A video series filmed at the University of Illinois Springfield’s Child Protection Training Academy is serving as a national simulation training model for preparing child welfare workers and students for working with at-risk children and families.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for States, part of the Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative and a service of the Children’s Bureau, filmed the academy’s simulation scenarios and conducted interviews at the UIS residential simulation lab and mock courtroom earlier this year.
The videos and other resources on the new “Keeping it Real” website will be used by child welfare agencies throughout the country to prepare child welfare workers and students for difficult interactions with families, as they investigate cases of suspected child abuse.
The Center for States hopes the videos will help agencies learn about the benefits, costs and considerations for implementing similar training programs in their states.
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on October 16, 2020.
Showing posts with label Child Protection Training Academy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Child Protection Training Academy. Show all posts
Friday, October 16, 2020
Thursday, April 30, 2020
UIS and DCFS Partner To Reimagine Child Welfare For A Socially Distant Reality
Betsy Goulet has worked to help and protect children since the late 80s.
After a brief stint as a Child Protective Investigator for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, she went on to found such groups as the Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center and advise public leaders on at-risk youth and victims of childhood violence.
She’s now a faculty member at the University of Illinois Springfield, and is promoting a training program called the Child Protection Training Academy. It’s designed to retain new DCFS investigators that often leave the position after a few years by preparing them for what they may face in a client’s home.
Goulet believes state investigators are more crucial than ever in the COVID-19 era, and the type of training the Academy provides might be able to keep department ranks strong.
“We know that calls are down nationally to the hotline. And that's attributable, I'm sure, to the fact that kids are not at school, and so they're lacking those eyes and ears. Teachers are among the highest level of reporters to the hotline and so without their observation, without their notification, children aren't being reported. But calls are still coming in and investigators are still doing in-person meetings as best they can to protect themselves and to the people that they're interacting with.”
“Right now, we are meeting almost every day as an academy team with our DCFS colleagues to figure out how to improve training, how to translate what is usually on-ground simulation training to an online environment. And so we've been teaching problem based learning, we've been coming up with some other types of in-services that we can give to the field. But I am quite impressed with how the department has adapted to what is normally not an easy task. This is reimagining child welfare in a pretty vast way.”
This story aired on NPS Illinois on April 29, 2020.
Read and listen to the entire story.
After a brief stint as a Child Protective Investigator for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, she went on to found such groups as the Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center and advise public leaders on at-risk youth and victims of childhood violence.
She’s now a faculty member at the University of Illinois Springfield, and is promoting a training program called the Child Protection Training Academy. It’s designed to retain new DCFS investigators that often leave the position after a few years by preparing them for what they may face in a client’s home.
Goulet believes state investigators are more crucial than ever in the COVID-19 era, and the type of training the Academy provides might be able to keep department ranks strong.
“We know that calls are down nationally to the hotline. And that's attributable, I'm sure, to the fact that kids are not at school, and so they're lacking those eyes and ears. Teachers are among the highest level of reporters to the hotline and so without their observation, without their notification, children aren't being reported. But calls are still coming in and investigators are still doing in-person meetings as best they can to protect themselves and to the people that they're interacting with.”
“Right now, we are meeting almost every day as an academy team with our DCFS colleagues to figure out how to improve training, how to translate what is usually on-ground simulation training to an online environment. And so we've been teaching problem based learning, we've been coming up with some other types of in-services that we can give to the field. But I am quite impressed with how the department has adapted to what is normally not an easy task. This is reimagining child welfare in a pretty vast way.”
This story aired on NPS Illinois on April 29, 2020.
Read and listen to the entire story.
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Central IL Rep. wants to ban mechanical restraints, add new DCFS child investigators
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is facing backlash from the Governor and children's rights advocates after a child was shackled in a transport vehicle Monday.
Gov. JB Pritzker says he is furious another child was subject to hard restraints, as DCFS banned the practice last fall. DCFS Spokesman Jassen Strokosch says the agency has fired the contract employee responsible for the incident. The group has also terminated their contract with the transport company, Jim Stewart Transportation.
Rep. Sue Scherer filed a bill in November to make it illegal to use mechanical restraints on children in foster care. That was just days after DCFS officials admitted two teenagers were put in handcuffs and shackled at their ankles during a transport. She says these situations have to stop.
The downstate Democrat is also trying to help add staff for the department.
House Bill 3959 would add criminal justice as an accepted degree for child protective investigator applicants. Currently, DCFS looks for applicants with a bachelor's degree in a human services area such as law enforcement, early childhood development, etc.
