Event Date
Sept. 8, 11:30am-6pm; Sept. 9, 730am-6pm; and Sept. 10, 8am-330pm
Registration is now closed for this event
The Northern Academy at UC Davis Human Services is delighted to host the 2025 West Coast Child Welfare Trainer's Conference (WCCWTC) at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena! At this event, we unite trainers across the West Coast to share knowledge, strengthen connections and elevate child welfare training.
This year’s theme, Going for Gold: Bridging Connections in Training Excellence, celebrates our collective pursuit of excellence and the power of collaborative learning. Don't miss this opportunity to strike gold in training excellence and contribute to lasting positive change for our child welfare workforce and the children, families and communities we serve.
Who Should Attend
Child welfare trainers, coaches, programmers, evaluators and workforce development staff are warmly invited to attend. The conference is a perfect forum for new and experienced trainers to exchange ideas, improve skills and support each other in their efforts to improve the care provided to children, families and their communities.
Staying Affordable
Each year, the conference planning committee and the host institution volunteer their time to keep costs affordable for child welfare training programs on limited budgets. Except for an occasional paid keynote speaker, every presenter pays his or her own way and stays to enjoy the rest of the conference.
What Makes WCCWTC Special?
This isn’t just a conference—it’s a warm, grassroots gathering where child welfare trainers connect, share stories and grow together. For more than 30 years, it’s felt more like a conversation over coffee than a formal event, with a focus on how we train through engaging, hands-on methods. Long breaks and evening socials make space for real connection and community among those dedicated to improving training and workforce development in child welfare.
2025 Program Preview and Highlights
Program Agenda
Access our full program agenda
Keynote Speakers
Seminar Topics for 2025
We're excited to share that the first day of WCCWTC 2025 will offer four in-depth seminars, giving participants the opportunity to dive deeper into key topics in a way that is not usually possible in a standard workshop. These seminars will have content prepared by the facilitator(s), and will also create space and opportunity for participants to share about their work and approach and to plan to apply what they have learned to their organization or practice. We invite you to join us for a deep dive on:
- Narratives That Teach: Centering Lived Experience in Child Welfare- Dawne' Lynch, Dawn Carini and Mark Amacher
- Getting to the Heart of the Matter—Training to the Affective Domain- Nora Gerber and Chris Bowling
- Simulation Training- A Multi-State Panel and Discussion- Amanda Meyer and Alex McNeal
- Designing Child Welfare Training using Authentic Assessment- Megan Hellum
Enrollment Information
Enrollment is now closed for this event.
Lodging
The conference will be hosted at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown - Arena location (300 J. Street, Sacramento, CA).
For More Information
For additional details about upcoming events, please join here so we can keep you updated as the conference approaches.
If you have any questions, please call (530) 757-8725 or email academy@ucdavis.edu