Employment Services: Family Engagement Institute

Family engagement requires the ability to establish and maintain a partnership with family members.  None of these are possible without a strong relationship with the family.  As a result of the introduction of Family Stabilization, tighter budgets and soaring caseloads, CalWORKs, WIA, Employment and other diverse agency programs face new challenges and opportunities in serving a more diverse participant population.  This institute will provide managerial, supervisory and line staff who are serving in diverse roles within CalWORKs, WIA, One Stops or other community partnership programs with new information, knowledge, skills, tools, best practices, program models, strategies and resources to further enhance program outcomes and their participants’ success toward achieving employment and self-sufficiency. 

Managers, supervisors, employment specialists, integrated eligibility caseworkers, vocational counselors, resource specialists, trainers, facilitators and key specialized human service professionals serving in CalWORKs, Employment, WIA, One-Stops or diverse community partnership programs throughout California.  

Learning Objectives

Coaching Skills

  • Re-framing negative statements
  • Identifying the stage of change a customer is in and eliciting change talk
  • Working with resistance in the change process
  • Examining the GROW coaching model

Identifying Strengths and Developing Soft Skills

  • Maintaining a strengths-based, family-focused approach
  • Supporting tradition and honoring the family
  • Observing and assessing the entire family situation
  • Using the OCAT appraisal process to identify strengths
  • Interpreting assessment data/outcomes
  • Identifying referrals to community services
  • Identifying soft skills and how that relates to employment
  • Examining strategies to focus on strengths while addressing barriers

Meaningful WTW Plans

  • Developing and monitoring WTW plans
  • Emphasizing self-sufficiency with relation to time on aid
  • Identifying barriers to self-sufficiency and referrals
  • Creating an action plan with employment, short term and long term goals
  • Using action to keep participants accountable for their own success
Course Code
501412