Welcome to the Leadership Academy
Implementation Guide

The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) Leadership Academy is designed to build and support leadership skills critical for the success of child welfare program supervisors, managers and directors. The Leadership Academy’s Implementation Guide provides guidance to child welfare programs who wish to create, develop, and implement a Leadership Academy Program in their own jurisdictions, and integrating the academy into their existing training systems.

It is important to emphasize that the Leadership Academy program development and implementation process is an investment. The estimated timeframe to create, develop, and deliver this effective leadership development approach will take up to 18-20 months for full implementation. Additionally, NCWWI recommends that agencies develop an effective communication strategy designed to create awareness and prepare those who will be involved in the development and implementation process. This strategy provides agency leaders, supervisors, participants, and academy staff with information that fully explains this valuable leadership development program’s time commitment, activities, and expectations. This guide contains key tools and forms that can be utilized to assist and support the communication process.

This guide supports exploring, planning, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining the Academy. It is divided into six (6) sections: overview, planning, trainers and facilitators, coaching, participants, and self-assessments. Each section contains recommended downloadable templates, forms, and documents specific for each component area. Additionally, the classroom curricula and training materials are available in formats that allow programs to customize the content. This comprehensive guide offers:

  • An overview of the Leadership Academy components, principles, competencies and learning objectives
  • Steps to prepare for implementation, including timelines and needed resources
  • Access to the curriculum content
  • Materials for Training of Trainers and Training of Coaches
  • Lessons learned and suggested strategies for successful implementation
  • Evaluation and materials
  • 360º assessment materials
  • Examples to illustrate key concepts

If implemented as designed, learners who complete the Leadership Academy will become nimble leaders, able to identify and tackle both technical and adaptive challenges and to support their programs in achieving their full potential.

Overview Video

The following video provides an overview of the Leadership Academy and the investment that is needed to implement it.