Driving Innovation Through Collaboration

One of the great strengths of the California Title IV-E Education program is its remarkable reach. With IV-E-supported Associates of Arts (A.A.), Bachelor of Social Work (B.A.S.W.) and Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) programs on offer at twenty colleges and universities across California, it’s a program that touches down in every kind of community and creates opportunities for every kind of student. 

But covering so much ground can also pose challenges. Educators may struggle to stay aligned on best practices and learning outcomes across different communities, or they may have to adapt their teaching to meet the needs of different student populations.

Together, project coordinators and curriculum experts from across the IV-E community are working to address these important challenges. Building on more than 30 years of innovation and expertise in social work education, a vibrant, statewide network of workgroups and affinity groups is fostering novel approaches to learning, training and student support. These groups are designed to foster peer learning and knowledge exchange, collaboration and thought partnering, and practice alignment opportunities across programs.

This collaborative approach is already having concrete impacts on how aspiring child welfare workers learn in California. To take just one example, back in 2018, a team of project coordinators, community partners and Title IV-E staff came together to form a workgroup focused on examining training standards related to one of the field’s most important policies: the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). 

Long recognized as the gold standard in child welfare policy, ICWA addresses the painful history of Indian child removal by centering collaboration with tribal communities and culturally responsive interventions in cases of maltreatment, abuse and neglect. Its promise depends on child welfare workers understanding its history and ongoing relevance, as well as their vital role in implementation.

Yet building this knowledge can be challenging. For newcomers, existing ICWA learning materials can feel overwhelming, making it hard to know where to begin or what to prioritize. Instructors, too, can struggle to align their teaching with ICWA policy standards and different county practices.

It’s essential to provide social work students with effective ICWA training because these students are on the frontlines as soon as their internships begin—interacting with individuals and families and even appearing in court. 

Vida Castaneda, senior analyst, Center for Families, Children and the Courts at the Judicial Council of California

That’s why, in the spring of 2025, the IV-E ICWA workgroup initiated a comprehensive revision of the learning modules instructors use to train IV-E students on the Act. 

As a member of the workgroup, Vida Castaneda, senior analyst with the Center for Families, Children and the Courts at the Judicial Council of California, knows how important it is that students understand the stakes of ICWA compliance. “It’s essential to provide social work students with effective ICWA training because these students are on the frontlines as soon as their internships begin—interacting with individuals and families and even appearing in court.” By establishing updated training standards, clarifying learning outcomes and restructuring module content to meet the needs of contemporary learners, the ICWA workgroup is helping to ensure that all students are equipped with these essential competencies. 

As Ms. Castaneda describes, the revised ICWA learning modules will help California’s next generation of child welfare professionals “understand the impact of historical trauma and the importance of cultural connectedness” while also preparing them to “build relationships with tribes and tribal service providers.” 

These revisions are just one example of how workgroups and affinity groups are driving curricular innovation in child welfare education. From new strategies for supporting part-time students to updated resources for addressing the overrepresentation of African American youth in the foster care system, social work experts are building instructional frameworks that support the needs of all learners even as they address some of the most persistent challenges in the child welfare sector. 

This shared commitment to collaboration and innovation across sites, roles and communities ensures California’s next generation of child welfare professionals will receive the training and preparation they need to support children, youth and families in all corners of the state. To learn more about Title IV-E, and how you can benefit from the expertise of child welfare professionals in all corners of the state, click here.