Dr. Betsy Goulet runs the Child Advocacy Studies Program - or CAST - at the University of Illinois Springfield. The program has helped over 750 graduates become new investigators over the last four years.
Goulet says this bill is great for students interested in investigation and child protection. "We have seen a wide range of people coming to this work. It's very important that the pool is a little bit broader, that there's more people interested in this because it's so hard," said Goulet. "It's a very complex job."
She hopes DCFS will look to her criminal justice students from the CAST program to fill some of their vacancies. "These are students who understand mandated reporting," said Goulet. "They understand what an investigation entails, what happens when a child discloses, who usually responds and more important than anything it's all trauma-informed."
This story appeared on WGEM TV on February 12, 2020.
Watch the entire story online.
Gov. JB Pritzker says he is furious another child was subject to hard restraints, as DCFS banned the practice last fall. DCFS Spokesman Jassen Strokosch says the agency has fired the contract employee responsible for the incident. The group has also terminated their contract with the transport company, Jim Stewart Transportation.
Rep. Sue Scherer filed a bill in November to make it illegal to use mechanical restraints on children in foster care. That was just days after DCFS officials admitted two teenagers were put in handcuffs and shackled at their ankles during a transport. She says these situations have to stop.
The downstate Democrat is also trying to help add staff for the department.
House Bill 3959 would add criminal justice as an accepted degree for child protective investigator applicants. Currently, DCFS looks for applicants with a bachelor's degree in a human services area such as law enforcement, early childhood development, etc.
Dr. Betsy Goulet runs the Child Advocacy Studies Program - or CAST - at the University of Illinois Springfield. The program has helped over 750 graduates become new investigators over the last four years.
Goulet says this bill is great for students interested in investigation and child protection. "We have seen a wide range of people coming to this work. It's very important that the pool is a little bit broader, that there's more people interested in this because it's so hard," said Goulet. "It's a very complex job."
She hopes DCFS will look to her criminal justice students from the CAST program to fill some of their vacancies. "These are students who understand mandated reporting," said Goulet. "They understand what an investigation entails, what happens when a child discloses, who usually responds and more important than anything it's all trauma-informed."
This story appeared on WGEM TV on February 12, 2020.
Watch the entire story online.
Monday, August 26, 2019
New Lab Trains Welfare Workers Who Probe Child Abuse Claims
The troubling scene inside the dingy Chicago apartment seems real: dangling exposed wires, open pill bottles near a sleeping baby and a kitchen strewn with dog feces and cockroaches.
But the mock apartment — with a lifelike infant doll, candles emitting foul smells and plastic insects — is part of a new simulation lab to train workers who investigate child abuse claims across Illinois.
"Sometimes textbooks, they sugarcoat things. Teachers sugarcoat things, but this is real life," said Beth Brown of Murphysboro, who recently trained at the so-called "dirty apartment." ''This is what you're going to experience."
Illinois' use of such experiential training focused on child welfare workers is being held up by experts as a national leader as the state plans to expand with a third simulation lab and its university experts write new research on the topic.
The use of simulation training isn't unusual for first-responders: Many medical schools have opened multimillion-dollar facilities. However, it's a newer concept in child welfare, said Victor Vieth, a longtime expert who has trained child protective workers nationwide.
The first child welfare simulation labs emerged roughly 15 years ago at universities.
The first lab opened in 2016 inside a home on the University of Illinois Springfield campus that was a gift.
Some experts suggest the simulation training could help, particularly with burnout. Illinois researchers are studying data from the centers.
UIS professor Betsy Goulet, who helped design the centers, said early signs suggest trainees are less likely to leave.
For Brown, 40, the simulations are refreshing after the classroom. "It's not something that a teacher can tell you what to do," she said. "This is something you need to experience in order to get better and understand the job."
This article appeared in U.S. News & World Report on August 23, 2019.
Read the entire article online.
"Sometimes textbooks, they sugarcoat things. Teachers sugarcoat things, but this is real life," said Beth Brown of Murphysboro, who recently trained at the so-called "dirty apartment." ''This is what you're going to experience."
Illinois' use of such experiential training focused on child welfare workers is being held up by experts as a national leader as the state plans to expand with a third simulation lab and its university experts write new research on the topic.
The use of simulation training isn't unusual for first-responders: Many medical schools have opened multimillion-dollar facilities. However, it's a newer concept in child welfare, said Victor Vieth, a longtime expert who has trained child protective workers nationwide.
