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Core for Social Workers

About the Core for Social Workers Training Program

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS), in cooperation with the California Social Work Education Center (CalSWEC) and the Statewide Curriculum Development Oversight Group (CDOG), has developed standardized curricula in the Core for Social Workers ("Core") program to be used statewide for the mandatory training of child welfare social workers and supervisors. Instructors are experts in the field of child welfare who use a variety of teaching methods based on adult learning theory and best practices.

Who Should Attend

Core for Social Workers is intended for new child welfare services staff, staff transitioning into new job responsibilities and/or experienced workers who have not received formal training in the standardized core subject areas.

Training Structure

Core for Social Workers fulfills primary standardized core curricula requirements and includes six total modules consisting of 18 classes, 10 eLearnings and 5 field activities to be completed over a six-month period for standard cohorts or a two-month period for fast track cohorts. Classroom days are blocked together and held each month with a duration ranging from 2 to 4 days per month. Participants must complete all Core requirements (classroom, eLearnings and field activities) to receive a certificate of completion and meet state training requirements (all requirements must be completed within 12 months of hire).

Additional Training Requirement for Core: CWS/CMS Training

There is now a CWS/CMS training requirement for Core in addition to the sequence of classes, eLearnings and field activities. The CWS/CMS training requirement is fulfilled by completing the first day of our CWS/CMS for New Users training; however, it is strongly recommended that you complete all four days of the training. Students who are not from Consortium counties may register for CWS/CMS for New Users online here. Students from Consortium counties may register online here.

How to Enroll

To enroll, select the title of the course you are interested in, review the course details, then click the "Enroll Now" button. You’ll be redirected to the California Child Welfare Training System (CACWT), where you will be required to log in to your account and follow the prompts to complete your registration. If you do not have a CACWT account, please contact your county training coordinator to request a profile be created for you.

Questions? If you need help enrolling or have any questions, contact us at (530) 757-8725 or academy@ucdavis.edu

Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

Participants enrolled in Northern Academy courses are eligible to receive credit from UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education through Continuing Education Units (CEUs). To learn more about CEUs, please visit our Credit Services webpage.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Core Returning to Primarily In-Person Format

The Northern Academy and the counties we serve are grateful that virtual training provided a way to address the training needs of our valuable colleagues and community partners throughout the pandemic. Feedback from our participants, county colleagues and internal staff—both through informal communication and structured feedback highlighted in evaluations and focus group sessions—has emphasized the need to now return to in-person classes as much as logistically possible. For new social workers attending Core, it is especially important that they can participate in person so they can meaningfully engage in this crucial training experience.

Attending in-person training may present a hardship for some workers in our region due to accessibility concerns. To accommodate, we are offering a limited selection of virtual cohorts by application. Priority will be given to staff who:

  • Come from extremely small frontier counties who hire only one or two people at a time;
  • Live more than 2 hours away from any available in-person cohorts; and/or
  • Have a unique hardship that would prevent them from attending in-person trainings

If you meet any of the above requirements and have the approval of a supervisor to attend virtually, simply choose "enroll now" on any available virtual cohorts to begin the application process.

Core and COVID Safety

The Northern Academy follows UC Davis COVID-19 protocols for in-person instruction. Trainings held off-campus may have additional requirements. Enrolled participants will be notified in advance of any site- and/or county-specific requirements. Any updates to campus protocols will be communicated to participants as soon as the information becomes available. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this transitory period.