections occur, how they are passed from one person to another, universal precautions, immunizations, and other ways of protecting children and their caregivers from illness. This course will guide caregivers in the prevention and prompt treatment of illnesses. |
| DCYF Orientation: Our Practice Model | 2 | This training provides an in-depth overview of the mission, values, principles, and strategies which guide agency practice with children and families in New Hampshire. Greater system frameworks are explored in relation to DCYF's mission and values as well as organizational structures, specifically: organizational roles and Safety Culture. This training builds a fundamental understanding of how consistent mission, values, and practices complimented by individual contributions, form the bedrock of a dynamic organization. |
| Document Imaging | 2 | This training includes a brief history of DCYF's record management and will review the basics of document imaging needed to get started. Participants will also be shown common problems and how to correct mistakes. |
| History of Child Welfare and Mandatory Reporting | 3 | This training provides an overview of the history of child welfare in New Hampshire and the United States including the key pieces of legislation that made child welfare what it is today. The training also outlines the Mandatory Reporting laws and how it is relevant to every individual in the state. Additionally, the training will review how to recognize various forms of abuse and neglect. |
| Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) | 3 | This course introduces new staff to the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC). Participants will learn why the ICPC exists, what forms and documentation are required, and the timeframes tied to each regulation. The course also covers when and how to apply different ICPC regulations and how to document ICPC activities in DCYF's electronic information system. By the end, new staff will have a clear understanding of how to support safe, legal placements across state lines. |
| RMS Training - Understanding the Why and How | 3 | This asynchronous, self-paced training provides child welfare and fiscal staff with a clear understanding of Random Moment Sampling (RMS) and its critical role in securing federal Title IV-E reimbursement. Participants will explore how their daily work contributes to the accuracy of RMS data and, ultimately, to the sustainability of vital child welfare services. Through interactive scenarios, decision tree navigation, and role-specific guidance, staff will gain the knowledge and confidence needed to answer RMS prompts accurately and on time. The course reinforces the value of every response and connects individual actions to the broader fiscal health of the agency. |
| Special Education | 6 | This training provides an overview of education requirements and considerations for children and youth in the care of DCYF. This course will provide an introduction to special education, including information regarding special education legislation and relevant Division policies. Participants will gain an increased understanding of the importance of supporting and advocating for the educational needs of children and youth. |
| Separation, Placement, and Reunification | 6 | The removal of a child from their home is one of the most complex and consequential decisions in child welfare practice. While it may be necessary to ensure immediate safety, separation from family is often experienced as a profound loss, bringing disruption, uncertainty, and oftentimes trauma for everyone involved. As a caseworker, you are at the center of these decisions and their ripple effects, responsible not only for protecting the children involved, but also for guiding and supporting them, their families, and their caregivers (foster parents, kinship, and residential staff) through some of the most challenging transitions they will face. This course will deepen your understanding of how separation and loss affect children and youth in care, including both immediate and long-term impacts on well-being and functioning. You will learn to recognize and interpret a wide range of emotional and behavioral responses to grief, loss, and trauma, and to apply a trauma-informed lens that supports more effective and compassionate practice. You will also examine how separation and loss affect primary caregivers and caregivers, and learn practical strategies to support their emotional processing, strengthen engagement, and promote progress toward case goals. By the end of this course, you will be better equipped to guide children, families, and caregivers through the complexities of separation, placement, and reunification with greater confidence and care. |
| The Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect | 6 | This self-guided training introduces child welfare professionals to key concepts related to child abuse and neglect, including definitions, risk and protective factors, and observable indicators in children, youth, and caregivers. Participants will explore how trauma affects child development over time and how these impacts may present in behavior and functioning. The training also addresses the effects of vicarious trauma on professionals and introduces practical strategies to support personal wellbeing and sustained engagement in the work. |
| Meet and Greet | 3 | This is an in-person meeting to meet the CWEP team and review the expectations and requirements of Core Academy. |