The first child welfare simulation labs emerged roughly 15 years ago at universities.
The first lab opened in 2016 inside a home on the University of Illinois Springfield campus that was a gift.
Some experts suggest the simulation training could help, particularly with burnout. Illinois researchers are studying data from the centers.
UIS professor Betsy Goulet, who helped design the centers, said early signs suggest trainees are less likely to leave.
For Brown, 40, the simulations are refreshing after the classroom. "It's not something that a teacher can tell you what to do," she said. "This is something you need to experience in order to get better and understand the job."
This article appeared in U.S. News & World Report on August 23, 2019.
Read the entire article online.
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
University offers training for frontline workers
The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has come under intense scrutiny this year, after several children who had cases with them died.
WCIA went to the Child Protection Training Academy at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) where they train case workers and investigators to better spot and report kids who might be in danger.
The training model called Project Forecast walks the workers through real-life scenarios, showing them how to keep children in Illinois safe.
“Other industries use simulation as a way to get a sense of what to expect when you do this job. But child welfare really didn’t have that kind of realism or those kinds of environments,” said Betsy Goulet, Child Advocacy Studies coordinator at UIS.
The program features encounters with at-risk children different environments to show the frontline workers the proper way to respond.
More than 700 caseworkers have been trained by the academy since 2015.
We watched trainees walk through an experience with a traumatized toddler at a hospital. Organizers said adding scenarios in an actual medical setting makes a big difference.
“Understanding the dialogue you have to have between the medical provider when you are getting information in an ER setting, you can imagine what kind of chaos and constant distractions in an ER, you have to find the right way to communicate,” Goulet said.
The training is made possible through a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) federal grant. All three U of I campuses collaborated to teach workers in their first statewide project.
This story aired on WCIA Channel 3 on August 9, 2019.
Read the entire story online.
WCIA went to the Child Protection Training Academy at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) where they train case workers and investigators to better spot and report kids who might be in danger.
The training model called Project Forecast walks the workers through real-life scenarios, showing them how to keep children in Illinois safe.
“Other industries use simulation as a way to get a sense of what to expect when you do this job. But child welfare really didn’t have that kind of realism or those kinds of environments,” said Betsy Goulet, Child Advocacy Studies coordinator at UIS.
The program features encounters with at-risk children different environments to show the frontline workers the proper way to respond.
More than 700 caseworkers have been trained by the academy since 2015.
We watched trainees walk through an experience with a traumatized toddler at a hospital. Organizers said adding scenarios in an actual medical setting makes a big difference.
“Understanding the dialogue you have to have between the medical provider when you are getting information in an ER setting, you can imagine what kind of chaos and constant distractions in an ER, you have to find the right way to communicate,” Goulet said.
The training is made possible through a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) federal grant. All three U of I campuses collaborated to teach workers in their first statewide project.
This story aired on WCIA Channel 3 on August 9, 2019.
Read the entire story online.
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
DCFS simulation gives inside look at challenges investigators face
Imagine knocking on a door of parents accused of abusing their children and asking them tough questions.
This is what investigators do on a daily basis.
"It can be a very draining job, mentally, emotionally and physically,” said Susan Evans, executive director of Child Protection Training Academy.
One of the jobs that the Department of Children and Family Services is tasked with is making sure children are safe. In order to do this job, DCFS investigators have to enter the homes of people accused of horrible crimes.
Reporter Ana Espinosa was given the opportunity to participate in the training that DCFS investigators must complete.
UIS instructors and former investigators are monitoring every moment from another room while actors recreate the fear and anxiety of losing their children. Usually, an investigator is alone with parents that can be influenced by drugs or alcohol because these investigators can’t call ahead and let families know they are going to be there. An investigator must ask parents difficult and personal questions about allegations of abuse or neglect.
"We want to err on the side of the child,” Evans said. “We want to keep children safe. But, it is inherently complex and it’s something that is very difficult to describe unless you have experienced it."
Before ever walking into the training, Espinosa spent hours reading policies and procedures just like investigators-in-training. "You can study the laws and procedures that you have been doing but then to put them into practice professionally but with intention,” Evans said. “You know, that’s why we do simulation." But there are no step-by-step instructions on how to act in these situations.
More than 600 DCFS investigators have been through this training.
This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on May 20, 2019.
Watch the entire story online.
"It can be a very draining job, mentally, emotionally and physically,” said Susan Evans, executive director of Child Protection Training Academy.
One of the jobs that the Department of Children and Family Services is tasked with is making sure children are safe. In order to do this job, DCFS investigators have to enter the homes of people accused of horrible crimes.
