Training Requirements

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Requirements

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Caseworker Training Requirements

Mandated Core Training

The ORC requires that newly hired caseworker complete 102 hours of Core training within their first year of employment. The Caseworker Core Series must be taken in sequence and consists of the following eight modules:

For a brief description of each module, click here.

To link to the Regional Training Centers' staff training calendars, click here.

Attendance at the learning labs that accompany Modules II, IV, and V is not required, but is strongly recommended, as the labs are designed to help participants take what they learned in the workshop to a skill level through practice and application. In addition, the new Core Series utilizes pre- and post training assignments.

Click here to view a checklist outlining the sequence of the eight Caseworker Core Modules, along with listing of all pre- and post training assignments and recommended learning labs for their corresponding modules.

Mandated Non-Core Training
Caseworkers are required to receive 12 hours of Domestic Violence training within two years of hire.

Mandated Ongoing Training
After completing the Core Series in their first year, caseworkers are required to attend 36 hours of ongoing training each year thereafter.   The workshops attended should be those identified by completing the Individual Training Needs Assessment (ITNA).

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Supervisor/Manager Core Training Requirements

Mandated Core Training

The ORC requires that new casework supervisors/managers complete 72 hours of Core training within 18 months of begining work as a supervisor/manager.  

The Supervisor/Manager Core Series must be taken in sequence and consists of the following six modules:

For a description of the content covered in each module click here.

To link to the Regional Training Centers' staff training calendars, click here.

Click here to view a checklist outlining the sequence of the six Supervisor/Manager Core Modules, along with a list of all pre- and post training assignments.

Mandated Ongoing Training

After completing the Core Series in their first 18 months, casework supervisors are required to attend 30 hours of ongoing training each year thereafter.  The workshops attended should be those identified by completing the Individual Training Needs Assessment (ITNA).

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Foster & Adoption Assessor Training Requirements

Foster & Adoption Assessor training, mandated by sections 3107.015 and 5103.0324 of the Ohio Revised Code, is required for all social workers providing adoption services in Ohio and for social workers who complete foster care home studies.  The following requirements must be met by all individuals in Ohio who conduct adoptive/foster family assessments, counsel birth families regarding permanency decisions for their children, or supervise adoptive placements: 

	Must be employed by, or under contract to, a licensed adoption agency or county Probate Court;
	Must be currently licensed in Ohio under either Chapter 4757 or Chapter 4732 of the Ohio Revised Code (if conducting adoption work for a private agency or Probate Court) as: • A social worker • A professional counselor • A marriage and family therapist • A psychologist  OR
	Must be employed by a public children services agency;
	Must have completed Tier I Foster & Adoption Assessor workshops (6 days of training) within one year (12 months) of taking first Assessor course; and completed Tier II Foster & Adoption Assessor workshops within 3 years of completion of Tier I.

Advanced training is required for those assessors who have completed both Tier I and Tier II.   Six hours of training specific to adoption or foster care must be documented on the JFS 01680 form every two years following completion of Tier II workshops.  The advanced adoption or foster care training may be selected by the assessor to be germane to their area of adoption or foster care practice and may be obtained through a conference or through the Ohio Child Welfare Training Program.  It is the responsibility of the assessor and agency to maintain copies of training certificates and to update the JFS 01680 form.

Those assessors who have completed Tiers I and II and did not continue their biannual six-hour training requirement must complete a 12-hour refresher course on assessor information, available through the Ohio Child Welfare Training Program.  This refresher course will assure returning assessors have updated information on changes in practice, policy, and rule.  If the refresher course is needed, it is the responsibility of the assessor and agency to maintain copies of the training certificate and to update the JFS 01680 form.

Students completing field placement or newly hired staff must have the signature of another certified assessor on all family assessments, voluntary surrenders, and reports to Probate Court for adoption legalization.  Individuals may not contract their services or work independently of a licensed agency for attorneys or families.   

Assessors must keep copies of their training certificates in their personnel files, and copies should be kept in their personal possession in case of job changes.  A completed JFS 01680 form must be kept in the personnel file of each Assessor, and a copy should be mailed to the ODJFS Adoption Section, P.O. 182709, Columbus, OH  43218-2709. Assessors are certified upon completion of Tier I; certification must be kept current with the completion of Tier II within three years.   

Agencies and assessors may be monitored for compliance with these regulations by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.  In addition, workers can be required to produce documentation of their credentials if adoptions they have facilitated are challenged in court.  An assessor may be reported to the Ohio Counselor and Social Worker Board if Assessor certification requirements are not met.  If required credentials cannot be produced, adoptions are not valid.  Agencies bear liability for assuring consumers that the adoptions facilitated by their agencies will be legally valid.   

Assessors must complete all Tier I workshops before taking Tier II training. Assessors must pre-register for all workshops offered through the OCWTP.  Credits for the Ohio Counselor and Social Work Board are given to both counselors and social workers. 

Assessors may link to 5101:2-48-06 in the Ohio Administrative Code to review requirements for assessors.

To view descriptions of each Tier I and Tier II Foster & Adoption Assessor Module, click here.

To view statewide Foster & Adoption Assessor training calendars, click here.

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Foster Caregiver Training Requirements

The Ohio Child Welfare Training Program provides in-service training to licensed foster caregivers.  Each caregiver must complete training commensurate with the level of fostering they provide:   

The in-service or continuing training topics must reflect the training needs of each foster caregiver, as identified by his or her recommending agency.  Some of the topics listed below might be training needs of foster caregivers, but continuing training workshops are not limited to these topics. 

Workshops designed to meet the identified training needs of caregivers are provided at the eight Regional Training Centers and public children service agencies throughout the state.  Foster caregivers should contact their Regional Training Center for a calendar of workshops.  Click here for links to RTC foster parent training calendars.

The OCWTP has developed a series of workshops designed for newly licensed foster caregivers. These curricula build on the learning provided during Preservice training and allow caregivers to go beyond awareness and knowledge by developing skills.  While this series focuses on foster parents early in their foster care careers, it can also benefit seasoned foster caregivers who display training needs in any of the competencies trained in the Foster Care Fundamental series.

To view brief descriptions of all foster caregiver courses, click here.

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