| Professional Growth and Self Care | 3 | This training introduces participants to the purpose of Core Academy training and the DCYF Mentor Program. Participants will gain an increased awareness of mentorship, including an understanding of the roles of both the mentee and mentor. This training emphasizes mentee self-advocacy and the prioritization of self-care. |
| Building Respectful and Engaged Child Welfare Practices | 6 | This course provides child welfare professionals with tools and strategies to foster respect, trust, and engagement in their work. Participants will explore ways to strengthen relationships with colleagues, families, and communities through effective communication, cultural awareness, and self-reflection. |
| Navigating Kinship Care: Roles, Rules, and Relationships | 3 | This course provides child protection and juvenile justice staff with the knowledge, tools, and strategies to effectively engage, assess, and support kinship caregivers. Grounded in New Hampshire’s administrative rules and DCYF’s strategic priority of family engagement, the training explores how kinship care differs from traditional foster care, the licensing and permit processes, and the emotional complexities often present in kinship placements. Participants will learn how to navigate early conversations with potential caregivers, assess suitability using best match criteria, and offer trauma-informed, culturally responsive support. The course emphasizes practical skill-building through scenario-based discussions, communication planning, and reflection on real-world challenges. |
| Professional Writing: Enhancing Your Impact in JJ/CPS | 3 | This course is designed to introduce and enhance professional writing skills for child protection social workers (CPSW) and juvenile probation officers (JPO). This course will provide structured guidance on writing professional, objective, and thorough case documentation, essential for legal and investigative purposes. |
| Staying Safe During Home and Office Visits | 6 | This training is based on the belief that staff can provide appropriate, effective interventions in crisis situations. Staff will gain practical strategies and techniques for managing behaviors in various levels of crisis. Emphasis will be placed on understanding crisis and developing the skills to prevent crisis or intervene in early crisis situations. Safe preparation and interventions necessary for safe home and office visits will also be covered. |
| Child Passenger Safety Training | 6 | This training provides a review of policies pertaining to the safe transport of youth including the approval process, assessing needs, and pre-planning (including airline travel protocols). This training also includes an in-depth understanding of the three stages of a crash, its implications for airbags and the need for proper use of restraints (seat belts, car seats, and booster seats). Ample hands-on practice is provided with special attention to demonstrating proper car and booster seat installation best practices and applying policy to different case scenarios. |
| Substance Use Disorder: The Impact of Addiction and Substance Misuse | 9 | This training will provide education about addiction, recovery, and relapse. Various forms of treatment, the process of relapse and the impact of parental SUD’s on children will be discussed during the training. The DCYF drug testing process is reviewed and drug testing as a tool for motivation and accountability is discussed. A presentation about various drugs and drug paraphernalia is provided to participants including ways to identify signs and symptoms of impairment. |
| Better Together | 12 | Better Together fosters equal and mutually respectful partnerships between birth parents, foster parents, child welfare agency staff, allies, and community partners. Fathers and mothers, relative caregivers, foster parents, and community partners must be involved in the Division for Children Youth and Families is to successfully improve the lives of children/ youth and also increase reunification outcomes so that together we achieve our goals of keeping children in safe, loving and permanent homes. |
| Motivational Interviewing | 6 | This training provides a foundation for facilitating Motivational Interviewing with clients, which will optimize desired, successful, meaningful outcomes for the individuals. Participants will explore what Motivational Interviewing is and is not. This training emphasizes the basic principles of Motivational Interviewing. This practice is a client-led, strength-based method of intervention. Interviewing skills, techniques, and appropriate responses to client statements, consistent with Motivational Interviewing, will be covered. Participants will understand the different stages of change that clients may go through when working to make important life changes and how to effectively respond, as a worker, in these situations. This training is a hands-on training that requires live practice of Motivational Interviewing. |
| Investigations and Assessments | 24 | Investigations and Assessment explores the principles common to all investigative processes and unique principles for the investigation and assessment of child physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. Participants will learn the factors to consider in planning and conducting investigations. Participants will learn the complexity of conducting thorough and accurate assessments through the concepts of critical thinking. Key concepts include, among others, conducting interviews, safety planning, unique features of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect, structured decision making, safety vs. risk, protective authority, and factors that may contribute to the child’s safety. |