Reporter Ana Espinosa was given the opportunity to participate in the training that DCFS investigators must complete.
UIS instructors and former investigators are monitoring every moment from another room while actors recreate the fear and anxiety of losing their children. Usually, an investigator is alone with parents that can be influenced by drugs or alcohol because these investigators can’t call ahead and let families know they are going to be there. An investigator must ask parents difficult and personal questions about allegations of abuse or neglect.
"We want to err on the side of the child,” Evans said. “We want to keep children safe. But, it is inherently complex and it’s something that is very difficult to describe unless you have experienced it."
Before ever walking into the training, Espinosa spent hours reading policies and procedures just like investigators-in-training. "You can study the laws and procedures that you have been doing but then to put them into practice professionally but with intention,” Evans said. “You know, that’s why we do simulation." But there are no step-by-step instructions on how to act in these situations.
More than 600 DCFS investigators have been through this training.
This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on May 20, 2019.
Watch the entire story online.
Tuesday, July 3, 2018
Court simulation trains future DCFS workers
Jamie Anderon took the stand Friday morning.
“What caused you concern for the safety of these two small children?” asked an attorney seated behind a small stack of photographs.
“There were several prescription bottles found throughout the living room … on low tables in reach of the children,” Anderson said. “There were pills, and some of the bottles had various types of pills.”
At the defense table, a man and woman in T-shirts argued in whispers.
The hearing wasn’t held in a courtroom, though. It was held in studio space at the University of Illinois Springfield. As part of the school’s Child Advocacy Studies program, aspiring child welfare workers testify in mock hearings with experienced attorneys and a judge.
“We give them a chance to take what they’re learning about the law and procedures and actually put them into practice through simulation,” said Susan Evans, Executive Director of the Child Protection Training Academy at UIS.
The program also includes a simulation lab in which actors conduct home visits with two “parents,” played by standardized patients from SIU School of Medicine.
Anderson the experience was surreal. She explained her desire to pursue a career in child welfare. “I grew up in the social work environment. I was in foster care for most of my life, so that guided my focus in college of what I wanted to do,” Anderson said. “I had a good caseworker when I was younger, so she kind of helped set the focus of what I wanted to do with my life."
Every DCFS investigator in Illinois is required to take part in the training at UIS, Evans said. So far, 485 new DCFS investigators have taken part in the training.
This story aired on WAND TV on July 2, 2018.
Watch the story online.
“What caused you concern for the safety of these two small children?” asked an attorney seated behind a small stack of photographs.
“There were several prescription bottles found throughout the living room … on low tables in reach of the children,” Anderson said. “There were pills, and some of the bottles had various types of pills.”
At the defense table, a man and woman in T-shirts argued in whispers.
The hearing wasn’t held in a courtroom, though. It was held in studio space at the University of Illinois Springfield. As part of the school’s Child Advocacy Studies program, aspiring child welfare workers testify in mock hearings with experienced attorneys and a judge.
“We give them a chance to take what they’re learning about the law and procedures and actually put them into practice through simulation,” said Susan Evans, Executive Director of the Child Protection Training Academy at UIS.
The program also includes a simulation lab in which actors conduct home visits with two “parents,” played by standardized patients from SIU School of Medicine.
Anderson the experience was surreal. She explained her desire to pursue a career in child welfare. “I grew up in the social work environment. I was in foster care for most of my life, so that guided my focus in college of what I wanted to do,” Anderson said. “I had a good caseworker when I was younger, so she kind of helped set the focus of what I wanted to do with my life."
Every DCFS investigator in Illinois is required to take part in the training at UIS, Evans said. So far, 485 new DCFS investigators have taken part in the training.
This story aired on WAND TV on July 2, 2018.
Watch the story online.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Training crucial to real-life work
University of Illinois Springfield students, interested in protecting children, are getting a front row seat to a day on the job.
On Wednesday, a national organization training professionals in the field stopped on campus. They're showing students the best way to respond to a child abuse call.
It's part of an initiative to better prepare future workers.
"Don't let him hurt me." A mother in sheer panic, but don't be alarmed. This is an inside look at a mock crime scene. Professionals are practicing how to respond to a child abuse call.
"It's very intense. It's something you're never prepared for." Marlene Constant is the only student on the team. She's playing a forensic investigator. Together, they're trying to find out what went wrong here.
"It was a little surprising, but you really have to be confident of what's going on around you from the temperature of the room to the smells.
