Butler Institute For Families

Butler has partnered with the Kempe Center, the Colorado Foster Parent Association, and Ridgewood to form a Central Management Organization (CMO). This CMO will provide training for Colorado’s Child Welfare System through a contract with the Colorado Department of Human Services. Butler has been training Colorado’s child welfare professionals since 1996.

Project Timeframe: July 2013-June 2018

Project Summary:

Through this CMO, training will be provided at four regional training centers. These centers are located in the Denver Metro area, Fremont county, Garfield county and Larimer county. Butler will be responsible for managing the Metro area training center as well as partnering with the state, counties, and other groups to identify and provide training that meets the needs of child welfare workers in each region. Butler has primary responsibility for the following areas of training during the first year of CMO operation:

• Colorado State Child Welfare Training Academy
  • This intensive multi-day training is required for all new child welfare workers in Colorado

• Ongoing Caseworker Training
  • Family Reunification
  • Specialized Interviewing Skills for Children of Latency Age
  • Using Psychological Assessment Information in Child Welfare Case Planning

• Colorado State Supervisor Training Academy
  • This intensive multi-day training is required for all new child welfare supervisors in Colorado

• Ongoing Supervisor Training
  • Compassion Fatigue
  • Digging Deeper Than Deadlines
  • Leading from 2 Steps Behind
  • Leading Positive Change
  • What Makes Them Tick? Facing the Challenges of Underperforming Employees

Project website: www.coloradocwts.com

Partners: Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatmetn of Child Abuse (PI), Colorado State Foster Parent Association, and Ridgewood Associates Public Relations

Funded/Sponsored by: Colorado Department of Human Services

Contact Information: Linda.Metsger@du.edu or (303) 871-2910

The following training has been developed and/or revised under this grant.

New Worker Training Academy:

We developed the curriculum and provide the training for all new child welfare workers in the State’s Child Welfare Training Academy System:

• New Worker Module 1: Child Welfare – Exploring the Roots and Finding your Perspective 

• New Worker Module 2: Engagement – Meeting Families Where They Are 
• New Worker Module 3: Assessment – Finding What Is and Building On What’s Possible 
• New Worker Module 4: Trauma – Understanding the Impact on Child Development 
• New Worker Module 5: On-going – Partnerships for Future Success 
• New Worker Module 6: Strategies – Mitigating Crisis and Improving Well-being 
• New Worker Module 7: Practice – Integrating Safety, Permanency and Well-being 

New Supervisor Training Academy: Putting the Pieces Together

The New Supervisory Training Academy is a result of the 2009 Governor’s Action Committee to improve training for workers and supervisors in Colorado public child welfare.  New supervisors hired in Colorado must complete the training academy prior to taking on supervisory responsibility for child welfare staff.

This four-module, ten-day training is designed to provide the foundational skills necessary for new supervisors in public child welfare as they prepare to be leaders in child welfare. 

• New Supervisor Module 1: Supervisor as Leader and Manager – Administrative Supervision
• New Supervisor Module 2: Supervisor as Coach – Educational Supervision
• New Supervisor Module 3: Supervisor as Clinician – Clinical Supervision
• New Supervisor Module 4: Supervisor as Team Leader – Supportive Supervision

Ongoing Caseworker Training:

• Family Reunification
• Specialized Interviewing Skills for Children of Latency Age
• Using Psychological Assessment Information in Child Welfare Case Planning

• Culturally Diverse Anatomical Drawings -

Anatomical drawings are a common tool used when interviewing children regarding possible sexual abuse. In order to minimize trauma, best practice suggests that the use of a drawing close to the child’s age and race is important; yet culturally diverse drawings are scarce.

The  Butler Institute has created a set of four options for use with children of different races. Although not all encompassing, these options allow various choices for the interviewer and/or the child.

If you would like a copy of these drawings please contact Christa.Doty@du.edu.

• The DR Institute: Skills For Engagement Presentation-

Take a look at the PowerPoint from the presentation that our very own Missy Berglund, along with current child welfare practitioners from the Differential Response counties, presented at the 2012 Colorado Child Welfare Summit.  The presentation was an introduction to several tools for engagement being used throughout the state.

• Fun Facts to break the ice during training -
  • Slide Show version (PDF)
  • Printable Version (PDF)