Welcome to the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute. Our purpose is to develop and support a child welfare workforce that can equitably meet the needs of the most vulnerable children and families. NCWWI promotes organizational interventions focused on developing and retaining a diverse and effective workforce by supporting partnerships among public and tribal child welfare programs and schools of social work. NCWWI workforce development activities promote:
- Learning: Fostering continuous learning that is inclusive, interactive, reflective, and relevant
- Leading: Cultivating diverse leadership at all levels of child welfare programs
- Changing: Strengthening capacity of public and tribal child welfare programs to create inclusive learning organizations that can provide innovative and family centered services
NCWWI Vision
Innovative and inclusive organizational leadership, high performing staff, and diverse partners who are prepared and committed to pursue excellence and sustainable systemic change in service of improved outcomes that are equitable and just for children, youth and families.
NCWWI Projects
- Workforce Excellence: NCWWI is supporting seven Workforce Excellence sites (child welfare programs and their university partners) to build an effective, sustainable child welfare workforce. The NCWWI Workforce Excellence sites are engaged in systems change efforts that include evaluating the health of their organization, creating stipend plans with their university partners, and using evidence-informed strategies to build the leadership skills of their workforce.
- Interdisciplinary Education: In 2021 NCWWI received funding from the Children’s Bureau for a one-year pilot initiative to support and enhance current interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate education programs in community colleges, tribal colleges, colleges, and universities that improve training on how to prevent, identify, and respond to child abuse across various sectors. Three sites are funded for the 2021-22 academic year: University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, the University of South Dakota School of Health Sciences, and the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Mississippi.
- Breakthrough Series Collaborative: In 2023 NCWWI is launching Cultivating a Sustainable Workforce: a NCWWI Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC) to improve the recruitment and retention of the child welfare workforce. We are excited to offer this opportunity to six public and six tribal child welfare program sites to engage in a dynamic learning process that cultivates a healthy, equitable, sustainable workforce. Click here for more information and to apply.
Children’s Bureau Staff
- Rebecca Huffman, NCWWI Federal Project Officer, Capacity Building Division
- Robert Lindecamp, Consultant, ICF International at the Children’s Bureau
Partners
NCWWI is funded through a cooperative agreement with the Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children & Families, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Our partners are five universities committed to principles of collaboration. We honor the traditional and current Native inhabitants of the land where we reside and work.