"The place is filthy with trash, spoiled food and blood nearly everywhere you look. But, this is an average day on the job. "This is a very important job, but it's very, very difficult, but with the right training, people can do this and they can feel confident in the work that they do."
Betsy Goulet teaches child advocacy studies at UIS. he will be watching all this play out by video in class.
"Hopefully, their experiences in the house have given them a much better sense when they knock on that door."
She says this will help students prepare for jobs in child welfare and law enforcement.
Constant agrees and she's ready for the real world. "It'll help me to understand and pick up on some warning signs that I can be on the lookout for."
DCFS' new hires and UIS students use the home for hands-on training. They say this type of practice will help attract candidates and keep them in their roles.
This story aired on WCIA on September 20, 2017.
Watch the story online.
On Wednesday, a national organization training professionals in the field stopped on campus. They're showing students the best way to respond to a child abuse call.
It's part of an initiative to better prepare future workers.
"Don't let him hurt me." A mother in sheer panic, but don't be alarmed. This is an inside look at a mock crime scene. Professionals are practicing how to respond to a child abuse call.
"It's very intense. It's something you're never prepared for." Marlene Constant is the only student on the team. She's playing a forensic investigator. Together, they're trying to find out what went wrong here.
"It was a little surprising, but you really have to be confident of what's going on around you from the temperature of the room to the smells.
"The place is filthy with trash, spoiled food and blood nearly everywhere you look. But, this is an average day on the job. "This is a very important job, but it's very, very difficult, but with the right training, people can do this and they can feel confident in the work that they do."
Betsy Goulet teaches child advocacy studies at UIS. he will be watching all this play out by video in class.
"Hopefully, their experiences in the house have given them a much better sense when they knock on that door."
She says this will help students prepare for jobs in child welfare and law enforcement.
Constant agrees and she's ready for the real world. "It'll help me to understand and pick up on some warning signs that I can be on the lookout for."
DCFS' new hires and UIS students use the home for hands-on training. They say this type of practice will help attract candidates and keep them in their roles.
This story aired on WCIA on September 20, 2017.
Watch the story online.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
UIS to conduct first responder training with state agency
The University of Illinois Springfield is scheduled to train more than 20 first responders on ways to protect children and families.
The session is planned for Wednesday and will include instructions on how to conduct witness interviews and how to investigate a crime scene.
Attendees will get a chance to be a part of a mock crime scene investigation at a university training facility.
The university founded the Child Protection Training Academy two years ago with the state's child welfare agency.
Over 250 investigators for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services have been trained through the academy.
This story appeared in U.S. News.com on September 20, 2017.
Read the entire article online.
The session is planned for Wednesday and will include instructions on how to conduct witness interviews and how to investigate a crime scene.
Attendees will get a chance to be a part of a mock crime scene investigation at a university training facility.
The university founded the Child Protection Training Academy two years ago with the state's child welfare agency.
Over 250 investigators for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services have been trained through the academy.
This story appeared in U.S. News.com on September 20, 2017.
Read the entire article online.
Thursday, April 13, 2017
UIS looks to recruit more child advocates
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The University of Illinois Springfield is working to recruit more students to help the most vulnerable.
The Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center officials said they see around five to seven kids a week suffering from child abuse.
During a UIS panel, students from the UIS child advocacy studies certification program discussed their experiences in this field. There were about a dozen agencies on hand to allow students to seek internships and possible employment in their offices.
CAST's (Child Advocacy Studies) clinical assistant professor Betsy Goulet told the students be prepared to do more with less funding. "I hoped by the time when I was at this point in my life we would have made greater strides," said Goulet.
CAST is one of three child advocacy programs in the country to earn approval from the national training center.
This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on April 12, 2017.
Watch the story online.
The Sangamon County Child Advocacy Center officials said they see around five to seven kids a week suffering from child abuse.
During a UIS panel, students from the UIS child advocacy studies certification program discussed their experiences in this field. There were about a dozen agencies on hand to allow students to seek internships and possible employment in their offices.
CAST's (Child Advocacy Studies) clinical assistant professor Betsy Goulet told the students be prepared to do more with less funding. "I hoped by the time when I was at this point in my life we would have made greater strides," said Goulet.
CAST is one of three child advocacy programs in the country to earn approval from the national training center.
This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on April 12, 2017.
Watch the story online.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
UIS child advocacy program, one of three in the country
The University of Illinois Springfield is now one of only three child advocacy programs in the country to earn approval from the national training center.
