Department of Economic Security - Division of Children, Youth and Families - Child Protective Services - On-the-Job Training and Continuing Education

The Division needs to take additional actions to ensure that all new case managers receive consistent and effective on-the-job (i.e., field) training and to complete the development of a formal continuing education program for CPS staff. Although the Division reports placing increased emphasis on field training consistency, field training continues to differ from trainee to trainee. To ensure that new case managers receive consistent and effective field training, the Division needs to adopt comprehensive training policies, finalize its draft field training manual, formally train all supervisors who provide field training, and better monitor whether trainees receive required and effective field training.

Further, the Division provides some continuing education opportunities for its CPS staff and is working to develop a formal continuing education program. However, in doing so, the Division needs to take a number of steps, including establishing a timeline for completing the program, formalizing its continuing education requirements in policy, establishing a mechanism for monitoring whether staff are receiving the required continuing education, and monitoring the program’s effectiveness.