Each fiscal year, BAA offers thirteen cycles of Common Core, a state-standardized training series that is designed for newly hired child welfare workers. Common Core was implemented as a single, statewide, required curriculum to ensure all new child welfare social workers receive the foundational training necessary for their work. Most recently, Common Core 3.5 (also referred to as CC3.5) was fully implemented on 7/01/2021.

CC3.5 curricula is delivered via classroom trainings, eLearnings and field activities. In total, CC3.5 consists of 18 classroom trainings, 10 eLearning modules and 5 field activities. Through CC3.5, child welfare workers are trained on content from six distinct blocks, or key practice areas: Foundation, Engagement, Assessment, Case Planning and Service Delivery, Monitoring and Adapting, and Transition. All CC3.5 training materials are available via the California Child Welfare Training LMS (CACWT).

To register for Common Core trainings, contact your county’s Staff Development team.

Additional supporting resources:
Common Core 3.5 Passport
ACL 21-136

BAA offers two cycles of Supervisor Core, a 10-day series which provides supervisors with the core skills required to lead and supervise their units. This series is intended for new child welfare supervisors or any supervisor who supervises staff in a public child welfare context.

Over a 5-month period, participants are given classroom instruction, a training binder with handbook exercises, and are encouraged to write in a learning journal. Each of the ten training days in the series concentrates on one skill learning objective in addition to knowledge and value objectives. The curriculum prominently features practical applications of the learning objectives, and addresses such questions as:
• How do I lead?
• How do I set expectations for my staff?
• How do I measure and track progress?
• How do I coach?
• How do I provide case consultation?
• How do I mobilize my team and instill confidence in their capacity to practice competently?

To register for Supervisor Core trainings, contact your county’s Staff Development team.

The Manager Core curriculum has been developed as a comprehensive series for child welfare managers, linking the themes in other levels of Core (Worker and Supervisor) to be specific to managers and to illustrate parallel process opportunities. This curriculum provides opportunities for participants to assess their knowledge, strengths and resources and apply knowledge and critical thinking skills to real manager scenarios. BAA utilizes curriculum that was developed by the Public Child Welfare Training Academy.

BAA offers one cycle of Manager Core annually, which consists of 6 days of training. The training topics covered include: Foundations for Managers in Child Welfare, Effective Relationships as a Manager, Strategies for Effective Organization, Growing and Sustaining Effective and External and Internal Teams, Essentials for Resource Management, and Strategic Thinking and Planning Tools.

To register for Manager Core trainings, contact your county’s Staff Development team.