The Child Advocacy Studies Program began at UIS in 2015, but has quickly established itself as top contender in educating child protection professionals.
UIS said it's an important milestone for the program, but it also benefits the students.
“They know that they have completed a certificate that meets a national standard and I think that says something for our program that we have modeled our curriculum after a national program," said Betsy Goulet, professor and clinical assistant.
UIS uses a simulation lab and as well as a mock courtroom on campus to teach students how to help children-at-risk.
This story aired on FOX Illinois on April 11, 2017.
Watch the story online.
The Child Advocacy Studies Program began at UIS in 2015, but has quickly established itself as top contender in educating child protection professionals.
UIS said it's an important milestone for the program, but it also benefits the students.
“They know that they have completed a certificate that meets a national standard and I think that says something for our program that we have modeled our curriculum after a national program," said Betsy Goulet, professor and clinical assistant.
UIS uses a simulation lab and as well as a mock courtroom on campus to teach students how to help children-at-risk.
This story aired on FOX Illinois on April 11, 2017.
Watch the story online.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
DCFS workers learn to spot child abuse at UIS training academy
A partnership between the University of Illinois Springfield and Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is the first of its kind in the country, a university official says.
The state agency and university announced last week the launch of its Child Protection Training Academy, held on the UIS campus.
Susan Evans, recently named director of the Child Protection Training Academy, said the academy will greatly improve training for child welfare investigators, which has been behind the curve.
“Historically, the training has been didactic,” Evans said. “There has been some job shadowing, online webinars and then three to four weeks in the classroom.”
Evans is a 24-year veteran of DCFS who spent 14 years in the field as a child protective investigator and 10 years in the Office of Professional Development.
The story was reported by The State Journal-Register on November 1, 2016.
Read the story online.
The state agency and university announced last week the launch of its Child Protection Training Academy, held on the UIS campus.
Susan Evans, recently named director of the Child Protection Training Academy, said the academy will greatly improve training for child welfare investigators, which has been behind the curve.
“Historically, the training has been didactic,” Evans said. “There has been some job shadowing, online webinars and then three to four weeks in the classroom.”
Evans is a 24-year veteran of DCFS who spent 14 years in the field as a child protective investigator and 10 years in the Office of Professional Development.
The story was reported by The State Journal-Register on November 1, 2016.
Read the story online.
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
UIS and Illinois DCFS partner to launch Child Protection Training Academy
Two organizations are coming together to improve child protection training for investigators of child abuse.
The University of Illinois Springfield Center for State Policy and Leadership is partnering with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to launch a Child Protection Training Academy.
Currently, the academy has already trained nearly 130 new DCFS investigators, utilizing the Residential Simulation Lab and the mock courtroom on the UIS campus. Now, it will expand to include new curricula for supervisors, multidisciplinary team members and a training partnership with the SIU School of Medicine.
Susan Evans is a 24-year veteran of DCFS and the new director of the Academy. She says with a constantly changing landscape and complex cases; investigators need to be well-prepared. “Training is critical, and the investigators who have completed this new simulation training overwhelmingly expressed a desire for additional hours in the simulation labs, practicing the skulls they will need to be confident and competent in the field,” Evans explains.
The Academy was initially created by the Illinois General Assembly back in August 2015 with Public Act 99-0348.
"The lives of children depend on us, and resources like this training academy will help improve the overall quality of our investigations and better serve the most vulnerable," said DCFS Director George H. Sheldon.
This story appeared on WAND TV on October 25, 2016.
Read the entire article online.
The University of Illinois Springfield Center for State Policy and Leadership is partnering with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to launch a Child Protection Training Academy.
Currently, the academy has already trained nearly 130 new DCFS investigators, utilizing the Residential Simulation Lab and the mock courtroom on the UIS campus. Now, it will expand to include new curricula for supervisors, multidisciplinary team members and a training partnership with the SIU School of Medicine.
Susan Evans is a 24-year veteran of DCFS and the new director of the Academy. She says with a constantly changing landscape and complex cases; investigators need to be well-prepared. “Training is critical, and the investigators who have completed this new simulation training overwhelmingly expressed a desire for additional hours in the simulation labs, practicing the skulls they will need to be confident and competent in the field,” Evans explains.
The Academy was initially created by the Illinois General Assembly back in August 2015 with Public Act 99-0348.
"The lives of children depend on us, and resources like this training academy will help improve the overall quality of our investigations and better serve the most vulnerable," said DCFS Director George H. Sheldon.
This story appeared on WAND TV on October 25, 2016.
Read the entire article online.
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