WHAT: This webinar will provide an overview of Simulation Labs, an innovative technique being utilized with newly-hired children's services social workers at the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in Los Angeles County, as well as undergraduate and graduate social work students.
Simulation is a technique for education and training that has been used in many different disciplines, including aviation, the military, and medicine. It offers guided, "immersive" experiences that evoke or replicate aspects of the real world professional experience in a fully interactive fashion. LA's model was developed and implemented by a multi-disciplinary workgroup consisting of DCFS training staff, child welfare training faculty from four university schools of social work (Cal State University - Los Angeles; Cal State University - Long Beach; UCLA; USC), law enforcement consultants, County attorneys, and other stakeholders. Initially piloted in August 2013, LA's simulation model is an integral component of the County's new worker Foundation training and education for child welfare students, as it is designed to promote, develop, and reinforce key social work skills - client engagement, critical thinking, assessment skills, interviewing techniques, decision-making, analysis, and problem solving - in a team-focused, supportive setting.
Workgroup members will share the strategies involved in creating and implementing this model, including curriculum design, training infrastructure (space, set design, resources) and staffing (facilitators, role-players), as well as lessons learned in designing scenarios to support key learning objectives and competencies, and current efforts to evaluate effectiveness and impact.
WHO: Our distinguished panel of presenters includes
- Harkmore Lee, Director, Center on Child Welfare at California State University, Los Angeles
- Beth Minor, Training Manager, Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services
- Heidi Staples, Director, Center on Child Welfare at UCLA
- Tamera Pruitt, Attorney, Los Angeles County Counsel's Office
For more information, please explore our Presenter Bios.
WHY: The child welfare workforce is a critical factor in strengthening vulnerable children, youth and families. We know there are gaps and challenges we must address to better develop and support the workforce in their challenging yet rewarding roles. This session and its follow-up Learning Exchange will offer agencies, universities and partners the opportunity to learn more about a training and education innovation to help them more strategically intervene...and close the gap by better preparing social work students and new staff for the real world situations they will encounter in the child welfare field.
WHERE: Both the webinar session and learning exchange are offered free of charge via our WebEx platform. These opportunities are open to all, so please share the information with any of your colleagues and networks. Certificates of attendance will be issued to all attendees via email following conclusion of the session.