| Working with Families Coping with Mental Health Issues | 6 | This training will focus on adults/parents dealing with mental health challenges. For workers in the field of child welfare, it is important to have an understanding of the stigma surrounding mental health issues, different signs and symptoms, types of diagnoses, and strategies for working with families. Having a family member with mental illness affects the whole family unit. It is also important to have knowledge about how children in the family are affected. Throughout the training, participants will connect the information they are learning to their work in the field. |
| Impact of Domestic Violence | 6 | This training introduces participants to the dynamics of domestic violence including power and control and the causes of domestic violence. Participants also will learn about the effects of witnessing domestic violence on children. The training will explain the Family Violence Prevention Specialist (FVPS) program and will explain how the referral to the FVPS works and the services offered by domestic violence crisis centers. The Parent Partner program is also highlighted. Participants will also become familiar with the NH Domestic Violence protocol and receive some guidance on documenting co-occurring cases of DV and Child Abuse and Neglect. |
| Trauma-Responsive Child Welfare | 6 | This training will discuss various facts and myths about mental illness, its impact on families, and available services. The discussion will cover various major mental illnesses that affect both adults and children as well as how the system works to serve individuals and families. The training will cover intervention strategies and options. In addition, individuals with personal experience of the mental health system of NH will be present to share their perspectives and assist trainees to build communication skills and competency related to work with children and families affected by mental illness. |
| CANS for DCYF | 3 | This training provides an overview of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment for child protection staff. Participants will gain familiarity with the domains and items assessed by the CANS. The course will discuss how to determine ratings and score the CANS, and participants will have an opportunity to practice scoring using a sample vignette. This training will help prepare participants to pursue CANS certification.​ |
| Prevention and Placement Case Planning | 12 | This course provides child welfare professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to develop, implement, and reassess effective prevention and placement case plans that promote child safety, permanency, and well-being. Participants will explore the importance of family-centered collaboration and engagement throughout the case planning process. Through discussion, practical examples, and hands-on activities, learners will examine best practices for developing meaningful action plans, completing prevention and placement case plans, and addressing common challenges and barriers that may arise during the planning process. Participants will develop an understanding of permanency planning and its critical role in achieving timely, lasting outcomes for children and families. |
| Permanency | 6 | This training will focus on the importance of permanency for children in the foster care system. Participants will identify the timeframes established to achieve timely permanency for children and permanency goals. This training will touch on siblings' relationships, court protocols, the stability of placement, concurrent plans, Match Meetings, Disclosure meetings, PPT, and post-adoption services. |
| Supporting Adolescents in Child Welfare | 6 | In this training, participates will have the opportunity to explore some of the unique challenges that youth aging out of care face. Resources and their importance for transitioning youth will be explored. Positive Youth Development and Primary Caring Adults will be defined and elaborated on during the training. Participants will learn a variety of strategies in supporting adolescence in the foster care system and in the process of aging out. Some key processes that will be covered in this training are the APPLA process, Primary Caring Adults, NH Adolescent Program, Adult Living process, NH Trails, the 90-day transition plan, as well as others. |
| Human Trafficking | 6 | It is very important for child protection and juvenile justice service workers to be aware of the problem of human trafficking and to understand the signs and behaviors children, youth, and adults may exhibit when they have or are being exploited. Children and youth in the child protection and juvenile justice system are at higher risk and are more vulnerable to human trafficking. Traffickers use a combination of threats and subtler coercion to draw people into forced labor and sexual exploitation. It is critical that child welfare workers learn strategies and tools for the prevention, assessment, and documentation of human trafficking. The overall goal of this training is for participants to understand their role as professionals working with children and families experiencing human trafficking. |
| Legal Aspects and Legal Writing for CPS | 18 | This course delves into the essential legal aspects and writing skills necessary for effective child protection work in New Hampshire. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the legislative framework shaping current child welfare policy and best practices, their legal authority, and the pivotal role they play within it. Through immersive scenarios and practical examples, participants will navigate the legal process, procedural requirements, and their specific roles within federal and state protections. |